How we got here
History lurks round every headland on this storied coast. Here are some of the highlights…
201 MILLION YEARS AGO
JURASSIC COAST
The 95 miles from Exmouth to Swanage were once a tropical sea brimming with strange life forms. Fossil hunting in Lyme Regis puts you in the shoes of palaeontologist Mary Anning (1799-1847) who discovered skeletons of ichthyosaur, plesiosaur and changed our understanding of life on Earth.
3200-600 BCE
BRONZE AGE BURIAL
Carne Beacon is Cornwall’s largest bronze age burial site, but you’ll discover ancient earth mounds along the length of this route. They give some insight into the enduring spiritual importance of this dramatic coastline.
500 BCE – 800 AD
IRON AGE FORTS
Coastal clifftops provide excellent defences and some of the most ancient are the Iron Age forts you’ll see at places like Wind Hill above Lyn Gorge, Berry Camp at Branscombe, and Flowers Barrow above Worbarrow Bay.
1588
SPANISH ARMADA
In 1588 beacons were lit along the length of the coast to warn of an invading Spanish fleet. They were defeated by faster more agile British ships and the survivors of one Spanish galleon are said to have washed up at Buck Mills, married local women and lived in a tightknit and isolated community.
1625
BARBARY PIRATES
Coastal villages were regularly raided by pirates from north Africa. In 1625 a party landed at Mount’s Bay in Cornwall and captured 60 locals in a single raid. There were once thought to be up to 5000 people from England in captivity in Algiers, sold into slavery or returned for an average ransom of £30.
1820
TIN MINING
There were once 600 tin mines in Cornwall. Levant in Pendeen, which opened in 1820, features a restored beam engine that carried miners deep underground. Disaster struck in 1919 when the engine snapped and 31 men lost their lives.
1901
TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION
In a hut on the Cornish coast, Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi received the very first wireless transmission from 180 miles away on the Isle of Wight. Later that year he sent a signal from Cornwall to Newfoundland some 2100 miles away, paving the way for faster global communication.
1944
EXERCISE TIGER
There is evidence everywhere of the south coast’s importance to WWII preparations, from gun emplacements and bunkers to deserted villages like Tyneham. Slapton Sands was the scene of tragedy when during preparations for D-Day, German E Boats sunk two ships and friendly fire caused the death of almost 800 mainly American servicemen.
1978
SWCP OFFICIALLY SET UP
The South West Coast Path was originally a route for coastguards to follow between lighthouses as they monitored for smugglers. Its association was set up in 1973 and the final section of the route opened in 1978.