South West Coast Path: Parts 12/13/14/14/16/17
Newquay - Padstow 24km
Padstow - Constantine Bay 19km
Constantine Bay - Tintagel 22km
Tintagel - Port Isaac 14km
Tintagel - Boscastle 9km
Boscastle - Widemouth 23km
Total: 305km 30%
I’ve had the rare opportunity to do more than just a walk or two in a row. Last month, I had six consecutive days walking the path.
As a solo walker, there’s something incredibly special about having that much uninterrupted time. Time for thoughts to wander, ideas to form and feelings to settle, without the usual noise and distractions of everyday life. I’ve met other solo walkers along the way who feel exactly the same. We love our solo walks. While there’s always the option for others to join, there’s something precious about that time and space to return to your own thoughts.
I started this path, adventure, journey for so many reasons. But one thing I know now is that where I started this journey isn’t where it will end. The person who set out on this path won’t be quite the same person who finishes it. Life evolves, people change and sometimes all we need is the space to let that happen.
I started because I missed the sea. So many years of my life have been connected to the shore. It’s where my soul rests, finds inspiration and feels happiest. I needed to reconnect with it.
I’d also been given time. Time I needed and didn’t want to waste. For too many years, I’d poured my energy into a job, sitting behind a desk that slowly drained my soul. I need nature. I need to be outside. When I care about something, I give it my all. I’ve never really known how to do anything less.
I stopped doing some of the things that made me me. I was running on empty.
I’d also neglected my health and fitness. Physical strength has always given me the confidence to take on whatever challenges come my way. I wanted the coast path to help me rebuild that strength, to feel my legs working, to trust my body again and to rediscover what I’m capable of.
For a little while, I needed to be in a place where the biggest decisions are whether to stop or keep walking, which way to go and where to begin and end the day. On the path, nobody is asking you to make decisions, take the lead, explain how you feel or untangle the complicated web of your thoughts and emotions.
I needed space for my thoughts to roll gently over the hills, uninterrupted and unhurried. A chance for everything to settle naturally, without having to find the right words or make sense of it all. Just a quiet, almost subconscious process of letting things fall into place.
What I didn’t realise was just how life-changing this experience would be, or how much of an impact it would have in such a short space of time.
After completing 300 km of this journey, I can already feel the changes taking place.
My body is changing, my strength is returning and I’m beginning to feel like myself again. With every step, I can feel my muscles engaging. Every climb is a reminder of what I can do and every uppy downy bit is another step towards feeling stronger.
My mind feels lighter, too. I’m recognising parts of myself that had become tucked away, forgotten or lost beneath the demands of everyday life. Little pieces of me are finding their way back.
I’m realising just how much I need nature, connection and the freedom to exist in a space where I can be completely myself.
It’s easy to find that freedom when you’re walking solo along the coast path. But perhaps the real lesson is learning how to carry that feeling back into everyday life. To create space for it, protect it and make sure it doesn’t disappear when the walking stops.
I want to create an environment around me where my values, passions, desires and all those little ingredients that make me who I am can continue to shine. I want to make choices that feel true to me, make time for the things that bring me joy and hold on to the freedom I’m rediscovering.
I don’t have all the answers. For now, I’m walking, learning, growing and giving myself permission to see where the path takes me.
Lessons learned
Listen to your inner voice.
Make space for the things that make you feel alive.
Strength comes back, one step at a time.
Favourite bits so far
Reaching the top of High Cliff, the tallest coastal cliff in Cornwall - high on endorphins
Dramatic cliff-top scenery, with the sound of seals carrying up the cliffs
The memorial beaches and the beautiful messages including this beautiful poem from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:
“Ah! what pleasant visions haunt me
As I gaze upon the sea!
All the old romantic legends,
All my dreams, come back to me.”
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