South West Coast Path Run

South West Coast Path Run

A truly epic trail running holiday along England’s longest waymarked trail, from Minehead to Poole.

3 to 8 nights
630 miles
Easy / Moderate to Strenuous

From £390 per person

Find your holiday

About the trail

At 630 miles (1,014 km), the South West Coast Path is England’s longest National Trail and has good claim to being the most spectacular too.

The route spans a wonderful variety of running, over rugged clifftops, around sheltered coves, harbours, fishing villages and across heather moorland. Out here, you’ll find stirring views over the open sea and the British countryside, alongside devilish daily mileages.

It’s not just the distance that daunts, though: the route constantly rises and falls and will leave your calves whimpering. In fact, it’s more common for runners to attempt it one chunk at a time rather than all in one go.

We offer the South West Coast Path in sections, allowing you to piece together the most suitable route for your time and stamina. Of course, if you’re prepared for the challenge of the whole route, you can run these sections consecutively to cover the entire 630-mile trail.

Choose your route

  • This route includes dog friendly tour options North Devon Run
  • Cornwall's Atlantic Coast - North Run
  • Dorset Run
  • This route includes dog friendly tour options South Cornwall Run
  • South Devon Run
  • Cornwall's Atlantic Coast - South Run
  • This route includes dog friendly tour options South West Cornwall Run
  • Tor Bay and East Devon Run
  • Far West of Cornwall Run

Dog friendly tours available

Dogs are welcome on select routes along this trail. Look for the pawprint icon when choosing your holiday.

Walking tours available

We also organise walking holidays along this route. Find out more.

About this route

3 to 5 nights
61 miles
Easy / Moderate to Demanding
2nd January to 24th December
Includes Dog-Friendly Tours

From £415 per person

South West Cornwall Run

This leg of the South West Coast Path is the wildest and most isolated. It winds from Penzance along the rugged red-green cliffs of the Lizard and through the shaded woods that line the creeks of the Helford River. As with every stage of this immense coastal trail, South West Cornwall features frequent and sometimes brutal ascents and descents, but a visit out to St Michael’s Mount, a rocky island crowned by a vast fortress and priory, will warm your legs up slowly, ready for the challenge ahead.

Available tours

Code Tour Duration Difficulty Price per person
R-SWCO1 From Penzance to Falmouth 3 nights, 2 days running Demanding £415
R-SWCO2 From Penzance to Falmouth 4 nights, 3 days running Moderate £545
R-SWCO3 From Penzance to Falmouth 5 nights, 4 days running Easy / Moderate £620

South West Cornwall Trail Run 3 nights, 2 days running

£NNN per person
  • Itinerary
  • What's included?
  • Extra nights?
  • Tour facts
  • Route profile
  • Travel info
  • Weather
  • Holiday Highlights

Important information

Please note that the Helford Passage Ferry Service operates from Good Friday or 1st April to October 31st.   If the ferry is not running the alternatives are a 13 mile detour or to take a taxi; therefore if you wish to run this route outside of these dates, please contact us to discuss your requirements.

 

Start

Travel to Penzance where your first night's accommodation will be booked

Day 1

Penzance to The Lizard. 27.5 miles (44km) / 3320 ft (1012 m) ascent

Day 2

The Lizard to Falmouth. 33.5 miles (53.5km) / 4131 ft (1259 m) ascent

Finish

Depart from Falmouth after breakfast

Your Itinerary

This itinerary lists our preferred overnight stops for this tour. Sometimes there may be a shortage of available accommodation in a preferred location, in which case we will transfer you from the trail to your accommodation and back again at no extra charge. Overnight stops marked with a (T) will always require transfers as standard.

Overnight stops marked with an (L) have very limited accommodation, and therefore more often than not will also require a transfer, particularly on bank holidays and weekends. We will use non-transfer accommodation wherever possible.

The daily mileages quoted are average trail miles only and do not include the distance from the trail to your accommodation. We do not expect you to have to travel more than a mile from the trail to your accommodation in most cases; should your accommodation be further than this, transfers will be provided as standard if practical. A very limited number of stops will require you to travel on foot up to two miles off the trail, however these instances will be clearly communicated to you if applicable.

Further transfers may also be required due to some accommodations having a two-night minimum booking policy, especially at weekends.

Below are the additional costs that may apply depending on your requirements. Dog-friendly tours are subject to a Daily Dog Charge, which will be listed below if applicable. Our standard prices per person are based upon two people sharing a room; if you are on your own, or are part of a group but require a room of your own, then the Solo Traveller or Single Supplements apply respectively:

A note about transfers
Solo Traveller Supplement
£65.00 per person / per night
Single Supplement
£50.00 per person / per night


You can add rest days at any of the overnight stops:

Extra night (Standard)
£65.00 per person / per night
Standard
Interactive
© Contours Walking Holidays South West Cornwall Run map
Penzance to Falmouth
61 miles (98 km)
2nd January to 24th December

Holiday highlights

Running along the coast of the Lizard Peninsula, where black rocks cut out into the sea and the rare geology of the shoreline provides a home for all sorts of flowering plants.

Visiting tiny fishing ports protected from Atlantic gales by granite sea walls.

Enjoying the wild isolation of the place, with coves and smugglers' hideaways to explore as you run.

What's included?

  • 3 nights' accommodation in en-suite rooms (where available) in selected B&B’s, hotels, inns and guesthouses along the trail, or a short distance away via taxi provided at our expense.
  • Breakfast each day.
  • Door to door luggage transfer.
  • Maps with the route marked on and a guidebook or route notes describing the trail.
  • An information pack containing an itinerary, instructions on how to find your accommodation each night and a kit list.
  • Detailed travel instructions on how to get to the start of your holiday and back from the end of it.

Extra Nights & Rest Days

Adding extra nights into your trail running holiday not only allows you more time to explore the amazing landscapes of the South West Coast Path, but they can also be used as vital rest days if you need to take a break from running and recover, ready for the next stretch.

You can add rest days at any of the overnight stops:

Extra night (Standard)
£65.00 per person / per night

Tour Facts

Total distance: 61 miles (97.5 km)
Duration: 3 nights, 2 days running
Minimum daily distance: 27.5 miles (44 km)
Maximum daily distance: 33.5 miles (53.5 km)
Code: R-SWCO1 Grade: Demanding
Season: 2nd January - 24th December
Start of holiday: Penzance
End of holiday: Falmouth

Route Profile

South West Cornwall Trail Run Route Profile

Travel Information

Useful information and travel links that will assist you in your plans to travel to the start of the holiday and back from the end of it are sent to you with your full tour pack. A summary is given below:

By Air - The most convenient major city and international airports are Exeter, Newquay and Bristol.

By Rail - There is a rail station at the start of the trail (Penzance). There is a choice of stations at Falmouth, Falmouth Town or Falmouth Docks. Which is the best option will depend upon the location of your accommodation.

By Bus - Various bus services run to Penzance and from Falmouth.

From London - Trains runs from London Paddington station to Penzance.

Return To The Start - The easiest way to return to the start of the trail is to take a taxi. You can catch a train or bus from Falmouth to Penzance, but it would take much longer.

Weather Information

To find out more about the weather forecast for your chosen holiday's general location, please see the following websites:

  • MetCheck - This website allows you to look up detailed weather information for specific locations as far as six months in advance.
  • Met Office - This website shows regional area forecasts a few days in advance, with a general UK forecast description of up to 30 days in advance.
  • Mountain Forecast - This website shows what the forecast is like up on specific hills and fells, and offers forecasts a few days in advance.