Although not part of the South West Coast path, the Isles of Scilly are a beautiful archipelago of islands. Each of the inhabited islands has a coastal footpath and these offer some stunning coastal walks. The islands have a very varied coastline with a mixture of rocky cliffs and rocky outcrops mixed with wide sweeping bays of white sands backed by palm trees. These islands are a real paradise and easily reached from main land Cornwall. This part of the website descirbes the coastal walks round each.
Although not part of the South West Coast path the Channel Islands are crown dependencies whose closest British coastline is that of South West England and they are easily reached from the South West, with ferry connections from Poole and Weymouth and flights from Exeter and Bournemouth (as well as other airports nationwide). These rocky islands are a fascinating mix of Britain and France, with the Queen their head of state, English being the native language (but French widely spoken). Many street names are in French but the islands use the pound (and issue their own notes and coins) and have their own government. Moor importantly there are coast paths around the islands with a new long-distance footpath, the Channel Islands Way, taking in the coast line of the islands. These pages cover the walks around the coast of these beautiful islands.
England Coast
You may not even realise that Gloucestershire has a coast line at all, but the coast of Gloucestershire covers the area north of Bristol to the Severn Bridge until Wales is reached. Being beside the mighty Severn, it is a coast of mud flats and marshes rather than cliffs and beaches, but still one that has a lot of interest. Transport links dominate, with the two road bridges and the unseen Severn Tunnel and if you walk the coast you will walk across the original Severn bridge, offering a high-level view over the swirling waters of the Severn far below.
The coast of Somerset offers tremendous variety. Much of the coast of North Somerset is on the Somerset Levels and hence flat, but mixed in with some large hills and headlands, such as Brean Down and Middle Hope that extend from the Quantock Hills. It is dominated by numerous rivers and drainage channels. Heading further south the coast soon becomes far more rugged as it crosses first the Quantock Hills and then the hills of Exmoor, one of Britain's most beautiful and least visited National Parks.
