The South West Coast Path
The South West Coast Path runs around Brixham and is a great way to see what Brixham and the surrounding area has to offer. It was originally created by coastguards, patrolling the south west peninsula looking out for smugglers.
The path originated as a route for the Coastguard to walk from lighthouse to lighthouse patrolling for smugglers. They needed to be able to look down into every bay and cove: as a result, the path closely hugs the coast providing excellent views but rarely the most direct path between two points. The South West Coast Path is no longer used by the Coastguard but it has been transformed from a practical defence system into a resource for recreational walkers. The path is covered by England’s right-of-way laws, which keeps historic footpaths open to the public even when they pass through private property. Sections of the path are maintained by the National Trust, which owns parts of the coast.
The South West Coast Path itself is 630 miles long and is the longest National Trail in the country. Starting at Minehead in Somerset it runs along the coastline of Exmoor, continuing along the coast of North Devon into Cornwall. It follows the entire coastline of Cornwall, goes across the mouth of the River Tamar and continues into Devon. After running along the south coast of Devon it then follows the Dorset coastline before finally ending at Poole Harbour.
A fast walker can complete the whole 630 miles in around 30 days, but a more leisurely pace with time to stop to see some of the sights just off the path is between 7 and 8 weeks. We are not suggesting you walk all of it on your holiday!
Here is a link to the South West Coast Path website:
Below are some specific walks from the South West Coast Path website that either start or end in Brixham (but of course you can do them in reverse order!).