This is my fifth year walking a stretch of the South West Coast Path – a trail sometimes referred to as The Salt Path. That phrase was coined by Raynor Winn in her now discredited book. I was disappointed by her fall from grace, but I still believe in her central claim: that a challenge like this can transform, restore, and test resilience.

2025 has not been a great year. I’ve had some amazing experiences, but the events at the end of 2024 continue to cast a shadow. Could a 40-mile hike help to lift it?

The path is graded as easy, moderate, strenuous, and severe. We’ve only attempted one severe section before – St Ives to Zennor in 2021 – and it was a brutal introduction. I had naively imagined a coastal walk would be a gentle stroll. Instead, the climbs left our lungs screaming, and the descents had our knees begging for mercy. This section promised another severe section between Kimmeridge and Lulworth Cove.

Previous sections walked:

• 2021 – St Ives to Land’s End, 25 miles

• 2022 – Hayle to Newquay, 40 miles

• 2023 – Minehead to Coombe Martin, 36 miles

• 2024 – Coombe Martin to Instow, 42 miles

This year’s plan was South Haven to Weymouth: 46 miles on paper. South Haven, five miles from Poole, is the end (or start) of the SW Coast Path.

I walk with my good friend, Jill, whom I first met in 1977 when we were student nurses. Our lives have taken different turns, but we share a love of walking – and she’s a far better map-reader than me. We don’t use luggage transfer; everything we need for four nights we carry on our backs. That makes climbing stiles and ducking under branches trickier, but it’s part of the challenge.

After the obligatory photo by the stating we began walking along Shell Bay, then Studland Beach – noted for its naturist section. Unsurprisingly, we were the only two on the beach and fully clothed! From there, the path veered inland toward Old Harry Rocks, the chalk stacks at Handfast Point. This was a moderate section – fairly easy underfoot, though the weather was the main challenge. We started in driving rain, but it eased enough for us to enjoy fish and chips in Swanage, under the watchful eye of a greedy seagull.

The afternoon took us past Durlston Castle, through Durlston Country Park, and by Tilly Whim Caves before turning inland toward Seacombe. The final climb up to Worth Matravers was steep, muddy, and exhausting. To make matters worse, we arrived in the village to discover no mobile signal – no way to find the address or to contact our B & B. We had to stop at the pub (no hardship there) to get directions.

At the B & B, we made a disheartening discovery: the section between Kimmeridge and Lulworth Cove was closed mid-week due to Army firing ranges. Our options were a 13-mile inland detour or a walk to Corfe Castle to pick up a bus transfer. We chose the latter.

Day 2 – Worth Matravers to Corfe Castle (9 miles)

It was raining again, but that turned out to be the least of our problems. The wind was brutal. Near St Alban’s Head, the gusts were so strong that standing upright was a challenge. With a cliff edge on one side and a barbed wire fence on the other, my walking pole gave me three points of contact and just enough stability to stay upright. Jill wasn’t so lucky – she was blown sideways into the fence, catching her arm.

We persevered, descending steeply to Chapman’s Pool before the inevitable climb out. This was now firmly strenuous territory. As we battled slippery ground and rising winds, I was blown off balance and fell. A stile loomed ahead, and though I could barely stand, sheer resilience got me over it.

But then the wind intensified further. It stopped being difficult and became frightening. We inched along, clinging to the fence where we could. When we finally reached the top and saw the next descent – muddy, exposed, and with a barbed fence for company – I drew the line. For the first time in my hiking life I said, “I’m not doing that.” Jill agreed. Instead, we headed inland to Kingston for lunch and then picked up the Hardy Way to Corfe Castle.

Day 3 – Lulworth Cove to Weymouth (13 miles)

At last, a dry morning. Unusually, there were a good number of people on the path,  drawn to Durdle Door, just a mile and a half into our walk. But beyond the limestone arch, numbers quickly dwindled.

The path here was strenuous, with steep ascents and descents made slippery by a couple of days of heavy rain. My balance was tested, my lungs too. But the views made it all worthwhile.

I was especially looking forward to lunch at The Smugglers Inn at Osmington Mills, a pub I’d stayed in during my 20s and 30s. It hadn’t changed much, which was lovely. The Coast Path runs right through the pub garden, making it a perfect stop for walkers.

After lunch the route flattened, and more walkers appeared. We passed the derelict Riviera Hotel (a Pontins dream once upon a time), then trudged across a long stony beach and onto the boardwalk into Weymouth. This is the part of the Coast Path I like least—long stretches through busy seaside towns, feet pounding on tarmac and concrete under a heavy backpack. Far kinder on the body is grass or soft paths.

But we made it.

Totals•

Day 1: 12 miles

Day 2: 9 miles

Day 3: 13 miles

Total: 34 miles

Seven miles short of our planned 41. Poor planning and bad weather had their say.

We have now completed 177 miles of the South West Coast Path. Only 453 miles to go.