Where to stay · the South West Coast Path
Camping on the South West Coast Path: Wild Camping Law and Campsites
Quick answer. There is no general right to wild camp in England, and the South West Coast Path is no exception: the National Trail advice is that there are normally no rights for trail users to wild camp, so seek the landowner's permission. The only place in England with a statutory right to camp on open land is the Dartmoor commons, which the path does not touch. In practice, coast-path campers use the campsites and holiday parks that line this coast — the accommodation records here list one on or near the path in every county — and book them in summer.
- No general right in England; permission neededWild camping
- Statutory right on the commons only, not on the coastDartmoor exception
- 11, from North Devon to DorsetCampsites in the records
- August — sites fill with familiesBusiest month
- Rated scarce on 15 stages; refill points on each stage pageWater
Camping is the cheapest way to walk a long trail, and on the South West Coast Path it is also a practical one, because the coast is lined with campsites and holiday parks. What it is not is a trail where you can pitch where you like. This guide sets out the legal position, lists the campsites the site's accommodation records place on or near the path, and covers what changes about your kit and your days when you are carrying a tent.
The legal position
There is no general right to wild camp in England. The National Trail team's guidance for this path says it directly: in England and Wales there are normally no rights for National Trail users to wild camp along the way, so seeking the landowner's permission is recommended. The same page notes that there are plenty of campsites along the trail.
The Dartmoor exception does not reach the coast. The one place in England with a statutory right to camp on open land is the Dartmoor commons. Section 10 of the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985 gives the public a right of access to the commons on foot and on horseback for open-air recreation; after litigation over whether "open-air recreation" included camping, the Court of Appeal ruled in 2023 that it did, and the Supreme Court upheld that in May 2025. Dartmoor is an inland moor. The South West Coast Path runs around the coast of Devon and never crosses it, so the ruling changes nothing for a coast-path walker.
What that means in practice. The land the path crosses is a patchwork — farmland, National Trust land, nature reserves, Ministry of Defence ranges in Purbeck, private estates such as Clovelly (the stage page notes it is a privately managed estate village). Pitching a tent without asking is trespass on all of it. Some walkers do ask a farmer, and some are told yes; that is a private arrangement, not a right, and it is not something this guide can promise you.
Beach and cliff-top camping. Two further reasons not to, beyond the law: the cliffs are unstable in places (the Seaton to Seatown stage page warns that the fossil cliffs are unstable, and stage 46's Undercliff has no exits), and the beaches are tidal. Neither is a place to be in a tent at 2 am.
Campsites near the path, by county
The names below are the campsites recorded in the accommodation data behind this site, listed under the stage they sit closest to. It is not a complete census of the coast — the South West has far more sites than this — so treat it as the starting point and use the stays directory, which lets you filter by type, for the rest. Confirm seasons and pitches directly with the site; many are seasonal.
| County | Stage | Campsite |
|---|---|---|
| North Devon | 3 Lynmouth → Combe Martin | Newberry Valley Park |
| North Devon | 9 Clovelly → Hartland Quay | Stoke Barton Farm and Campsite |
| Cornwall | 15 Padstow → Porthcothan | Carnevas Holiday Park |
| Cornwall | 17 Newquay → Perranporth | Perranporth Camping & Touring Park |
| Cornwall | 19 Portreath → Hayle | Beachside Holiday Park |
| Cornwall | 22 Pendeen → Sennen Cove | Trevedra Farm Caravan & Camping Site |
| Cornwall | 26 Porthleven → The Lizard | Henry's Campsite |
| South Devon | 39 Salcombe → Torcross | Slapton Sands Camping and Caravanning Club Site |
| Dorset | 46 Seaton → Seatown | Golden Cap Holiday Park |
| Dorset | 48 Abbotsbury → Ferrybridge | Pebble Bank Holiday Park |
| Dorset | 51 Lulworth Cove → Worth Matravers | Weston Farm Campsite |
A few of these are worth a note. Stoke Barton Farm sits on the Hartland peninsula, the remotest stretch of North Devon, where the stage page tells you to carry supplies — a campsite there matters more than one in a resort town. Carnevas is on the gentle stretch north of Newquay and is one of the sites the accommodation page names for campers, along with Beachside, Golden Cap Holiday Park and Henry's Campsite at the Lizard. Henry's is on the day the accommodation page tells everyone to book first, the long stage around the Lizard with few facilities en route. Weston Farm is at Worth Matravers, the end of the ranges stage, where beds of any kind are scarce.
There is no campsite in the records for Somerset's two stages or for the Roseland and south Cornish coast between Falmouth and Plymouth; that does not mean there are none, only that the records do not list one. Ask in the directory or plan a hostel or B&B night there — the records list hostels at Treyarnon Bay, St Ives and Portland.
Hostels and the gaps
Where the campsite list runs out, the alternatives are the few hostels — the accommodation page describes them as thin on this trail but often in exactly the spot you want — and the farmhouse B&Bs on the cliff-top sections, which are worth booking specifically because they are often the only thing for miles. Mixing three or four nights in a tent with one under a roof is how most coast-path campers do it, and it lets you dry out.
Seasons and booking
The pattern is the same as for every kind of bed on this coast. Many campsites are seasonal, and in August they fill with families rather than walkers, so book rather than turn up; the accommodation page says exactly that. May, June, September and early October are the months when a pitch is rarely a problem. The remote stretches — Hartland, Penwith, the Lizard, Purbeck — are the ones to phone ahead for at any time of year, because the campsite may be the only option on the stage.
What to carry
Camping on a cliff path changes three things about your kit compared with a hut-to-hut or B&B walk.
- Water capacity. Fifteen of the 52 stages are rated scarce for water and shade is rated minimal on all 52; the stage pages map the refill points — pubs, cafés, taps — and their reliability. With a tent you also need water for the evening and morning, so carry at least two litres of capacity and fill at every point you pass. Lynmouth to Combe Martin, Clovelly to Hartland Quay, St Ives to Pendeen and Newton Ferrers to Bigbury-on-Sea are all rated scarce and remote.
- Wind. This is an exposed coast facing the prevailing south-westerlies, and a cliff-top or dune campsite is windier than an inland one. A tent that pitches low and pegs that hold in sand and thin turf matter more than warmth.
- Weight on the climbs. The path drops to sea level and climbs out again at every cove — Hartland Quay to Bude has 856 m of ascent, Lynmouth to Combe Martin 908 m — and a full pack turns a hard stage into a very hard one. Keep the load down, or consider a baggage transfer for the tent on the big days and carry only a day pack; the site's FAQ notes many walkers use transfers.
Beyond that: waterproofs and a warm layer in any month, a head torch for the short days of spring and autumn, a tide table if your section has a wade or stepping stones, and the offline map, because the remote stages have little or no signal.
Leave it as you found it
Whatever the legal position, the practical rule on a coast with this many walkers is that nobody should be able to tell you camped. Take everything out, including food scraps; do not light fires on cliff tops or beaches; keep well back from cliff edges, which are undercut; and on the Lulworth ranges stage, keep to the waymarked path between the yellow posts and do not touch any metal object on the ground — the Ministry of Defence leaflet for the ranges is explicit about both.
Frequently asked questions
Can you wild camp on the South West Coast Path?
Not as of right. In England there is normally no right to wild camp, and the National Trail's advice for this path is to seek the landowner's permission. Much of the coast is farmland, National Trust land or nature reserve, so the practical answer is to use the campsites, which are plentiful.
Where in England is wild camping legal?
Only on the Dartmoor commons, where the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985 gives a right of access on foot for open-air recreation and the Supreme Court confirmed in May 2025 that camping is covered. Dartmoor is inland and the coast path does not cross it, so the exception does not help on the route.
Are there campsites along the South West Coast Path?
Yes — the South West is holiday-park country and campsites are plentiful, especially in Cornwall and Dorset. The accommodation records behind this site list campsites near the path in North Devon, north and west Cornwall, South Devon and Dorset; the stays directory has the full list and lets you filter by type.
Do I need to book campsites on the South West Coast Path?
In late July and August, yes. Many sites are seasonal, and in August they fill with families rather than walkers. Outside the school holidays a tent pitch is rarely a problem, but phone ahead on the remote stretches where the site is the only option for miles.
Where do you get water when camping on the path?
From the refill points mapped on each stage page — pubs, cafés and taps — and from the campsite. Fifteen stages are rated scarce for water and shade is minimal on all of them, so fill up whenever you pass a point and carry more than you would inland.
