South West Coast Path Accommodation
At 630 miles this is England's longest National Trail, and because it strings together resort towns and fishing villages for its whole length it is also the best supplied. You will rarely struggle to find a bed. What you will struggle with is August — on this coast you are competing with the beach holiday, not with other walkers.
The longest trail, and the most beds
At 630 miles, the South West Coast Path is England's longest National Trail — and because it threads together resort towns, fishing villages and holiday coast for its entire length, it is also the best supplied. Of the places in our directory the great majority are hotels and guesthouses, with campsites and a handful of hostels making up the rest. You will rarely be far from a bed; the question is usually price and season rather than availability.
Hotels, inns and guesthouses most of the route
Everything from a pub with rooms to a coastal landmark. Basset Arms at Portreath and Budock Vean near the Helford are the everyday sort; Burgh Island Hotel off Bigbury is the once-in-a-trip sort. In the bigger resort towns you will have real choice, which is not true of most long-distance paths.
Bed and breakfast and rooms above restaurants coastal classic
Harbour Lights Guest House, Chiltern Lodge, Lower Tresmorn Farm, or somewhere like Kota Restaurant with Rooms where the reason to stay is the kitchen downstairs. Farmhouse B&Bs on the cliff-top sections are often the only thing for miles and are worth booking specifically.
Campsites and holiday parks plentiful in summer
The South West coast is holiday-park country, so campers are well served — Beachside, Carnevas, Golden Cap Holiday Park, Henry's Campsite at the Lizard. Many are seasonal, and in August they fill with families rather than walkers, so book rather than turn up.
Hostels few but useful
Thin on this trail. YHA Treyarnon Bay, Cohort in St Ives, and the unusual Portland Bird Observatory in the old lower lighthouse. Where they exist they are often in exactly the spot you want.
Season decides everything
You are competing with the beach holiday, not with other walkers. This coast is one of Britain's busiest summer destinations. In late July and August rooms are expensive and scarce along the whole path, and many places impose minimum stays that do not suit someone moving on each morning. Walking in May, June, September or October transforms both the price and the availability — and the walking is better.
Plan around the awkward stretches
Supply is not even. The resort towns have plenty; the long cliff sections between them can have almost nothing, and a few stages end somewhere with a single option. The exposed stretches of north Cornwall and north Devon, and the long day around the Lizard, are the ones to book first. Ferries also shape the day — several crossings run seasonally or to tide, and missing the last one can add hours.
Walking it in sections
Most people walk the South West Coast Path in pieces rather than in one continuous push, and accommodation planning is easier for it: you can base yourself in a town for several nights and use buses or taxis to return to the path. Our stage guide breaks the route into days, and the stays directory shows what is near each one.
Frequently asked questions
Where do you stay on the South West Coast Path?
Mostly in hotels, inns and guesthouses — the path passes through resort towns and fishing villages for its entire 630 miles, so it is the best-supplied long-distance trail in England. Campsites and holiday parks are plentiful in summer; hostels are relatively few.
Do you need to book South West Coast Path accommodation in advance?
In high summer, yes, and early. This coast is a major holiday destination, so in late July and August you are competing with families rather than other walkers, prices rise sharply and minimum-stay rules are common. In May, June, September and October you have far more freedom.
Is there camping along the South West Coast Path?
Yes — the South West is holiday-park country and campsites are relatively plentiful, particularly in Cornwall and Dorset. Many are seasonal and fill in August. Wild camping is not generally permitted in England without the landowner's permission.
Which sections are hardest to find a bed on?
The long cliff sections between resort towns, particularly on the north Cornwall and north Devon coast, and the day around the Lizard. Book those first and fit the towns around them — the towns will still have options much later.
Can you walk the South West Coast Path in sections?
Most people do. Walking it in stages over several years is the norm rather than the exception, and it makes accommodation much easier — you can stay several nights in one town and use public transport to return to the path each morning.
Every bed we know about is in the stays directory — filter by type, facilities and where it sits on the route. Listings come from the same database this page is written from, so it stays current as places are added.