Along the English Riviera seafronts of Paignton and Torquay, past Anstey's Cove, to Babbacombe.
Highlights
- Paignton & Torquay seafront
- Anstey's Cove
- Babbacombe Bay
Know before you go
- Urban promenade sections
Climbs 824 m and descends 735 m, topping out at 93 m and dropping to 0 m. Measured along the mapped route.
What you walk on, by distance (from OpenStreetMap way types).
Four axes rated 1–5 — the single rating above is only the headline.
Along the English Riviera seafronts of Paignton and Torquay, past Anstey's Cove, to Babbacombe.
Places on this leg with a full history, and free audio guides you can read or hear.
Brixham to Babbacombe is 13.8 miles (22.3 km). Allow about 7 h 42 min of walking, before stops.
Stage 42 climbs about 824 m and descends about 735 m, with a high point of about 93 m. On the South West Coast Path the ascent, not the distance, is what decides how long a day takes — the route repeatedly drops to sea level and climbs straight back out.
It is graded moderate. Rated out of five: physical demand 4/5 (High), terrain 3/5 (Moderate), navigation 2/5 (Modest), remoteness 2/5 (Modest). On the SAC hiking scale it is T1 — mostly well-made path, falling is largely unlikely.
By distance the surface is footpath 70%, track 1%, road & lane 20%, other 9%. Percentages come from the mapped way types along the route.
March to October is the usual window for this leg. Outside it, daylight is short, some estuary ferries stop running and cliff-top wind and rain make an exposed route much harder work.
Water on this stage is moderate. We map 6 refill points on the leg — mostly pubs, cafés and taps in the villages the path passes through. Shade is minimal: this is open cliff-top walking, so carry more than you think in summer.
Highlights on this leg are Paignton & Torquay seafront, Anstey's Cove, Babbacombe Bay. It also passes 1 place we cover in depth: Berry Head. There is 1 free audio guide between them.
Urban promenade sections.