High, clean cliffs past Widemouth Bay and the folded rock at Millook Haven down to Crackington Haven.
Highlights
- Widemouth Bay
- Millook Haven chevron folds
- Crackington Haven
Know before you go
- Steep valley descents
Climbs 780 m and descends 769 m, topping out at 164 m and dropping to 5 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.
High, clean cliffs past Widemouth Bay and the folded rock at Millook Haven down to Crackington Haven.
Bude to Crackington Haven is 10.1 miles (16.2 km). Allow about 5 h 36 min of walking, before stops.
Stage 11 climbs about 780 m and descends about 769 m, with a high point of about 164 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 2/5 (Modest), terrain 3/5 (Moderate), navigation 2/5 (Modest), remoteness 2/5 (Modest). On the SAC hiking scale it is T2 — some steep, rough or uneven ground.
By distance the surface is footpath 83%, bridleway 3%, road & lane 13%, other 1%. 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 4 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 Widemouth Bay, Millook Haven chevron folds, Crackington Haven.
Steep valley descents.