Past Ilfracombe's harbour and the Tunnels Beaches, then around rocky Morte Point to the surf sands of Woolacombe.
Highlights
- Ilfracombe & the Verity statue
- Morte Point
- Woolacombe Sands
Know before you go
- Rocky path around Morte Point
Climbs 1,132 m and descends 1,125 m, topping out at 175 m and dropping to 2 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.
Past Ilfracombe's harbour and the Tunnels Beaches, then around rocky Morte Point to the surf sands of Woolacombe.
Places on this leg with a full history, and free audio guides you can read or hear.
Combe Martin to Woolacombe is 14.4 miles (23.1 km). Allow about 7 h 42 min of walking, before stops.
Stage 4 climbs about 1,132 m and descends about 1,125 m, with a high point of about 175 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 T2 — some steep, rough or uneven ground.
By distance the surface is footpath 69%, track 6%, road & lane 23%, other 2%. 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 scarce. 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 Ilfracombe & the Verity statue, Morte Point, Woolacombe Sands. It also passes 1 place we cover in depth: Ilfracombe Harbour & Verity. There is 1 free audio guide between them.
Rocky path around Morte Point.