Climbs 1,189 m and descends 1,223 m, topping out at 156 m and dropping to 4 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.
Often the toughest day on the path: relentless combes past Speke's Mill Mouth waterfall, crossing into Cornwall to reach Bude.
Hartland Quay to Bude is 15.0 miles (24.2 km). Allow about 8 h 18 min of walking, before stops.
Stage 10 climbs about 1,189 m and descends about 1,223 m, with a high point of about 156 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 hard. Rated out of five: physical demand 4/5 (High), terrain 3/5 (Moderate), navigation 2/5 (Modest), remoteness 4/5 (High). On the SAC hiking scale it is T2 — some steep, rough or uneven ground.
By distance the surface is footpath 93%, track 1%, road & lane 6%. 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 5 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 Speke's Mill Mouth waterfall, Devon/Cornwall border, Bude.
Very strenuous — many steep combes. Long and remote.