Across the Yealm onto quiet cliffs to the mouth of the Erme and Bigbury-on-Sea, facing Burgh Island.
Highlights
- Erme estuary (ford at low tide)
- Burgh Island & sea tractor
- Bigbury-on-Sea
Know before you go
- Erme must be forded at low tide — no ferry
Climbs 784 m and descends 776 m, topping out at 102 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.
Across the Yealm onto quiet cliffs to the mouth of the Erme and Bigbury-on-Sea, facing Burgh Island.
This stage depends on 2 crossings. Check times before you set out — most are seasonal or tide-bound, and the inland detour is long.
Places on this leg with a full history, and free audio guides you can read or hear.
Newton Ferrers to Bigbury-on-Sea is 13.7 miles (22.1 km). Allow about 7 h 30 min of walking, before stops.
Stage 37 climbs about 784 m and descends about 776 m, with a high point of about 102 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 3/5 (Moderate). On the SAC hiking scale it is T2 — some steep, rough or uneven ground.
By distance the surface is footpath 67%, track 26%, road & lane 7%. 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 3 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.
Yes — River Yealm ferry, River Erme tidal crossing. Seasonal ferry / water taxi (Warren Point ↔ Noss Mayo); check times or detour up the estuary. Wade only, ~1 h either side of low water at Mothecombe — no ferry; a taxi/inland detour is the wet-tide alternative.
Highlights on this leg are Erme estuary (ford at low tide), Burgh Island & sea tractor, Bigbury-on-Sea. It also passes 1 place we cover in depth: Burgh Island. There is 1 free audio guide between them.
Erme must be forded at low tide — no ferry.