Along the cliffs to West Bay and Burton Bradstock, then beside the great shingle bank of Chesil Beach to Abbotsbury.
Highlights
- West Bay
- Burton Bradstock
- Chesil Beach
Know before you go
- Exposed cliff-top walking
Climbs 490 m and descends 483 m, topping out at 155 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.
Along the cliffs to West Bay and Burton Bradstock, then beside the great shingle bank of Chesil Beach to Abbotsbury.
Places on this leg with a full history, and free audio guides you can read or hear.
Seatown to Abbotsbury is 12.4 miles (19.9 km). Allow about 6 h 42 min of walking, before stops.
Stage 47 climbs about 490 m and descends about 483 m, with a high point of about 155 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 3/5 (Moderate), 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 67%, bridleway 5%, track 11%, road & lane 17%. 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 West Bay, Burton Bradstock, Chesil Beach. It also passes 2 places we cover in depth: Abbotsbury & the Swannery, Golden Cap. There are 2 free audio guides between them.
Steep climb over Golden Cap. West Bay to Burton Bradstock: the cliff path is closed by a landslip (since February 2024). Follow the signed diversion across Bridport and West Dorset Golf Club; the map shows the closed cliff path.