Lessons from the South West Coast Path

If you've been around for a while, you'll know that I'm a SWCP finisher - a year ago today, alongside my Mum, I finished the 630mile trail around Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and Dorset, and I LOVED it. When I say that path is my happy place, that doesn't feel like a strong enough term. With all the hype about The Salt Path film, I've been reminiscing and reflecting.

So what did I learn along the way?

✨ I can do hard things. 

This one seems obvious - I don't know if I ever considered the fact that we might not make it to the end, but I didn't really think about it. This was HARD - it's 630 miles of almost constant ups and downs with more than 4x the elevation climb of Everest. It was tough going, but I did it, and nobody can take that away.

✨ Good things take time.

The world is so instant these days - same day delivery, doing things for likes on social media, being constantly available at any hour of the day - we've lost the art of working hard for, and towards, something. This was a five year labour of love and I appreciate it so much more than any next day delivery I've ever had.

✨ Perspective.

There's nothing like big views of sea and skies for miles and miles to make your problems feel insignificant - I thought to myself many times 'Mother Nature really doesn't give a toss about that thing I'm stressing about' and it's true, I was constantly in awe of my surroundings and how vast everything felt.

✨ Good things don't have to cost money.

Don't get me wrong - the whole expedition cost a fair bit between travel, car parking, taxis and the inordinate amount of chocolate brownies we were consuming, but at its core, this experience was about spending quality time with my Mum and a few friends who joined us along the way, and enjoying what Mother Nature has to offer - none of that stuff costs a penny and it has encouraged me to get out and explore more often.

✨ Dogs make everything more fun.

Goes without saying 🤷🏻‍♀️ The days that I had Therapy Dog Freddie with me were even better!

Is this something you'd be interested in reading more about - both the experiences and the logistics for anyone thinking they might like to give it a go? At this point, SWCP logistics could be my Mastermind topic 😅

Are you an explore on foot or take the car kinda person?

#southwestcoastpath #swcp #hikebritan