Walking the South West Coast Path

The red-cliff edge of England's longest national trail passes right through Torbay — here's how to walk it, from a thirty-minute clifftop stroll to a full-day coastal march.

The South West Coast Path runs 630 miles from Minehead in Somerset to Poole in Dorset, hugging the peninsula's edge for almost its entire length. The Torbay section is among its most varied: red Devonian sandstone cliffs, wooded combes that tumble to the sea, sheltered coves of startling clarity and the occasional grand Victorian promenade. You can walk it in either direction, dipping in and out at multiple access points, and almost every stretch offers something worth turning back for.

The path enters Torbay from the north above Babbacombe, where the cliffs glow rust-red above Oddicombe beach. From here it traces the clifftop southward through Torquay, rounds the headlands above Meadfoot and Anstey's Cove, continues through the softer terrain behind Paignton, and eventually reaches the fishing harbour at Brixham — a satisfying endpoint with a pint and fresh fish within easy reach of the quay.

You can walk it in either direction, dipping in and out at multiple access points, and almost every stretch offers something worth turning back for.

Short (30–60 minutes): Babbacombe to Oddicombe For a first taste of the Torbay clifftop, the loop above Babbacombe is hard to beat. From Babbacombe Downs, the path skirts the cliff edge above Oddicombe, giving uninterrupted views across Lyme Bay towards Portland on a clear day. Descend to the beach via the Babbacombe Cliff Railway — one of the few funiculars still running in the south-west — then walk back up through the cliff gardens. It's gentle enough for mixed-ability groups and delivers the full red-cliff drama without committing a whole day.

Medium (2–3 hours): Hope's Nose and Anstey's Cove The headland at Hope's Nose is one of Torquay's geological showpieces: a limestone promontory pointing east into the Channel, where the rock underfoot changes abruptly from the surrounding red sandstone. From the car park above Meadfoot beach, the path loops around the headland before doubling back through the woods above Anstey's Cove — a narrow, green-sheltered inlet that the coaches almost never find. Return via Meadfoot itself, where the broad shingle-and-sand beach has a pleasing quiet even in summer. The full loop is roughly three miles, with one or two sharp ascents.

Full day: Torquay to Brixham The day walk south from Torquay harbour to Brixham is the definitive Torbay coastal experience: around ten miles, best walked end-to-end using the number 12 bus to return. The path passes through Paignton, offering a detour to the wide family sands there, then climbs onto Berry Head, the great limestone promontory above Brixham. Berry Head is a national nature reserve and one of the highest sea cliffs in the south-west; guillemots and razorbills nest on its ledges, and the view back across the bay — with Torquay to the north and Dartmoor visible inland — is the finest panorama Torbay offers. Descend into Brixham through the gorse and arrive at the harbour ready to eat.

The path is waymarked throughout with acorn symbols, but signage can thin out at junctions in town sections — it's worth downloading the official South West Coast Path Association's GPS route, or carrying their annual guide, which covers this stretch in detail.

Terrain varies considerably. Some clifftop sections are grassy and straightforward; others involve steep, uneven steps cut into the rock. Proper walking shoes are sensible anywhere north of Paignton; full boots aren't necessary but grippy soles are. Torbay is not dramatically remote — there are cafés and bus stops within reach of most stretches — but carry water on any walk longer than an hour.

The path is equally good out of season. Autumn light on the red cliffs is exceptional, and the cove beaches are often dead calm in September and October when the summer crowds have gone. This is a year-round coast.

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