Somerset and Exmoor Coast Festival | Somerset Coast Challenge

The 80 Miles in Eight Days Challenge is part of the Somerset and Exmoor Coast Festival and takes walkers from Brean Down to County Gate in a series of guided walks over eight days. 

The walk begins on the King Charles III England Coast Path and takes in the stunning sandy beaches in the north of the region, the estuaries of the Rivers Brue, Parrett and Huntspill, the wildlife of the coastal sections of the Somerset Wetlands National Nature Reserve and the spectacular cliff and shore formations of the geological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)  between Lilstock and Blue Anchor.

As the landscape changes to rolling hills and farmland we pass through coastal towns and villages, shadowing the West Somerset Heritage Railway, before joining the South West Coast in Minehead and heading to combes and open moorland of Exmoor to reach County Gate.

Along the entire route we have arranged stamping stations and you will receive a Somerset & Exmoor Coast Trail Passport with details of the route and spaces to collect the stamps as we walk.

Due to the challenge nature of this walk and the possibility of livestock in the fields we are passing through, we have made the decision not to accept dogs on the walk.

Each morning we’ll meet at the end point of your day’s walking where there will be parking available and be driven to the start to return to cars or public transport connections.

Days 1 – 6 on the King Charles III England Coast Path are on terrain that would be considered easy (flat, no stiles and only a few shortish hills), however we have classed it as moderate given the distances to be walked each day. Days 7 and 8 on the South West Coast Path are more challenging with multiple hills and more remote sections of path, they have been kept shorter to accommodate this.

Itinerary

Brean to Highbridge – Highbridge to Bridgwater – Bridgwater to Steart – Steart to Burton – Burton to Watchet – Watchet to Minehead – Minehead to Porlock – County Gate to Porlock