Natasha Holmes
5/5
I've used the Walk the Trail team (Linda, Mike et al) twice now for SWCP tours and had a thoroughly great time on both occasions!
1) SWCP St Ives-Penzance in 2022
Firstly it was great that there was flexibility within each section of the SWCP to work out your itinerary based on the average number of miles per day, it was extremely easy to book and make enquiries online, and once you had confirmed a booking, you have an online portal with information. They made sure our walker's pack was posted with plenty of time to arrive by international mail - SWCP guide book, detailed ordinance maps for our sections, night-by-night itinerary with links to maps for each section of the trail and a location for our B&B accommodation. In the end I never used the paper maps because they also recommended using the Komoot app, so we were able to get GPS navigation of each day's hike (which was helpful in some of the more remote areas where the trail was less clear; sometimes there seemed to be public footpaths/byways at various intersections that we did need to walk but at other times the SWCP was different, so it wasn't always clear which path to take).
It was extremely easy to get in touch with the team - we opted to use the environmentally friendly public bus option to get from Porthcurno to our accommodation in Penzance, but it only came hourly and once they reached the maximum number of passengers, they wouldn't take anymore. So we were grateful for Linda's assistance as they helped us book a taxi and took care of the payment. They were kind enough to check up regarding the extreme weather warnings.
Note that the baggage transfer is strict on 20kg - but it was easy to pay for a bit of extra baggage to be transferred for the next stops.
The B&Bs selected were perfectly charming - all of the breakfast options were delicious and extremely filling - we barely needed to eat during the hikes. When we were unable to join at the usual breakfast time due to getting started early on the hike, our host in Penzance made us a take-away breakfast bag of goodies so that we wouldn't miss out!
Regarding the hike itself, the views for this section of the SWCP were spectacular - and we had some excellent weather to appreciate the fine views.
We were immensely thankful for the wonderful organisation of the team from Walk the Trail and truly enjoyed our hassle-free self-guided walking tour. We would thoroughly recommend them, and if we end up back in the UK hiking again, we will definitely rebook with them!
2) Penzance-Polperro in 2024 (customised trip length)
Having had such an awesome experience in 2022, I used Walk the Trail again this year for another section of the SWCP as a solo hiker. I wanted to walk a slightly longer section than the "routine" ones advertised, so I was able to use the "anywhere to anywhere" function to decide the exact section and average miles per day and added a rest day in my personalised itinerary. Again everything was organised so well with daily itineraries and trip notes (eg. ferry crossings, expected low tide). This time they used AllTrails for the mapping app. All of the accommodation options were fabulous - the hosts in Porthleven and The Lizard were particularly gregarious and welcoming, and the food was just as generous and tasty as before! (Again, I barely had to eat on the trail itself due to the large breakfasts served, and I was hiking 18-28k per day!). Beware on relying just on the app for trail navigation - having the SWCP guide book and paper map is useful as there were some path detours and the app sent me on a section of beach that should have been on the clifftop. The weather gods weren't always favourable, but the hiking and the views were amazing as always. All in all another fabulous experience, and looking forward to my next SWCP adventure with the Walk the Trail team!
