It took almost 6 months of planning and booking in sequence, the 24 days we are hiking the South West Coast Path (SWCP). Because of Covid, the Brits were chosing to holiday at home, many of them going to Cornwall which has become a prime tourist destination thanks to the several TV series of Poldark, Doc Martin and Beyong Paradise that were filmed in Devon and Cornwall. Consequently, accommodation was much more difficult to find and more expensive than when we hiked the SWCP in 2018.
In March ths year, I spent almost a month reading books and studying maps to fine-tune the walk and space out the days to less than 20k per day. Having a spreadsheet with distances and stop overs planned out, I then set about booking 24 nights in sequence, staying in a mix of Air BnB’s and booking.com places, sometimes in barns, sheds, shepherd’s huts, private rooms, granny flats, attics, apartments, hotels and even a horse float on the beach at Portholland. Of course we did have the option to stay in several places costing £1,200 per night yes - over AUD$2,000 PER NIGHT - but that was over the top since all we need is a bed, hot shower and a beer or wine each night, nothing gold plated!