im going to wild camp/walk the south west coast path in march and april, ive never walked this far for so long before and ive never wild camped so any suggestions and advise would be most welcome!
You might have taken on a rather large challenge. My first tip would be to not wild camp each night. There aren't many places on the SW coast path that will let you wild camp legally and you'd stuggle to find good spots anyway. Build up your stamina on a few multi-day treks first before setting off.
Also, get good boots and keep the weight of your pack down as much as you can.
Mike's right - you need to work out the minimum carry in your sack. We camped on a beach this year, there's plenty of places to wild camp as long as you're willing to put the tent or tarp up late, when most dog walkers have gone home for the night. I wouldn't wear boots but each to their own - you need to be comfy.
You can probably wild camp on the beach each night if you arrive late enough, but in the busier areas it will be harder. (And water could be hard to find)
By the way, I know I said boots, but I meant more generally that good footwear is important.
This year I am completing my End to End (from Cape Wrath) from Barnstaple to Lands End ,118 miles on SWCP I understand. What is the wild camping like on that section. Beach would be fine. I managed okay this year from Lichfield to Barnstaple.
You can probably wild camp on the beach each night if you arrive late enough, but in the busier areas it will be harder. (And water could be hard to find)
If you do this, don't forget to take a tide-table with you
I must admit I've never camped on the beach on the SWCP - although when ever possible I divert from the path to walk on the beach. I've walked the section from Bude round to Plymouth now, wild camping most nights. There's plenty of opportunities to do so - there are many stretches where the path runs on a narrow strip of access land between the sea and the fields. Just look for areas on the map where the access land widens out a bit and it should be possible to camp away from the path without camping on farmland. There's plenty of footfall late into the night and early in the morning on the path itself, especially near to villlages or car parks.
Well... I clicked on the OM forum link above and read what I wrote in 2010...
On the SWCP, you really need to keep a very low profile, because people do use stretches of the path from early until late for strolls and dog-walking, and some local folk will tell on you if they spot you! I've seen notices that ask the public to inform about any wild campers they see. Seems a bit extreme, but understandable if there have been problems.
I don't think I have anything more to add about wild camping!
Given that the trail is so long, I'm not sure you should be tackling it without having sampled at least a week on a similar trail, so that you know what the day-by-day routine entails. Then again, if it all goes pear-shaped, there are ample opportunities to bail out by bus or train. One thing to bear in mind about March and April... not all the little ferries will be running across some of the tidal inlets. You'll have to walk round some of them. Same thing applies to seasonal shops and cafes... if they're closed... then you need to carry more food to see you to the next re-supply point.
