A Journey of Recovery Along England’s South West Coast Path

After a severe case of COVID-19, writer Richard Collett looked to a hiking route famous for its healing powers.

Land’s End was ahead of me. I could see the edge of the cliffs as mainland Britain abruptly disappeared into the crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean, and I dragged my feet furiously over the last few hundred meters of gravel pathway to reach the most westerly point in Cornwall.

I was walking the South West Coast Path. At 630 miles (1013km) in length, it is the United Kingdom’s longest “National Trail,” a long-distance, waymarked hiking route that follows mile upon mile of dramatic coastline as it traverses the contours of Somerset, North Devon, Cornwall, South Devon, and Dorset.

As Paul Harris, an ex-Royal Marine who has hiked the South West Coast Path, would later tell me: “The pain, savagery, and relentlessness of the path will test you and push you mentally, physically, and spiritually. I promise you though, you try by just taking that first step, and it will change your life.”

Reaching Land’s End

Land’s End is located around 250 miles (400km) from the start (or end) point of the trail in Minehead, Somerset. It’s not even the halfway point, but as I reached the edge of Britain, my steps quickened. A sign advertised the “First and Last Gift and Refreshment House in England.” Flags fluttered in the Atlantic breeze as tourists took snaps next to a post that read “New York: 3147 miles.” In the distance, there was nothing but the vastness of the ocean.

It was the summer of 2021. Just six months earlier, I’d caught COVID-19. Despite being 30 years old with no underlying health conditions, I spent four breathless weeks in bed, barely able to summon the strength to walk a few meters to the bathroom. Every passing hour drained my mental fortitude as my physical strength diminished. Every night, I struggled to sleep, finally closing my eyes only to wake suddenly, gasping for breath, wondering how much further my blood oxygen levels might drop.

But with hospitals in the UK at breaking point, doctors told me to stay home and ride it out, and so I struggled through the worst of it, my mental health ebbing while confined to a small room in Bristol. I’m eternally grateful that my partner Claire was there to nurse me through the worst of it. Despite suffering from COVID-19 symptoms herself, Claire somehow found the strength to cook meals and check my temperature. Without her assistance, there’s no chance I could have stayed out of the hospital.

I know that many others suffered much worse than I did, but the virus struck me harder than I ever imagined. In the months that followed, I dismayed to discover that I struggled to walk the half mile to the supermarket, returning wearied and fatigued in a way I’d never felt before the virus, when I could comfortably run five miles around Bristol Harbor.

Then, in February, Claire handed me a copy of The Salt Path (2018) by Raynor Winn, saying it might inspire me to get outside again. She’d read it while I was suffering in bed and found comfort in the journey taken by the author and her terminally ill husband as they walked the South West Coast Path after being made homeless.

Finding Community Along the Trail

By walking the South West Coast Path, we were following a well-trodden route carved by a community that seeks to reconnect with nature, overcome illness or injury, and cope with mental health issues. In certain cases, the South West Coast Path even saves lives.

Steve Kelcey began walking the path several years ago after losing a good friend to cancer and another in a motorcycle accident. He initially walked a lengthy section from Penzance in Cornwall to Minehead in Somerset.

“Walking the South West Coast Path has had a hugely positive impact on my mental health,” Kelcey explained after we connected online in a Facebook Group for South West Coast Path hikers. “When I’m walking, gone are the normal stresses; my entire life on those walks is just experiencing the beauty of the coast.” Despite having completed every section of the South West Coast Path, Kelcey still returns whenever he gets the chance.

Paul Harris, the former Royal Marine I spoke to, found himself down a “dark hole,” experiencing a panic attack in December 2019. Based in Dorset, Harris began walking sections of the South West Coast Path as a way to escape a life he wasn’t enjoying.

In June 2020, he was inspired to not only walk the entire 630 miles of the South West Coast Path but also the entire coastline of Britain, a continuous journey that he is still undertaking today. “It saved me,” said Harris. “It’s nourished my soul, healed many wounds within me, and I have met the most incredible humans walking the path.”

A Slow Start

Despite training leading up to our departure, our backs, shoulders, and legs were unaccustomed to heavy packs and steep inclines. Our worldview narrowed to the few steps ahead of us. Every brook or stream, every contour on the map became a challenging obstacle that we willed ourselves to overcome.

We averaged less than 1 mile an hour during the first week. To put this into perspective, the Ramblers organization states the average walking pace on outdoor trails at 2.5 miles per hour. Pre-COVID, we would easily exceed this on long hikes. However, after the initial shock, our bodies and minds began adjusting to life on the path. We appreciated the high cliffs and thundering waves below as we stumbled along the Somerset coastline and over the steep hills into North Devon.

As the terrain leveled out, we found ourselves on the golden beaches of Cornwall, crossing estuaries dotted with sailing ships and fishing boats, strolling through old Cornish villages, and savoring every sip of a cold pint of beer in the evening. We began measuring our days in hilltops and camping spots, taking delight in racing up trails to see the views that awaited us on the other side as we felt our muscles strengthening and our packs lightening. With every step we took, we talked less about COVID-19 and more about our beautiful surroundings.

Finding Peace on a Long Walk

The South West Coast Path Association has recently completed a study indicating the mental health benefits of walking the South West Coast Path. The results show that hiking and walking positively affect our mental and bodily well-being.

As we reached Land’s End, we realized that hiking the South West Coast Path allowed us to not only regain our pre-COVID fitness levels but to exceed them. We were hiking above the average walking pace, even on uneven terrain with significant inclines for full days. We enjoyed hiking up hills again without struggling for breath. We felt more confident in our strength and fitness—and happier in mind.

The South West Coast Path Association believes these benefits should be open to all. The organization is pioneering several projects to make the path more accessible, including a Couch to Coast initiative, encouraging outdoor excitement by introducing people to small sections of the path.

We never knew how far we would make it when we set off from Minehead. However, everyone walks the South West Coast Path at their own pace. The fastest known time is 10 days, 15 hours and 18 minutes, achieved by Damian Hall in 2016, but many hikers tackle the path in stages, taking years, decades, or even a lifetime.

We never made it to the end of the South West Coast Path that summer. Ours was a leisurely walk. A few weeks after reaching Land’s End, with summer ebbing away, we concluded at the official halfway point on The Lizard—a peninsula on the south coast that is the most southerly point in mainland Britain—knowing the path had served its purpose well.

Considering that, at the beginning of the year, I’d barely walked a few meters without collapsing, a 315-mile hike is a commendable effort. We discovered a new love for long-distance trekking; our bodies and minds felt re-energized, and we felt we’d conquered the worst COVID-19 had thrown at us. We’ve been returning when we can, to continue hiking the sections we missed, to stay fit, and to clear our heads. It might take years for us to cross the finish line in Poole, Dorset. We’re okay with that.