May, June and September. Long daylight (May/June) or still-warm sea and settled light with the crowds gone (September); full services, firm ground, and the cliff-top wildflower peak in May.
Walk this trail May-September for the best balance of daylight, dry ground and open services, with May and September the sweet spot and June the longest days at the cost of the pre-holiday crowd starting to build. Climate figures throughout are ranges rather than single averages because the trail runs a real gradient: Cornwall and north Devon (Camborne, Chivenor) are milder, wetter and windier than Somerset and Dorset (Yeovilton, Hurn), especially overnight in winter, when frost is common inland but rare on the far-west coast. Outside April-October the path is walkable but not recommendable as a through-hike: short daylight, closed seasonal services, frequent storms and one genuinely mandatory seasonal ferry (Helford) simply not running all conspire against it. If you only take one fact away, it is that services and ferries here run to a season, not a calendar month, and Easter and late-October half-term are the real hinge points rather than fixed dates. Stated once so the months do not have to: seasonal campsites and independent cafes work roughly Easter to late-October half-term, the year-round towns (Padstow, Falmouth, Dartmouth, Salcombe, Lyme Regis and similar) keep functioning while small hamlets often do not, the six mandatory ferries (Cremyll, Padstow to Rock, Dartmouth Lower, Salcombe to East Portlemouth, Fowey to Polruan, Shaldon to Teignmouth) all run through the winter but on reduced hours with an early last crossing and sometimes a midday break, and the Helford River ferry, the one genuinely mandatory seasonal link, runs 1 April to 31 October only, with a long inland diversion via Gweek when it does not.
Month-by-month guide
January
Poor
The shortest, darkest month, with the Exmoor and north Cornwall big-climb sections at their most exposed and a real chance of storm-driven diversions. Walkable, but not an enjoyable through-hike.
8-9°C high · 2-5°C low · ~8.5 hrs (sunrise ~08:10, sunset ~16:40, mid-route latitude)Watch for: Daylight is the binding constraint: a realistic walking day is 6–7 hours once you allow for a safety margin, which shortens every stage on the big-climb sections. Low winter sun sits close to the horizon for most of the day and can dazzle on west- or south-facing stretches.
February
Poor
An hour and a half more daylight than January makes stage planning slightly easier, but the coast is still in its off-season pattern of shut services and frequent gales.
9°C high · 2-5°C low · ~10 hrs (sunrise ~07:30, sunset ~17:30)Watch for: Same low-sun glare and storm-gust risk on exposed headlands as January; the difference this month is often the odd genuinely fine, calm, cold day that is very good walking if you can pick it.
March
Mixed
Daylight and temperature both turn a real corner this month, but the seasonal side of the coast is still waiting for Easter and the ground is only starting to dry out from winter.
10-11°C high · 3-5°C low · ~12 hrs (sunrise ~06:30, sunset ~18:20)Watch for: Weather is genuinely changeable week to week — a settled high-pressure spell can give some of the best walking of the year, but you can just as easily get a wet, windy week back to back with it.
April
Good
The season properly starts: days are long enough for full stages, the path is drying out, and spring growth hasn't yet closed in on the narrower sections. Nights are still cold and the sea is at its coldest of the year.
12-14°C high · 4-7°C low · ~13.75 hrs (sunrise ~06:25, sunset ~20:10, clocks now on BST)Watch for: Nights are still cold enough for a proper overnight low even on a warm afternoon, so don't be misled by a mild day into cutting evening kit.
May
Excellent
Long daylight, reliably drying ground, the year's wildflower peak on the cliff tops, and services open but not yet at peak-season capacity. Most experienced SWCP walkers rate this the best month on the trail.
15-17°C high · 7-9°C low · ~15.5 hrs (sunrise ~05:30, sunset ~20:55)Watch for: Sea temperature is still cold even on a hot day, so don't plan on it as a cooling-off option the way you could in August.
June
Excellent
The longest days of the year, warm without being oppressive on the big climbs, and everything is open. The last reliably quiet month before the school summer holidays fill the honeypot towns.
17-20°C high · 10-11°C low · ~16.4 hrs (sunrise ~05:05, sunset ~21:30, longest days of the year)Watch for: Tick season is well underway in bracken and long grass at path edges — check after any stretch through rough vegetation.
July
Good
Reliably warm and long-day walking, but the school summer holidays start partway through the month and the honeypot towns (Padstow, Salcombe, Dartmouth, St Ives approaches) get noticeably busier from then on.
19-22°C high · 12-13°C low · ~16 hrs (sunrise ~05:20, sunset ~21:20)Watch for: Long dry, shadeless stretches between water and food stops are the real hazard in a heatwave, not the terrain — carry more water than you think you need on the longer undulating sections. Ticks remain active.
August
Mixed
The most reliable weather window of the year, but also peak school-holiday crowding: resort towns are at capacity, accommodation is scarce and expensive, and the path itself is busy on the short sections nearest the honeypots. Rate this for a through-walker booking as you go, not for the weather alone.
19-22°C high · 12-13°C low · ~14.5 hrs (sunrise ~06:05, sunset ~20:35, noticeably shortening)Watch for: Same heat-and-water issue as July, sharper because the honeypot campsites and B&Bs can be fully booked rather than just busy — have a backup plan for where you'll sleep.
September
Excellent
The sea is at its warmest of the year, the school holidays are over, and the light on the cliffs is often better than midsummer. Along with May, this is the month experienced walkers rate highest.
17-20°C high · 10-12°C low · ~12.6 hrs (sunrise ~06:50, sunset ~19:30)Watch for: Tick risk is still real into early autumn on rough ground; the odd late-summer Atlantic swell can also make normally placid coves surprisingly rough.
October
Good
Still genuinely good walking in the first half, especially around the half-term week, with autumn colour building in the wooded valley sections. The second half turns markedly, with services closing for the season and rain days increasing fast.
15-16°C high · 7-10°C low · ~10.75 hrs (sunrise ~07:40, sunset ~18:25 early month; loses an hour of afternoon light overnight when clocks go back)Watch for: The clocks going back removes an hour of usable afternoon daylight overnight — a stage that comfortably finished in daylight in early October can end in the dark by early November if you don't replan.
November
Poor
Short days, wet ground and a near-complete close-down of seasonal services put this back into the off-season pattern, a full month earlier than the equivalent closing-down felt in spring.
12°C high · 4-7°C low · ~9 hrs (sunrise ~07:30, sunset ~16:30)Watch for: Low winter sun sits close to the horizon for most of the walking day and can dazzle badly on west- or south-facing cliff paths in the afternoon.
December
Poor
The shortest days of the year land on top of the same closed-services, wet-ground, storm-prone pattern as November and January. A few settled, cold, calm days can be excellent, but you cannot plan a through-hike around getting one.
9-10°C high · 2-6°C low · ~8 hrs (sunrise ~08:10, sunset ~16:15, shortest days of the year)Watch for: Same daylight and low-sun-glare constraints as January; a realistic walking day is shorter than the distance between overnight stops on several of the big-climb sections, so days need planning around light, not just mileage.
Sources and research notes · 15 sources
metoffice.gov.ukYeovilton, Somerset station, 1991-2020 averages: temp high c, temp low c, rain mm, rain days for the cooler/drier (Somerset/inland) end of the monthly ranges, all 12 months.Checked 28 Jul 2026
metoffice.gov.ukChivenor, North Devon station, 1991-2020 averages: temp high c, temp low c, rain mm, rain days for the north Devon end of the monthly ranges, all 12 months.Checked 28 Jul 2026
metoffice.gov.ukCamborne, Cornwall station, 1991-2020 averages: temp high c, temp low c, rain mm, rain days for the milder/wetter/windier (Cornwall) end of the monthly ranges, all 12 months, and the winter wind note contrast.Checked 28 Jul 2026
metoffice.gov.ukHurn (Bournemouth), Dorset station, 1991-2020 averages: temp high c, temp low c, rain mm, rain days for the drier/sunnier (Dorset) end of the monthly ranges, all 12 months.Checked 28 Jul 2026
api.sunrise-sunset.orgSunrise/sunset/day-length calculation for Plymouth (approximate trail midpoint latitude), cross-checked against an independent NOAA-algorithm solar calculation, used to derive daylight hours for all 12 months.Checked 28 Jul 2026
ctomsandson.co.ukFowey-Polruan ferry: year-round daily operation pattern with reduced winter hours, used in the January/February/November/December and general services notes.Checked 28 Jul 2026
beaumontandbear.co.ukSalcombe-East Portlemouth ferry: year-round operation with a reduced winter (Nov-Mar) timetable and earlier last crossing, used in winter services notes.Checked 28 Jul 2026
shaldon-devon.co.ukShaldon-Teignmouth ferry: confirms year-round operation (daily except Christmas Day and New Year's Day) with hours varying by season; used for the general winter reduced-hours note. A separately reported claim of specific winter weekday closures could not be confirmed against this or the operator's own site, so it was not included.Checked 28 Jul 2026
plymouthboattrips.co.ukCremyll ferry: year-round operation with a reduced winter timetable, used in winter services notes.Checked 28 Jul 2026
helfordriverboats.co.ukHelford River (Helford Passage-Helford) ferry: seasonal 1 April-31 October operating pattern, entirely closed the rest of the year. Used for April 'services' and the Nov-Mar closure note across winter months and avoid months — the single most plan-changing seasonal fact found.Checked 28 Jul 2026
padstow-harbour.co.ukPadstow-Rock ferry, operator's own page: confirms year-round operation with reduced winter hours (08:00-17:00, end of BST to 31 March) and a winter-only midday break (13:30-14:00), used in winter services notes.Checked 28 Jul 2026
blog.southwestcoastpath.org.ukPattern of winter storm damage and cliff-fall/landslip diversions on the trail (general pattern, not a specific year's event), used in ground/watch for notes for the Nov-Mar months.Checked 28 Jul 2026
wildlifetrusts.orgThrift (sea pink) flowering season, peak May-July, used in flora fields for April-July.Checked 28 Jul 2026
cheshirewildlifetrust.org.ukHeather (ling and bell heather) flowering season, late July to October with an August-mid-September peak, used in flora fields for July-September.Checked 28 Jul 2026
nationaltrail.co.ukOfficial National Trail page confirming the general seasonal pattern (spring/late-summer strongest, winter needing careful day-by-day selection, late-summer heather and gorse colour on the north coast, autumn colour, total ascent) that underlies the month ratings and trail summary.Checked 28 Jul 2026