At 630 miles, the South West Coast Path is Britain's longest National Trail, perambulating the edge of the coastline from Minehead in Somerset around to Poole in Dorset. A popular and challenging coastal trail, with a combined elevation that is equivalent to scaling Mt Everest 4 times, for many, completing the SWCP is a life goal with walkers ticking off their journey over the years… or even setting a challenge to walk or run it all in one go! Existing on the very edge of the coastline, our Trail is vulnerable to the effects of coastal erosion, footfall, weather events and climate change, with the coastal route adapting and evolving as a consequence.
One of the blessings of its popularity is the millions of eyes which have seen our precious coastline, and the many people who have been inspired to capture their adventures, make memories and document our Trail over the years. Thanks to walkers, we have 10 years of photo evidence of the changing state of this coastal route, captured through the eyes of young and old, professional and amateur, and locals to world travellers.
Capturing the Path
In 2013, we launched the SWCP Photographer of the Year competition and have since received thousands of photograph entries of the coastal path across Exmoor, Devon, Cornwall and Dorset, telling the tale of our National Trail and its highlights, heritage, wildlife, people and evolution in the face of climate change and natural erosion. In 2023, we received a staggering 1,500 entries to our competition, with photographers entering into the following categories: Sky Shot, Nature, Your Path, Urban Lines, Climate Change and Young Photographer of the Year. It's fascinating to see different perspectives of the coastal path, and to see how our categories inspire and resonate with photographers local to the South West and from further afield.
An Entire Day
This year's theme is 'An Entire Day', inspiring photographers to share captured moments from dawn until dusk and during nightfall. One of the blessings of sharing the SWCP with so many and hosting our annual photography competition is that we have an archive of photos stretching across the day and throughout the seasons, including photos captured by multiple photographers over the years and at different points in the day. Take for instance the salt marshes at Porlock in Exmoor, the skeletal trees creating a striking focal point with a harmonious backdrop of sunrise, sunset, blue hour and even captured beneath the night sky. A spot visited by so many can appear in a novel way to each person, dependent on time of day, the season and the photographer's unique perspective, equipment and editing style.
Daniel Clark, 2021
Pete Preston, 2023
Sue Shreeves, 2022
Andrew Gordon, 2022
Gary Holpin, 2023
Pete Preston, 2023
Paul Leamon, 2021
A wonderful community
Over the years, we have built a community of coast path aficionados, who regularly take to the Trail to capture their favourite spots. It is a real blessing to have returning photographers entering our annual competition, as well as new faces each year who capture their special moments across the 630 miles of coastal path and its surrounding areas.
This year, we have been fortunate to witness several meteorological events on and near to the SWCP, including the Northern Lights display in May and more recently the Perseid meteor shower, which had its peak from 11 to 13 August. Thanks to the power of social media, photographers have been able to share their unique captures of these astrological events, showing a unique perspective from the South West Coast Path at nightfall. What a difference photography makes for capturing a point in time, sharing beautiful vistas, capturing memories and showing us new perspectives on the land and seascapes of our National Trail captured by people from around the globe.
Northern Lights over Durdle Door by James Loveridge
Aurora Borealis during Perseid meteor shower over Corfe Castle by Andy Farrer
Perseid meteor shower over Weymouth by Sarah Middleton
Aurora Borealis during Perseid meteor shower over Lundy Bay by Matt Stansfield
Northern Lights over Speke's Mill Mouth by Jen Rogers
Autumn Exhibition in the South West!
We are thrilled to announce that the South West Coast Path Photographer of the Year Exhibition will be displayed at Royal William Yard, Plymouth as part of their Art October event. If you didn't manage to catch the exhibition at Paddington Station, you now have the opportunity to see it in Plymouth, from 5th – 31st October 2024. Follow our social media channels to keep up to date.
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