NORTH WALK:- Combe Martin to Ilfracombe

Sunday 21st September - Back to Combe Martin bright and early, grabbed a quick Cappucino and toast and marmalade at the excellent beachside cafe and then started back on the path at the small beach heading for Watermouth and ultimately Ilfracombe. It was to be an easy morning's walk - just 5 miles. Ilfracombe was a good stopping place as it was on a bus route - plus I had a lawn that needed cutting, not to mention a football game that had to be watched! having said that, it was such a beautiful day, and I was feeling pretty energetic, so I almost wished that I had planned to go further.

On the way to Watermouth,I spotted a figure plodding along ahead of me. I recognised her immediately as the lady I had passed the previous day on the long walk to Combe Martin from Lynmouth. This time, I stopped and had a chat. Heather was her name, and she was on a 6 day walking holiday having started at Minehead, carrying her stuff and staying along the way. She was certainly lucky with the weather - probably one of the best weeks of the Summer. I left her to plod along at her own pace - she was going to do another 12 miles that day - so was obviously pretty fit.

Watermouth was very scenic - a small fjord like harbour, and a perfect base for sailing. Apparently, it was a hive of activity during World War II when they carried out trials for a secret Wartime Operation.

At low tide - the path carried along the edge of the water, but as it was almost high tide - the diversion was along the busy road before rejoining the cliff path for a short period past Widmouth Head and Rillage Point and then again back onto the road to head down into the small seaside village of Hele.

From Hele it was a pleasant walk up to the top of Hillsborough which provided panoramic views over Ilfracombe, which looked very inviting and scenic from a distance. But then I was probably looking at the best part of Ilfracombe, the old harbour and I've since been reliably informed by someone who lives nearby, that Ilfracombe on the whole is a dump, and the hotels are full of unemployed layabouts from Liverpool! Well, I have yet to confirm that - but it looked nice from where I was walking.

Ilfracombe is actually the largest holiday town along this North Devon coast and has been a fishing port since the Middle ages. It was a nice walk from the viewpoint of Hillsborough down to the harbour itself, which seemd a hive of activity - with some large old fashioned rowing boats engaged in a race around the harbour, and various small saling boats scuttling around. Looming over the harbour is Lantern Hill and a small chapel of St Nicholas dating from 1300. I had decided to take the first available bus back to Combe - so didn't have long to look around. One of the downsides of the mission to complete the walk is that sometimes you are concentrating so much on getting the miles done, that you miss out on the sight seeing and don't go out of your way to see things that normally you would.

Anyway, apart from a look inside the Chapel - I don't think there was much at Ilfracombe to miss - I got myself on the bus, pretty much on schedule to make it back from Combe Martin in time for the lunchtime Chelsea v Man U game. In fact I walked in to the pub at Sampord Peverell, just as the teams were walking out onto the pitch. That's what I call timing! - Next stop - down to the South Coast again to Abbotsbury, where Mike Ricketts is joining me for the stretch to Charmouth. The Dorset branch of St John's Ambulance has been put on standby and all leave cancelled!

NORTH WALK - Back to Lynmouth

Saturday 20th September - and I'm back up on the North coast at Lynmouth, where I had walked to with Keith and Teresa during my 50th party week. I had parked my car at Combe Martin, my end destination of the day and caught the bus back. The path started again at the foot of the famous Lynmouth to Lynton cliff railway - a very eco-friendly railway carriage lift which works entirely by gravity with two carriages going up and down in tandem due to their weight difference. It was a beautiful morning with superb clear light and as I climbed the numerous steps up to the cliff top, the views down to Lynmouth and back towards Porlock were superb.

At the top of the steps you reach a high level path known as the North Walk which then takes you all the way to the well known landmark - the "Valley of the Rocks" and vantage point of Castle Rock. Being a nice day - there were plenty of walkers out and about as well as some Mountain Goats that roam the area. Also roaming the area was Jim Frost! I had passed Jim, who was ambling along the North Walk and he commented at the speed I was walking, I said I would soon be slowing down - and a little bit further on as I stopped for a drink, we got chatting and ended up walking together for the rest of the morning - as far as the Hunters Inn at Heddons Mouth.

Jim, it turned out, was from Bristol and a keen walker himself, he was taking advantage of the weekend's good weather to explore this particular area. It was good to have his company, (even though he was a Gooner!) - somehow, when you are walking and talking, the miles seem to pass alot quicker. We passed through the Valley of the Rocks after enjoying the view from Castle Rock and then headed towards Woody Bay through a very pleasant woodland trail passing the magnificent Christian retreat of Lee Abbey.

The whole of this stretch of coastline is some of North Devon's finest and it made for enjoyable walking. We eventually reached Heddons Mouth and I joined Jim for a drink at the splendid Hunters Inn which was just a bit inland up the river. Funnily enough, we ended up sitting next to a chap from Germany who was walking the Coast path for the second time. He had first walked it 30 years ago! and had come back for a couple of weeks to do part of it, and was going to eventually complete it all again in the opposite direction.

He left us heading for Combe Martin, and I thought I would probably catch up with him at some point, but I never did. I also parted company with Jim, who was heading back to Lynmouth and rejoined the path at Heddons Mouth for the 8 mile stretch to Combe Martin, the first part of which was a very steep climb out of the valley!

The route along this stretch is described in the guide as "long and lonely and without refreshment" and it certainly was long, but having had 2 pints of lager shandy and with a cheese and pickle sandwich in my backpack, I was laughing all the way! There weren't manyother walkers on this stretch, but I did pass a lady of mature years with quite a large rucksack who was obviously on a mission. She was plodding along rather slowly, so I just exchanged pleasantries, barged her out of the way and sped on my way. Having started the whole day later than normal - I was keen to get to Combe Martin before dusk and had been intending to stay there, but hadn't actually booked anywhere.

The last three miles to Combe seemed to take for ever, partly because it involved a long descent down to sea level, only to have to climb up again to a point know as Great Hangman which is in fact the highest point of the whole SW path, and named thus apparently because legend has it, that a Sheep Thief who had a stolen sheep tied about his neck, was resting on a boundary wall, when the struggling sheep leapt off, thus strangling the blighter. Ewe could make that up!

It was nearly 7.00pm when I limped into Combe Martin car park, which was right on the path, so I didn't have to go far to fall into my car. Couldn't be bothered to trail around looking for a B&B - so made my way back to Uffculme thinking of a hot bath & a large G&T!

SOUTH WALK - Swanning along - a nice Sunday stroll

Sunday 14th September - woke up early at my dodgy accommodation in Weymouth. Breakfast wasn't part of the deal - so got up early, cleared out of the room and made my way to the Esplanade. It was another beautiful morning - and I found a beachside cafe where I was delighted to see that Bacon Rolls were on the menu. Unfortunately, I was too early and the cooker wasn't turned on!!

I could have suggested that now might be a good time to turn it on, but bit my tongue and had a healthy energy bar instead. Found out the best place to catch a bus to Portland and was soon standing at the Ferrybridge Inn, the intersection between Portland and the coast path, East and West. I wasn't best pleased to discover that I had left my Map (in it's splendid waterproof map carrier case) on the damn bus seat. I knew I wouldn't see it again, I had ruined the Bus Drivers day by giving him a tenner for a £1.20 fare. He wasn't a happy bunny - cleared him right out of change. So seeing my map on the seat would have pleased him no end.

Anyway - today, I was heading for Abbotsbury - a straightforward 10 mile walk which mostly followed the edge of the Fleet lagoon, a shallow area of saline water which lies behind the bank of pebbles along Chesil Beach. The lagoon is an important conservation area and haven for birds.

It was a pleasant walk if not spectacular and on such a nice day, there were plenty of other walkers. Met a very nice couple blackberry picking who lived nearby and were moaning about how many people there were! They were the archetypal Lord and Lady of the Manor, but very pleasant and wished me good luck on my travels.

After about 6 miles - the path started to head inland in a loop which would end at Abbotsbury. I was putting my foot down, as I knew there was a bus I could catch at 13:21 from Abbotsbury. As it turned out - I got there with 10 minutes to spare - so was quite pleased with that. The path ended at the entrance to the famous Abbotsbury Swannery, from where I headed up to the village.

The last time I visited Abbotsbury, it was with my friend Michael (F1 Dodgy knee) Ricketts. A couple of days later, the Swannery was hit by Bird Flu. You can draw your own conclusions.

Although I had timed it perfectly for the bus , unfortunately it was then 40 minutes late! During which time, I could have eaten a Sunday Roast and downed a well earned Lager. Instead, I ended up spending the best part of an hour having to listen to a couple of simpletons who joined me at the Bus Stop. It became apparent, that they were brother and sister. She looked "simple" - he looked like an Axe wielding maniac. The conversation went like this :

Him " Why have you got a Bus Pass, I don't agree with it, I haven't got a Bus Pass, if I asked for one they would say drop dead and eff off, so why have you got one. In all my 41 years on this earth I've never known anyone who doesn't pay for a bus, I don't agree with it, if I asked for one, they'd say drop dead and Eff off." Her " Mum's got one" Him I've never known anything like it, don't go on about it, I'll throw the bloody thing in the sea, I will, I'm not joking, in all my 41 years, I've never known anything like it. I wish I'd never come on this holiday, I'd rather be at home in Weston. Where's the Bus - there should be a bus every 5 minutes this time of year . Why have you got a Bus Pass and not me, don't go on about it, because it will end up in the sea, If I asked for one they'd say drop dead and Eff off " Her "Mum's got one" Him " I've never ever waited so long for a bus - in all my 41 years on this earth, I've never waited this long for a bus, there should be one every 10 minutes this time of year. Why should you not pay for the bus, I have to pay, everyone has to pay, why don't you pay, in all my 41 years, I've never known anything like it, if I asked for one they'd say drop dead and Eff off. Where's the bus, there should be one every 10 minutes this time of year. I've never waited so long for a bus...........

I haven't exaggerated any of that and was rapidly losing the will to live when the bus did turn up. I sat myself down and they proceeded to plonk themselves right next to me - I thought I'd better move otherwise I couldn't guarantee that there would be a 42nd year of his life!

I was soon back in Weymouth, got back to the car and made my way home. I'd covered another 26 miles. Now it's time to get back up to the North coast - to my last end point, Lynmouth, from where I will head for Combe Martin, along what is meant to be one of the best bit of North Devon's coast.

I'll keep you posted!

SOUTH WALK:- My first Sunny day - and I'm off to Portland Bill

Saturday 13th September and I'm back in Weymouth - this time in the sun and it looks a whole lot better, although I'm not rushing to book 2 weeks at the Hotel Riviera quite yet! I headed back to the Esplanade and the Jubilee Clock where I last left the path.

Weymouth used to be a small fishing village in years gone by, but grew into one of the countries favourite seaside resorts as well as an important harbour. King George III used to spend his summers in the resort, and there is a very smart statue commemorating his patronage. I headed out from the Esplanade towards the old harbour, where I was too early to take advantage of a small ferry which takes you across to Nothe Fort at the mouth of the harbour. I walked the long way round and then headed out around the headland towards Wyke Regis. I was heading for the start of the long straight road onto the Isle of Portland. This has only been officially designated as part of the SW path since 2003 - and was a total of 13 miles from the start of the main road in at the Ferrybridge Inn from where I would pick up the path next time to Abbotsbury. The road onto the island follows behind the impressive bank of pebbles of Chesil Beach which extends for many miles down to Abbotsbury and beyond

After slogging along the 2 mile causeway path - the first point of interest on the Island is the new Osprey Quay Centre and Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy which will be the venue for the Sailing events of the 2012 London Olympics. An alternative path took you through this centre which seemed to be a hive of activity. From the harbour, I headed up towards Verne Prison where there were splendid views back towards Weymouth. It was good to be able to see a massive stretch of the Dorset Coast that I had already walked - all the way back to St Aldhelms Head.

Portland was a mix of scruffy MOD buildings, various establishments for offenders and some interesting coastline with an impressive escarpment which was obviously popular for rock climbers and abseilling teams. With it being a lovely sunny day, there were plenty of walkers, many doing the whole trip round the Island and others on various round walks from Portland Bill itself which was very crowded and spoilt by having a plethora of large Beach huts ( or small chalets) scattered around in a random fashion. It looked similar to the Shed/Summer Chalet area of a large Garden Centre.

The main feature was the impressive Lighthouse, in front of which was the sign (pictured left) showing Poole 49 miles!

The path from here along the western side of the Island was very wild and scenic along the top of the escarpment with far reaching views along Chesil beach and back towards Portland harbour. After 3 miles the path dropped down onto the promenade and I was heading back towards the Causeway. The 2 mile stretch back to Ferrybridge seemed to take for ever, but I had spotted that there was a bus stop within 50 metres of the path intersection, which would get me back to my car in Weymouth. My mood wasn't enhanced by 3 buses passing me in quick succession when I was still half a mile away from the Bus Stop! Fortunately I didn't have to wait too long.

I had decided to stay the night in Weymouth, but finding a vacancy wasn't that easy. I eventually plumped for a grotty looking pub and had the sort of bizarre incident that only really happens to me! After asking the barmaid if I could look at the room before deciding - she gave me the key to Room 9 and pointed me in the right direction. I had a bit of trouble getting the key to unlock the door - but it turned out to be a lovely large modern double room clean and bright - in complete contrast to the rest of the pub. En Suite but no bath unfortunately - but it seemed ideal for £35. Even so - I decided to try a couple of other places ( desperate for a bath!) No luck - so returned to the pub - paid for the room and she gave me the key back. I spent 5 minutes trying to get the door open again but eventually admitted defeat and trudged back down 2 floors to the young barmaid. I glanced at the key fob and could see that the key was for room 6! so I told the girl that she had given me the wrong key, an easy mistake, 6 for 9 . No she said - Room 9 is a double room - you are in Room 6 which is the single! She proceeded to take me back up the stairs to Room 6 - a grotty little poky hole with no en suite. I was too tired to argue - and came to the conclusion that I had probably been a complete plonker going to Room 9 in the first place which had obviously been unlocked, although mysteriously, my key had locked the door afterwards. I would swear she told me it was Room 9! Anyway, I crashed out on the bed and enjoyed "Strictly" and X Factor for a couple of hours - good recuperation fodder.

The pub had a live band on that night so there was no point in going to bed early - 3 ageing rockers doing covers - they weren't that bad - so me and the other 10 people in the pub quite enjoyed it! I would swear that the other 10 would have been propping up the bar anyway.!

SOUTH WALK:- From stunning cliffs to hot dog whiffs!

I had planned to walk all weekend - but Saturday was a wash out after the torrential rain so on the Sunday, 7th Sept, I was up at 5:45am to get on the road early to Lulworth Cove, where I finished up on my very first weekend of walking from the Poole end. The roads were deserted so I was back on the coast path by 8:15am heading out from the Heritage Centre up towards Durdle Door. It was another cloudy day, but good for walking. The plan was to walk 11 miles to Weymouth. The first part of the walk was pretty up and down, but with stunning coastline. Durdle Door itself is one of the most photographed areas of the Jurassic Coast with it's unusual semi circular bay and massive natural arch caused by erosion. Apart from a couple of dog walkers, the place was deserted . The next few miles were just as scenic with sheer drops of white cliffs. It was quite comforting being able to see my destination ahead of me at all times. Weymouth stretches out to sea with a long curved bay ending with Portland Harbour and the Isle of Portland Bill joined to the mainland by a long causeway built next to the raised pebble ridge of Chesil Bank to the West.

After a few miles, I reached the village of Osmington Mills. Bizarrely, at this point there was an alternative "inland" coastal path which goes for 16 miles to the village of West Bexington - so for 16 miles you see no coast at all!! - an inland coast path!! - that's ridiculous - so it was a no brainer to give that a miss and from here on - the path meandered through a series of fields and woods until it reached the outskirts of Weymouth at Bowleaze Cove. With all the rain, the paths were slippy and progress was slow - I slowed up particularly after an unfortunate incident where my feet went one way, my body the other and suddenly I was wearing a hedge! Fotunately, or otherwise, there was no witnesses to the undignified nosedive. A few miles further on and I suddenly realised that within a couple of hours, I had been transported from Jurassic natural beauty to Moronic grockle territory.

Candyfloss, hot dogs, stripy deckchairs, and fat Northeners were suddenly in abundance. On a grey September day - Weymouth looked pretty grotty.

Suddenly I had reached the main promenade - which followed the curved bay. I seemed to attract a few strange looks as I marched along with my walking poles, map around my neck, backpack and knobbly walking knees! Which mountain had I just descended from - I could see them wondering. By this time, I felt I'd walked far enough, so was glad when I reached the Jubilee clock on the Esplanade- my end destination of the day. From here, I headed for the train station, and within 20 minutes was on the Weymouth to London train getting off at Wool. Unfortunately, being a Sunday, the only way to get to Lulworth Cove from here was to use a Taxi. I upset the taxi driver by trying to barter with him - £12 seemed a bit steep for a 5 mile journey - but it was either that or walk! So after a 5hr walk - I was back where I started in 40 minutes. Next weekend - it's back to grotty Weymouth - and carry on around the Isle of Portland.