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!