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!