North Walk - Bideford to Westward Ho, Ho Hum!

Sunday Oct 12th - Woke up to thick mist, so waited until later in the morning to head back to Bideford ( plus the Grand Prix was on!)

The plan was to head for Westward Ho which was a short 8 mile walk. From there I could get the bus back to Bideford, which wasn't the case if I had wanted to head on any further. Bideford is the base for heading to Lundy island - a popular trip.

There were some splendid old sailing yachts moored at the quay. The Coast path headed out of Bideford, down the estuary and through a pleasant area of woods before heading inland to avoid a stretch where a sea wall had collapsed and then on to Appledore.

In the 19th Century Appledore was a busy sailing Port and of course is still the home of Appledore Shipbuilders, one of North devon's biggest employers. It is a very pretty village with plenty of interesting back streets and gift shops and well preserved cottages. There is a big row going on at present in Appledore, with many of the locals campaigning against a proposed development of the old dry dock, which would see a large apartment block be built. Although the design looked very stylish, it would obscure many peoples view of the estuary and not really be in keeping with the quaint old village. Let's hope sense prevails, and with the dreaded Credit Crunch in full flow, plans are probably on the back burner anyway.

Appledore sits at the southern edge of the mouth of the Taw estuary. From here - it was flat walking all the way around the headland area - Northam Burrows Country Park and onto the long sands of Westward Ho - another popular surfing area. It was another beautiful day - more like August than October - and despite struggling to get out of bed that morning - I was enjoying walking this part of the coast. Everything always looks better when the sun shines of course.
Northam Burrows was a 600 acre area of Dunes and marshland as well as containing the Countries oldest golf course. Golfers had been losing balls in the dunes since 1846 apparently.

I walked the last couple of miles towards Westward Ho on the beach. The surf looked ideal and there were plenty of boarders trying to catch the waves.

Westward Ho itself is a typical family seaside resort - so not really my cup of tea - although as I had 45 minutes to wait for the next bus - I decided to get a Cream Tea down my neck whilst the opportunity was there, and very nice it was too. About time as well, I thought. This walk has been lacking in Cream teas for one reason and another.

Anyway - that was another 8 miles done - next stop will be the famous village of Clovelly.

North Walk; Saunton Sands to Bideford

Saturday October 11th - another dawn visit to Barnstaple Bus Station for the first bus back to Saunton Sands Hotel, where resisting the temptation to pop back in and say hello, I headed for the massive beach. There are a few alternative paths for this stretch- but the easiest route was to walk along the sands which stretch out for 3.5 miles! The sun was just rising and it was a beautiful cloudless sky, so the misty early light was superb. There were plenty of other early risers at the Hotel end - mostly joggers and surfers, but as I got further along towards Braunton Burrows, the place was deserted. At this point you are entering the mouth of the Taw Estuary, and for the next two days, I would be walking the complete stretch of both the Taw and Torridge Estuaries and around the headland to Westward Ho.

As I walked along Saunton Sands, I had a good view of Westward Ho and Appledore across the water illuminated by the rising sun. The tide was going out, and for most of the day, I was looking out over the mud flats of the estuary which was a haven for birds.

My target for the day was Appledore - or at least Bideford - and as it was going to be pretty level walking all the way - I was confident of racking up my longest daily mileage so far.

Walking through Braunton Burrows Reserve was all very scenic in the early morning light - and then the path headed down a tributary towards Braunton and around the perimeter of the Royal Marines base of Chivenor who use the Burrows for live firing practise, and apparently the Americans used it as a battle training area during the 2nd World war. I emerged unscathed and headed along the long cycle track into Barnstaple. The path was also the Tarka Trail and a very popular Cycle track. In the summer, it is a bit like Piccadily Circus apparently, without the black cabs! I was suprised at the number of abandoned boats - areas of the estuary were a bit like a tip, but it was probably heightened by the low tide.

By the time I got to Barnstaple - about 11.15am , I felt like I had done a days walk! - not sure why - but I had been pushing it. Had what I thought was going to be a quick coffee stop at a large establishment on the quay at Barnstaple which turned out to be run by a couple of hapless young guys whose speciality turned out to be burning teacakes. The burnt smell which pervaded the whole establishment, wasn't a great advertisement, but I thought I would be safe ordering a Cappuccino. " It might be a while" I was told. My reply of "Will it be ready today, or shall I come back in the morning" wasn't received as well as I had hoped, but then he was busy burning a teacake at the time.

I reckoned then that at a push, I could make it to Bideford, catch the bus back to Barnstaple, drive home and still just about make it in time for the England v Khazakstan game - life's all about timing!

The path from Barnstaple was again on the cycle track and I was looking at pretty much the same scenery but from the other side of the estuary. For the most part, it followed the old Railway line and at Fremington Quay, the old station had been turned into a busy cafe and restaurant.

The next milestone was going to be Instow which was down the Torridge Estuary which was an offshoot from the main Taw Estuary and at this point, I was definitely flagging. Along the way, the path went through an RSPB reserve and I met a professional looking Twitcher who informed me that he had spotted some Spoonbills as well as some King Eider at Instow, which are very rare in Devon apaprently. At that moment in time, I was more interested in spotting a Queen Vic or some other such establishment, being in good need of a sit down and refreshment.

Instow didn't let me down - and there was a well placed pub on the Quay where I could sit outside in the sun, enjoy a pint and watch the world go by. In fact, it was quite difficult to get out of the chair, but having aired my steaming feet and after a complete change of socks- I felt alot better, and started on the last stretch towards Bideford. There was nothing very inspiring about this stretch, and I just got my head down and ate up the miles. The final path into Bideford was across an old bridge over the River Torridge. As I literally limped along the quay at Bideford, I was praying to see the bus stop - and in fact I was even luckier, as there was a bus waiting for me! It was 4:15pm - and I worked out that I had covered 22 miles in 9 hours including stops!

And, I only missed the first 25 mins of the match! Back to Bideford in the morning for the short stint to Westward Ho!

The pic above is the view across the Taw Estuary to Appledor

NORTH WALK - A warm wet welcome at Saunton Sands (Not)

Saturday October 4th - ILFRACOMBE to SAUNTON SANDS.
Another crack of dawn start - and I was at Barnstaple for 6:45am to catch the first bus to Ilfracombe. Had been looking at the weather forecast all week - and it was never going to be good - but I was hoping to remain dry for most of the day at least. I invested in a new Berghaus wet weather coat for good measure plus some waterproof trousers - so I was prepared or so I thought!

By the time the bus reached Ilfracombe, it was just before 8:00am and not raining. There was a very welcoming Coffee Bar just by the Bus Station at Ilfracombe, but I resisted the temptation thinking I would get one at Lee Bay - 4 miles up the coast - some hope - it was like the Marie Celeste - deader than the Norwegian Blue! The walk to Lee Bay was a nice one - although pretty up and down - plus, I got my first taste of rain. It was quite cold as well, so I had been looking forward to that cappuccino at Lee Bay, but all I got was more rain. It's supposed to be a very pretty village nestled in a wooded valley, but all I saw was the picturesque bay and a very closed looking hotel which was all boarded up for Winter. I pressed on heading for Woolacombe.

The first point of interest was Bull Point and the Lighthouse. It was at that stage that I was first aware of how strong the wind was. During the whole day - I was to walk round three very prominent Points, as the coastline did a 90 degree turn south and was totally exposed. At each one - I was literally nearly blown away. It was quite exhilarating, in a perverse sort of way. At one of them - I passed a frail looking old lady who I thought definitely looked like a candidate for being swept up and launched towards Bristol, so I had my camera at the ready, and I was already considering how many hits the footage might get on YouTube, but the moment passed without incident.

The second coastal point was Mortehoe which was just before the fabulous bay of Woolacombe.
Having walked the best part of 6 miles from Ilfracombe and hardly seen a soul - suddenly there seemed to be avid ramblers all over the place - and I could see why, as despite the weather, it was a beautiful area.

Woolacombe was the first of my two Hotel excursions of the day. The Watersmeet Hotel was a large establishment overlooking the bay - and very popular with the over 60's it seemed. I didn't endear myself to their cleaning staff by traipsing across the Wilton weave with my muddy boots and settling myself in the lounge bar. The Daily Telegraph's were slowly lowered as I disturbed the elevenses tranquility and generally lowered the tone of the place. "This isn't a Backpackers" I could hear the Major mutter! I finally found Manuel and tried to order a Cappuccino. It turned out that their modernisation programme hadn't quite reached the stage where the luxury of an Espresso machine was to be considered as essential - but the waiter thought that he might be able to do me a frothy milky number! I said that I would leave it to his discretion, and ended up with a boiling hot weak coffee in a glass that was so hot you needed an oven glove to lift it to your mouth!

Slightly refreshed, I left and headed around the back of Woolacombe Bay, through the large area of Dunes. It was starting to throw it down, and didn't really stop, for the next 3 hours. The new coat got a good christening in more ways than one. There were plenty of surfers catching the waves, although despite the weather the swell wasn't that large - probably because it was about low tide.

At the end of the Bay, the path headed around the back of Putsborough and out towards the well known Baggy Point.
It was blowing a hooley at this point - and it was a case of head down and follow your nose- or bald head to be more accurate!
I was pleased to see that there were quite a few other walkers getting soaked as well - made me feel alot better. I managed to just about stay upright to get round Baggy point and from there you got a good view of Croyde Bay. By the time I got to the beach and Surfing area, I was deperate for a loo - and I only mention this, because it turned out that Croyde was 5 star rating when it came to these facilities. Maybe, all big surfing beaches are the same, but the individual Unisex lavatories were 1st class. They were very large and I did wonder whether the surfers like to take their boards with them, when performing such duties. In fact the toilet was so wonderfully spacious and dry, that I seriously considered eating my lunch there - but it didn't quite seem right somehow - I would have probably been breaking an EEC Health and Safety regulation.

From croyde - it was a fairly miserable few miles across the beach and round the coast to Saunton Sands. I was looking forward to reaching Saunton, as my guidebook said that the well known Saunton Sands Hotel welcomed all - including walkers. As to whether that included smelly soaking wet windswept baldheaded walkers, I was yet to find out! The walk along Saunton Down gave great views down the length of Saunton Sands - another massive beach with flat sands and waves rolling in. Finally the path ended at the road across from where was the 5 STAR hotel. I trudged across the car park heading for the Glass doors of the reception looking forward to a warm welcome.
The two Doorman in full regalia eyed me through the glass. I think only Saddam Hussein or possibly Gazza would have been received with less enthusiasm. I can only imagine the sight that I looked - I had my baseball cap on underneath the large hood of my waterproof - soaking wet shorts, bright red nettle rashed legs and boots covered with sand. I could see in their eyes that they were dreading the thought that I might just be hoping to enter the 5 STAR Establishment. What they knew, and I didn't - was that a Posh wedding reception was in full flow - and beautiful people in beautiful clothes were adorning their beautiful hotel. The last thing they wanted was a smelly steaming sand splattered old sod tramping around in soaking wet socks spoiling the general ambience as well as the furniture!

However - I gave them one of my best smiles - and said " Shall I take my boots off?" - "Oh yes please Sir, if you wouldn't mind Sir" - I like a bit of subservience now and again especially when I am looking like I have just crawled out of a sewer - fair play to the man - a professional through and through. "Where shall I go" I said - and before they could answer in a rude manner, "which bar"?

Unfortunately, there was no hiding place - and I "adorned" the main bar with it's stunning views - with Wedding guests milling about, I tried to hide away as best I could. I was going to have a Cream tea - but that suddenly seemed inappropriate. At one point - the very handsome bride and groom were escorted right past me to head out onto the very windswept patio for some photographs - with two photographers in attendance. Not missing an opportunity for a Blog photo - I leapt up and got a couple of pics of them as they came back - which must have seemd quite bizarre from an onlookers point of view, but it amused me no end.

Another reason for stopping at the Hotel, was the fact that it was also a Bus stop - so after a Pint and a packet of crisps - I was on my way back to Barnstaple. Another 15 miles or so done. Wet and hungry - I was looking forward to getting home. Sunday looked pretty much the same weather wise - so I didn't head back - but will do next week - and I will be heading for Westward Ho - and maybe a Cream tea!!!

SOUTH WALK:- From Abbotsbury to Charmouth - No dodgy knee and No cream Tea!

Saturday September 27th - and the alarm went at 5:30am for an early start to catch the 7.07am bus from Charmouth. I was heading back to Abbotsbury, where I had arranged to meet up with Michael Ricketts for a days walk to Charmouth. I packed extra First Aid equipment and pain killers in readiness. There was thick mist but by the time the double decker bus with it's 4 occupants arrived in Abbotsbury, most of the mist had been burnt off and it was a beautiful morning. Mike was so keen - he had got there half an hour early -and the village was deserted as we headed down the hill to the Swannery where I had ended my last walk from Portland. There was no sign of any swans, but I had e mailed the Swannery advising them that it might be better to keep the swans locked up rather than risk any more outbreak of Harpenden Bird Flu!

As we headed across the fields towards the beachside path, the fields were full of young pheasants, flying in all directions and I managed to fall A over T , much to Mike and the pheasants amusement. For the first hour we walked alongside what was the end stretch of Chesil Beach and were heading for Burton Bradstock. We were a bit startled to come across a sign saying BEWARE SINKING PEBBLES - TURN AROUND! I did a quick 360 degrees swivel, but I don't think that's what they meant. We kept going regardless of the danger and with reckless abandon. At one point, our feet were sinkng up to 2 inches into the pebbles!, but we were hardened men of steel and laughed in the face of such adversity. After about 10 yards we were out of immediate danger - and before we knew it were at Burton Bradstock beach and the welcome sight of the Hive beach Cafe. This was a splendid place and a Bacon roll and Cappuccino went down a treat. After a flat period of coast since Abbotsbury - the orange mud cliffs cliffs started to rise up and it definitely started to look more Jurassic. As we headed for West Bay, our half way point, we passed through Burton freshwater where there was a large Caravan park - one of many on this stretch. Despite the path clearly heading inland to avoid the waterway carving through the beach, Mike decided that we should be able to head straight on - and we only just avoided having to wade across.

From here it was a steep climb up out of the bay but with splendid views and sheer cliffs dropping down to the stony beach. After a couple more miles we could see the harbour of West Bay stretching out in front of us and an impressive series of cliffs disappearing into the distance beyond.

Being a dedicated athlete, it never occurred to me that we could stop in West Bay for a snifter, but when it was suggested - it didn't seem such a bad idea! But after that - there was not much to hang about in West Bay for, so we started out on the 7 mile up and down stretch to Charmouth!
At one point, as we headed across a flat stretch of grassy clifftop - we were approached by 4 women, one of whom proceeded to stop and start rolling up her trousers in front of me! I asked her whether she was going to trying to show off her War wound, which may not have been appreciated given her dubious age, but it turned out that she had a knee support also - and seemed to think that I might want to see it! Of course, a man with my stunning good looks, is well used to women tearing off their clothes at the sight of me, but it turned out that there were 6 of them in total - all had walked from Lyme Regis and were catching the Jurassic Bus back from West Bay.

Our next stopping point was Seatown, and a much needed rest at the beachside hostelry.

From here we were faced with a long climb up firstly to Thorncombe Beacon and then towards Golden Cap - which is the highest mainland point on the South coast.

Silver Cap on the other hand was complaining of "pains in his buttock" - well enough said!
It was a tough climb up Golden Cap, but the views on the way up were spectacular and even more so from the top where you could see for many miles in all directions

It was quite crowded at the top, as you might expect on a sunny Saturday - and we could clearly see our destination of Charmouth about 3-4 miles away. The thought of a nice Dorset Cream tea in one of the many Charmouth tea Houses was a welcome boost to our tired legs and painful buttocks.

On the final descent to Charmouth, we had been warned of an inland diversion around a cliff landslip, but in fact a fellow walker kindly informed us that it was easily circumvented, so we stuck to the original path and were soon at Charmouth Harbour bustling with day trippers stuffing their faces with ice cream cornets. Our walking mission accomplished, the next mission was to find somewhere pleasant for a Cream tea. Let's head up to the main Street, I said - there will be loads of places! I was wrong, so we ended up in the pub again! I had chalked up another 16 miles - the Dorset Health Authorities hadn't been required and it had been another beautiful sunny day - so all was well. After replenishing some of the lost fluids - I gave Mike a lift back to Abbotsbury. He is threatening to join me in Cornwall for another section of the walk, dodgy knees permitting!

Next week, I shall be back up to the North coast to Ilfracombe and heading for Barnstaple!