South Walk: Brixham to Dartmouth

Tuesday January 20th. My first day of walking during the working week - got a couple of days off - and the first thing I notice is how long it takes me to get to Brixham - got mixed up in all the rush hour - very painful journey. made my way to the large new Car park at the renovated harbour area - only to discover that they wanted £7 for the pleasure of a days parking. Managed to find a cul-de-sac and left it there for nothing - it was high up in a residential area and as I walked down to the harbour front - I hoped that I could find it again!

Brixham still has a large working fleet of Trawlers - but all seemed pretty quiet , I Left the harbour spotting a Seal on my way, although by the time I got my camera out - it had disappeared underwater, and made my way towards Berry Head where there is a reserve and site of scientific interest, in the form a large Napoleonic Fort and an important area for breeding sea birds

I made a slight detour to look around the Fort and view the lighthouse - before getting back on what was a well trodden trail towards St Mary's Bay. There was a large and deserted Holiday Village overlooking the coast near Durl Head - and it was a scenic area with interesting limestone rock formations and two large offshore rocks, called Mew Stone and Cod Rock, and the path was very close to the cliff edge. The next point of interest was St Mary's Bay - a large sweeping bay with small inland lake behind. which ended in Sharkham Point. This stretch of South Devon was all quite new to me, and it was very beautiful - plus the sun was shining, which always makes a difference albeit was pretty chilly.

Sharkham was a wide open grassland area with good views and then it was back up towards Southdown cliffs followed by a long steep downhill path to Man Sands, which was a fairly inaccessible small stony beach. The walk down, unsurprisingly, was followed by a steep walk up past some old Coastguard cottages and then followed the cliff path towards Scabbacombe sands, a very small and isolated spot, nestling in a large and open grassland valley. There were some small path diversion signs taking a different route inland, but I decided to ignore these. Possibly, they were trying to limit the footfall on the main path to try and prevent erosion which is a continual problem for much of the coastal path.

The next point of interest was Pudcombe Cove situated at the bottom of a large wooded valley with some splendid large Pine trees. Higher up the valley is 20 acres of National trust gardens in Coleton Fishacre originally created by Lady D'Oyly Carte of Gilbert and Sullivan fame in the 1930's.
On the beach itself were the remains of an old swimming pool built into the rocks.

I was starting to flag for some reason at this point - legs felt very heavy - and there was a steady climb from here to Inner Froward Point at the mouth of the Dart Estuary. This point was an important sea defence area and there are still many old defence Buildings and the remains of the Gun Battery positions and old searchlight positions. From here, you start to glimpse Dartmouth castle across the Estuary - while the path itself shortly passes above Kingswear Castle which has been renovated and is available for accommodation. The walk goes through a very scenic wooded area full of massive Pine trees through which you catch glimpses of Dartmouth which must be one of the most dramatic coastal towns of the whole walk. The path dropped down towards Mill Bay Cove and as I climbed up again I met one of the friendliest Robins I've ever seen.

As I stopped to catch my breath, he pottered around my feet and then flew up to a branch watching me. I got a few pics and he even allowed me to virtually poke the camera in his face trying to get a good macro shot, which I didn't quite achieve. I rewarded him with a few crumbs of left over sandwiches - which he took out of my hand!

The path led up to a road full of very exclusive properties and then gently wound down to Kingswear and almost immediately you are at the first of three ferries which continually trawl backwards and forwards across to Dartmouth. I took the first Car Ferry which was basically a flat platform pulled and pushed by a tug.

I only really went across, so that I could start my next walk from Dartmouth itself, which is a town I've visited many times. In fact the Ferry boat man must have thought I didn't like Dartmouth much -because after a quick cappuccino at the Ferry Inn, I was on my way back to Kingswear to catch the bus to Brixham. I was reminded again, that it was a week day, as I shared the bus with all the school kids on their way home. Kingswear is a scenic place in it's own right with spectacular views across to Dartmouth - and by this time the sun was getting quite low and highlighting the very prominent Naval College. Of course back in Brixham, I tried to guess where to get off the bus - and then had a hell of a job finding the car, wandering about the back streets like a backpacker looking for a cheap hostel.

South Walk: Torquay to Brixham

Saturday January 17th - I left Uffculme bright and early and headed for Torquay. Had a bit of trouble locating the road near Ansteys Cove where I had finished the previous week - but then managed to find a quiet cul-de-sac to leave the car for the day. It looked as if it was going to be a bright sunny day for a change!

Although, I was in Torquay - I had a long walk around Hopes Nose and Thatcher Point - and then across Meadfoot beach before I reached the main centre of the resort, the harbour and the start of the promenade.

Torquay is probably one of the South West's major resorts and the whole Torbay area is referred to as the English Riviera symbolised by their Palm tree logo.

The start of the walk passed Ansteys Cove - a very unspoilt cove surrounded by woodland - and then I headed towards Hope's Nose along "Bishop's Walk" - so named after a former Bishop of Exeter for whom it was a popular jaunt - and who built himself a Palace nearby - now the well know Palace Hotel.

For a short period, after negotiating Thatcher Point - the path followed the coastal road, Ilsham Marine Drive , where there were some splendid properties with spectacular views across Torbay. Then there was a steep drop down to Meadfoot beach and a pleasant half mile walk along the promenade. At the end - the path climbed up again to a grassy expanse called Daddyhole Plain which was another splendid viewpoint, before then meandering through pleasant gardens down towards Torquay Harbour.

The path followed the road behind the fairly new attraction known as "Living Coasts" - an area of the coast which has been embraced by a large mesh net - under which they have created various areas of ocean life and an indoor educational centre

Torquay has many attractions - but I wasn't hanging around to see any of them.

One which did stand out - was a massive white circular balloon - which you could pay to rise up whilst still tethered and no doubt get superb views. It did look a little out of place mind you.

It was flat walking all the way around the Marina and along the promenade - so I made good progress and was soon heading out on the main road towards Paignton, In fact it was pavement walking for about a mile - following the main A379 passing Corbyn's Head and Livermead with good views looking back across Torquay front.

Finally - you leave the road and enter Hollicombe Park before dropping down to the beach and seafront of Preston Sands.

This was another seafront promenade with little to commend it - and then the path winds inland around the formidable looking Redcliffe Hotel before joining the main Paignton promenade complete with sad looking pier!

Paignton is another very popular tourist spot -and is the endpoint of the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam railway, as well as being home to the renowned and excellent Paignton Zoo. But there was no time to gawp at monkeys - and I was soon heading out of Paignton around Roundham Head and along the back of Goodrington Sands. It was mid morning by now, and on a sunny Saturday morning - there was quite a gathering of dog walkers. For a while - the path followed the Steam Railway line across the cliffs above Saltern and Shell Cove before dropping down to Broad Sands bay - a depressing semi circular soul-less place with an ugly concrete cafe as it's main centre piece. Here I found a gaggle of bird Watchers - all with their expensive looking binoculars trained out to sea. I did ask what they were looking at - but shamefully, I have forgotten what it was! - it wasn't a Seagull, I know that much.

The next point of interest was Elberry Cove, an unspoilt spot with a shingle beach and leaving here, I had another 2-3 miles to go before reaching Brixham. Originally, I had thought that I might carry on from Brixham and head for Dartmouth - but the forecast was for severe weather - so I had decided to wait and see how I felt.

The path headed across the low cliffs alongside a golf course before passing through Churston Cove and rounding a very sad looking chalet park . Soon, Brixham harbour was in sight and I before I knew it, I was passing alongside the newly renovated outer harbour and into Brixham itself. By now, it was decidedly cold and getting windier by the minute. I had a pint at a harbourside hostelry and made the decision to call it a day. There were regular buses back to Torquay centre - and I managed to hop on another which took me back to Anstey's Cove . Another 12 miles done.

South Walk: Starcross to Torquay

Sunday January 11th The official route from Exmouth, is to take the Ferry across to Starcross, but given that it isn't running at this time of year - I have made an early start and driven to Starcross, and parked near the ferry landing point. The sun is still rising and in my half asleep mode, I have left all my walking guides at home - so bought a map from the local newsagent. It was a grey day, but dry and I planned to make quick progress in the morning and try and get to Torquay before 4;.00pm in the afternoon. Why the deadline - a football match of course - MU v Chelsea - thought I could watch it at Torquay, legs permitting! From Starcross - its a fairly boring trek along the main road until you reach Dawlish Warren. I would be following the railway line, all morning, on what is a dramatic piece of track, being so close to the sea. Good old Isambard Kingdom Brunel - engineered the construction of the whole line from Paddington to Penzance.

The sea was on it's way out - so at Dawlish Warren, I joined the path along by the sea wall. Dawlish Warren is a bit of a dive, with various holiday parks, chalets and grockley things. It does have a large Nature Reserve though and is an important stop over point for many migratory birds in Spring. The walking was flat and I made rapid progress along the wall to Dawlish itself. the town is quite pleasant, dominated by the Station and railway, which arrived in 1846. It's very popular in the Summer, but at this time of year its Closed! - I couldn't even find anywhere open to have a cup of coffee!

I climbed up the hill out of Dawlish, which gave good views looking back towards Exmouth and the coast stretching back towards Lyme Bay. Next stop was Teignmouth and my route was dependent on the tide. As it was well on it's way out -I took the path down Smugglers Lane, underneath the railway line and joined the path along the sea wall to Teignmouth. This was another long straight level stretch - so I got into 5th gear and before long, I was in Teignmouth and and looking for the first Cafe, I could find. What looked like a good old English Greasy Spoon turned out to be run by Mr Foo Chan Woo who had a chinese restaurant on the first floor! Catering for all tastes, you could call it - more like a Chinese Greasy Chopstick! As I suspected my Toast, Bacon and Fried egg was a bit of a disaster. The bacon was more like a slice of tough ham, the egg was crucified, the toast soggy and the cappucino was wet and warm - apart from that, I enjoyed it, being rather famished. I resisted the temptation to give Mr Pok Yan Wok a brief cookery lesson on how to present a good english - and made my way towards the ferry point. This was to take me across the Teign Estuary to Shaldon. I had googled the ferry, the previous evening, to check whether it would be operational. I was suprised to learn that it is one of the oldest running Ferries in England, with records dating back to the 10th Century! I hoped that they had invested in a new boat during that period.

The first thing I saw at the Ferry Point - apart from the lack of people, was a sign saying FERRY CLOSED from Jan 12th for one month for repairs! My heart sank, as I was on a tight time schedule - and knew the walk across the bridge would add another hour - but it suddenly dawned on me that today was the 11th - so great timing again. The Ferry duly turned up as did another couple of customers - and deposited us on the beach at Shaldon. It was a grey miserable morning - and the whole area looked pretty dull - the view back to Teignmouth is dominated by industrial warehouses and the working port . Shaldon is much prettier and gets very busy in the Summer . There are some scenic cottages and narrow streets. I headed up from the beach towards the Ness Hotel which has a splendid location overlooking the whole estuary.
It is a steep climb out of Shaldon up onto the red sandstone cliffs overlooking Ness Cove and with brilliant views - well on a nice day anyway! My next target was Maidencombe - and then on to Babbacombe and St Marychurch on the edge of Torquay.
The path was quite hard on this stretch - alot of climbs up and down- but I kept up a good pace - and reckoned I would be at Torquay well in time for the match! There was a distinct lack of other walkers - but that wasn't suprising, as it was a pretty miserable day.
Maidencombe is another popular tourist spot - thatched cottages, cream teas and a nice sheltered beach. I didn't linger and sped on up a twisting wooded path through the Valley of Rocks and towards a small place called Watcombe. From there it was across some open grassland and down some steep steps to Oddicombe Beach which is around the cliff face from Babbacombe beach. It was a strange place to find a very ugly looking cliff railway which takes you up to Babbacombe Downs - and was obviously built for lazy people who couldn't be bothered to walk down the hill to the beach!
From here - I had to decide at what point to leave the path and end the day's walk. The path through Torquay is a long one - all around Hopes Nose, Thatcher Point and to the promenade - and having walked about 15 miles - it was going to be too far. In the end, after consulting the map - i could see that near a place called Ansteys Cove, the path was very close to a main road and a car park, so it was a suitable place to start again on another day. As it happens there was a bus stop right on the road - and after a 15 minute wait - I got a bus as near to Torquay rail station as I could.
I had though that time permitting, I could get the train back to Starcross and see the match there - but I'd just missed a train - so after consulting a taxi driver - made my way to a large sports bar - which had a massive 10ft HD screen - allowing me to see every pustulent pimple on Ronaldo's annoying face, as he was interviewed pre-match! Enjoyed the first half - and then legged it back to the station and made my way home via Starcross - another leg completed.

South Walk: Sidmouth to Exmouth

Saturday January 10th 2009!! Well Christmas has come and gone - my belts are a bit tighter and with all the Calendar nonsense over and done with - I am glad to be back on the path with two thirds of the whole walk still to do.

We are in the middle of a real cold snap - so I made sure I had ample warm clothing before heading back to Sidmouth for an early start. It was going to be a bright crisp day - once the sun had come up - but at 7:45am it was still very cold and Sidmouth was deserted - not a Zimmer frame in sight.

From the end of the promenade - I joined the Clifton Walkway path around the sheer redstone cliffs to reach the well known Jacobs Ladder and Connaught Beach.

With the first steep climb out of Sidmouth - I could tell I hadn't walked much for a few weeks - but the exertions warmed me up and I was soon back on the pace and heading across High Peak Cliffs en route to Ladram Bay. This was still Jurassic Coast territory and very dramatic it was, in the early light of the day.

What rather spoilt the stunning coastline was the " boil on the baby's backside" that is Ladram Bay Caravan Park! It is the most incongruous piece of tourism that you could possibly conceive. Scattered along the coast path are splendid signs promoting the beauty of East Devon and Ladram Bays Jurassic Coast - but not one picture shows the valleyfull of tourist tin cans. It is a real shame - but, if you can put up with your immediate surroundings of cooped up kids overdosing on Coca Cola - it would make for a splendid base for a holiday - with the emphasis on the word "base".

The Rock formations at Ladram Bay reminded me of the area around Lulworth Cove, albeit in red! Beyond the Caravan Park the stretch towards Budleigh Salterton was very scenic encompassing an old smuggling route called Brandy Head and Chisel Bay.

This was a path that I had walked before, but many years ago and it didn't take long to reach Budleigh Salterton - again - a familiar place. The path headed inland up the mouth of the River Otter to a bridge crossing over and then down the other side to reach Budleigh seafront. This is a splendid area for birdwatching, and there are several hides available for twitchers to chill out.

Budleigh is very picturesque with splendid Georgian and Victorian buildings and a long stony beach.

It was definitely time for a Coffee stop - and Budleigh is a perfect for place for an old fashioned tea room. I am sure I would have had a splendid Cream Tea at the "Cosy Tea Pot" but it was too early for that - so settled for a lovely round of toast and butter instead.

Back on the path - it was another 5 miles to reach Exmouth - and plenty more Redstone cliffs to enjoy. unfortunately, before I reached Exmouth, there was Sandy Bay to navigate. Of course, I have seen this abomination of a Caravan Park before, so it didn't come as a great suprise, - yet another Devon Council's planning disaster area - a complete scar on the landscape that should just be flattened, or alternatively the whole lot could be relocated to Dover - with the addition of 10ft high barbed wire, it would make a splendid immigration centre for asylum seekers!

Eventually, I dropped down from the cliffs to the start of Exmouth's promenade. By now, it was quite bright and had warmed up considerably, so the beach was full of dog walkers and people enjoying the sea air. As I strolled along, I bumped into Marie Weeks and her daughter Lauren. They were busy looking after two young boys. Lauren cares for them, one day a month on a regular basis and they are both autistic, so need alot of looking after. Of course, on a nice day - the sand at Exmouth is a great attraction and apparently kept the youngsters well amused. Marie was well agitated, as she had just had to brave the Gents Lavatory so that one of the boys could spend a penny! The Ladies was closed. Where's Jeff, when you need him!

I pressed on towards the Quay. The main SW coast path route is to take the Exmouth - Starcross Ferry across the Exe, which is a bit strange as I thought it would have gone up the estuary to Topsham. Anyway - being out of season, the Ferry was not in service, so I decided to get the bus back to Sidmouth and pick the car up and then make my way round to Starcross. As it happened, by the time I'd done that - the afternoon had nearly gone - so decided to make an early start in the morning!

South Walk: Charmouth to Sidmouth

Saturday November 8th: Several weeks have passed since Michael Ricketts and I trudged into the village of Charmouth on the South leg of the walk. The plan for this weekend was to try and reach Budleigh Salterton on the Sunday, weather permitting, and for today, get to Branscombe.

I planned to stay at Branscombe overnight, although it had proved tricky finding a suitably priced B&B - but would sort it out en route. So transport wise - decided to leave the car at Exeter and made my way to Charmouth via train to Axminster and then the Bus. Got back on the trail at 10.00am - although the original coast path between Charmouth and Lyme is actually closed due to insecure cliffs, so had to head out of Charmouth the same way that I had just come in by Bus. The path then headed through some woods and across Lyme Regis Golf Course. It was a nice bright morning, albeit pretty windy and fresh.

Lyme Regis viewed from approach from Charmouth

It didn't take long to reach Lyme.

This is a place I know well. As a family we had holidays here, mind you that was 40 years ago! - but also I have some former work colleagues from my days with the Star Newspaper Group who live here, and in fact I was here last August to celebrate the marriage of my friend Peter Greenwood's daughter, Rebecca, and also, on the same night - the 60th birthday of my old boss Philip Evans, - a former Mayor of Lyme Regis, no less, and there have been numerous boozy occasions in Lyme over the years, it has to be said.

I took the opportunity to pop into a new shop that had been opened earlier in the year by renowned Westcountry photographer Richard Austin, who I had worked with at the Star and also met up with at Philip's wedding. He has some stunning photos and has become somewhat of a local celebratory with the publication of his "Animal Magic" books and TV appearances.

The walk along Lyme seafront is always a nice one and there were plenty of people enjoying the sunny morning. The sea was pretty fierce and crashing up around the famous Cob.

From Lyme, the path moves back up onto the cliffs before entering the Landslip nature reserve, a 7 mile winding path through woods, with only a few viewpoints of the sea. It was atrociously muddy and difficult walking, but I didn't hang about - and made good progress finally reaching the outskirts of Seaton at lunchtime, crossing yet another Golf course and dropped down to head for the Seafront.

Received a text from Stevie J at Peninsular - to say that Arsenal were beating Man U by 2-0 in the lunchtime Sky game. So as I was being blown along Seaton seafront and spotted a bar with Sky - it was a no brainer to pop in for a quick refresher. It was packed of course, and as usual I proved to be a rather unusual sight for the locals, with my mud spattered legs and backpack. I should really have arranged to meet up with friends Peter and Ann Greenwood who live in Seaton, and had offered to put me up, when I was passing through - but I'd left it too late and didn't want to land on them unannounced , so decided to carry on through to Branscombe. I had by this time, made several phonecalls to a Farmhouse B&B in Branscombe to no avail - so still without accommodation fixed, I headed on for Beer, which was just over the cliffs from Seaton. The weather was a bit unsettled now.

Beer is a very quaint place - pretty unspoilt and a good old fishing village. The walk from Beer to Branscombe is one that I have done on many occasions and is very scenic. By now, the wind had really got up and it was "hold you hat" time. I took the lower cliff path which takes you past all the chalets and mobile homes which are wonderfully positioned on the approach to Branscombe Mouth.

I have always fancied owning one of those.

Eventually, I reached Branscombe, legs pretty weary - another 14 mile stretch done. The Farmhouse B&B had got the decorators in - but had mentioned a place near the mouth. Branscombe village itself is up a steep hill which I could have done without, so I poked my head into the "Seaside B&B" a beautiful thatched building. The accommodation was superb but pricey to match. I tried to haggle with the price, but having been shown a suite with a bathroom bigger than my lounge and a lovely big bath - I decided to treat myself. The chap showing me round explained that it was his wife's business, so he couldn't negotiate for fear of instant death, which I could appreciate. It did occur to me that his wife would have probably taken one look at me and said that they were fully booked!

As it turned out, I was the sole occupant. My biggest problem was trying not to leave a trail of mud around the place, as everywhere was pristine. Had a relaxing evening - a great meal at the Masons Arms and fell asleep in front of Match of the Day. Some things never change.

Sunday November 9th - I was the first one down for breakfast, which wasn't difficult as I was the only resident! Met the owners wife who seemed very pleasant - turned out that thay have only recently refurbished the place and were quite new to it all. I told her, she would probably have to refurbish my room again, and she laughed manically! I didn't hang about and quickly got back on the trail, as I knew I was going to be in for some rain later. It was dry but very windy and the first big hill out of Branscombe was a bit of a struggle, but I soon got in my stride. The stretch to Sidmouth seemed to consist of several "Mouths" which had to be descended into and then climbed out of!

About mid morning - I could see that the heavens were going to open any minute, and the sensible thing would have been to get into the wet weather gear before it started - but no - I waited until it was heaving and then had to find a spot under a tree to attempt to put my waterproof trousers on!

-which involved taking boots off, sitting down - a right palava in the pouring rain. The next hour was pretty uncomfortable - I was wet on the outside and wet with sweat on the inside, but I got my head down and before long I had reached Salcombe Regis, at the edge of Sidmouth.

If it had been a decent day, the view across to Sidmouth was a nice one. I'm pretty familiar with Sidmouth, having worked there for several years in what seems a former life. It is a very pleasant place to work, even in the Summer, apart from when the International Folk Festival is on. During that particular week, it is difficult to concentrate on work, with a succession of Morris Dancers prancing through the streets with their ridiculous bells and gay attire. Apart from the Morris Dancers, who in my opinion, should be locked away for their own good, the Festival is a superb event which attracts people from all over the Country and Internationally renowned acts from all over the world.
After descending Salcombe Hill - I was eventually on Sidmouth seafront and the waves were pounding in as the weather took another turn for the worse. I had intended to carry on to Budleigh Salterton, but it looked pretty black in that direction and with time against me, I decided to head for the bus stop. My car was back at Exeter and I didn't have to wait long for the bus.
The Silly Season at work was now in full swing - so will be hanging the boots up for a few weeks and putting my Calendar head on!

North Walk: Into North Devon's Hartland

Sunday October 26th : Clovelly.

Woke up to pouring rain and a text message from Stevie J from work, telling me that Ramos had been sacked and replaced by Harry Rednapp!! That's got to be a wind up I thought, and with no TV or radio to hand, I had to phone him to check the story. After a hearty breakfast, I donned my full wet gear and headed off up the cobbled streets and westwards out of Clovelly. The owner of the Hotel had assured me that it would clear up mid morning, so I was looking forward to some spectacular coastline around Hartland Point and would have 11 miles to walk to reach Hartland Quay.

Still pondering the Rednapp scenario, I texted Michael Ricketts and got it confirmed - how could I have doubted it, nothing should suprise you in football.

The route out of Clovelly passed through some woods and then out into open fields with a clear view of the splendid large house, Clovelly Court. The Path kept close to the sea through wooded clifftops with occasional vantage points including a hidden stone tunnel which led to a splendid viewpoint.The path eventually wound it's way down to Mouth Mill with it's unusual double arched Blackchurch Rock.

Here the path should have led straight across the beach, but there was so much water running down onto the beach from a stream, that it had formed an impassable torrent. However, I made my way inland to a deserted stone cottage which had a small bridge across the stream. There was a steep climb out of Mouth Mill and and up to Windbury Point where you could see all the way back across Bideford Bay towards Morte Point. It was satisfying knowing that I had walked all of that way albeit in stages. The next point to reach was Shipload Bay, 3 miles further along the windswept cliffs.

A large Radar Dome loomed on the horizon at the end of Shipload Bay and the path passed around the Radar station and behind Barley Bay towards Hartland Point. By now, the sun had appeared and Lundy Island was clearly visible.

Hartland Point with it's old lighthouse is one of the most scenic parts of North Devon. It also had a refreshment snack bar which was a welcome sight. The lighthouse is closed, but you can walk up to a coastguard station viewpoint.

From here to Hartland Quay was a breathtaking walk. The sun was shining, the sea was pounding in, and it felt good to be alive. Although, I didn't realise it, the wind was biting cold but I wasn't staying still enough to worry about it. The path dropped right down into Blackpool beach where there was a lovely old cottage which was obviously for self catering - and what a brilliant location. The path then went up to the ruins of the Warren tower with the church tower of Stoke in the background. From here it was a short walk down to the Hotel at Hartland Quay where I was glad to see my car.

The seas here pounding the rocks with some spectacular spray. After a quick pint at the rather rundown hotel, I made my way back to Uffculme with the Spurs v Bolton match commentary on the radio. Good timing again, and they won.

Hartland Quay Hotel pictured

North Walk: Ho Hum - it's off to Clovelly

Westward Ho at first light.

Saturday October 25th
Another early trip up the North Devon link road. I had worked out a cunning plan with regards to bus links and parking for the weekend. Once I reached Clovelly and beyond to Hartland, the Sunday bus service was non existent, so I would stay the night in Clovelly. It was going to be day of great contrasts - starting at Westward Ho, a famous family resort named after the novel of the same name by Charles Kingsley and ending at one of Devon's most scenic and well preserved old villages.

Meantime, the first bus to catch was the 7.42am from Bideford to Westward Ho. I was going to leave my car at Bideford , as I knew I could catch a bus back to there from Clovelly, which was my target for the day. It would only be 11 miles from Westward Ho - but quite alot of ups and downs as usual. I struggled to get out of bed that morning - it was below freezing, although the forecast wasn't too bad, but I was convinced that I would miss the bus, which wouldn't have been a disaster, but the schedule was tight for the day in order for me to get the right bus back from Clovelly later on. As it happened, as I rolled into the Quay car park at Bideford, the bus turned up opposite. In a bit of a rush, I put the wrong amount of money in the Car park ticket machine, and fumbled about for more change - ended up buying two tickets, hoping the warden would see that if he added them both up - they would amount to a later time in the day!!! - are traffic wardens that clever? - I doubted it - meanwhile, the bus was sat there waiting for the right time to depart, so I needn't have rushed - in fact I still had time to go back to the car for my walking pole. Anyway - it was a beautiful if cold start to the day - and Bideford Quay looked very scenic with the sun rising and lighting up the cottages across the estuary.
At Westward Ho, I grabbed a couple of warm croissants from the Co-op and was on my way.
Once away from the beach huts and caravan parks it was a climb up onto the green clifftops and then a straightforward path heading for Peppercombe Beach. I could see my destination, Clovelly away in the distance, the other side of the large curved ark of Bideford Bay which stretches from Baggy Point to Hartland Point. As the guide book said, it was further away, than it looked, and I would appreciate that more later on in the day!


One of the features of this part of the coast is the number of Lime kilns situated close to the shoreline scattered along the coast.

Another feature was the enormous number of Game Birds. Now, I have met a few game birds in my time - but this was ridiculous. They were springing out of the vegetation in all directions.

At Babbacombe mouth the path went right down to the stoney beach which was strewn with sea litter, mostly plastic of course. It was well away from the tourist route - so I imagine that no one bothers to clean it up.

From here it was a nice stretch to Peppercombe. I was quite pleased that my new boots were holding up well - always a risk, although I had been walking them in all week. Unfortunately, the day's walk was one of the muddiest after all the rain - so they didn't look new for very long. By mid morning, I had warmed up sufficiently to break out the knobbly knees and from Peppercombe headed up through some scenic woods towards the isolated village of Bucks Mill - a poor mans Clovelly. Apparently there used to be alot of inter breeding between the close community at Bucks Mill, so I was expecting to see a village full of half wits and unfortunates. It was a lovely approach to the village climbing down through the woods and suddenly seeing the white cottages. The path ended up right in the middle of the village and there were lots of children playing noisily outside. They all seemed to have the right number of limbs, and I wondered whether they realised how lucky they were to grow up in such a scenic, out of the way place. In fairness they probably hankered for a Macdonalds and a Go Karting track!

From Bucks Mill, it was a long lonely stretch to Clovelly, mostly along Hobby Drive which seemed to go on forever through the Clovelly Estate.

I had been to Clovelly before - it really is beautiful, but by the time I got there - the sun had disappeared and the visibility was poor. The whole village is in private ownership and you enter through a Visitors centre where they fleece you for several pounds just to get into the place. However, if you have walked there - you pay nothing. I arrived in good time for my intended bus back to Bideford - so enjoyed my first coffee of the day and deposited several large chunks of mud off my boots in their cafeteria! I felt quite knackered and put it down to the fact that I hadn't walked the previous weekend so was out of practice. I booked a B&B over the phone. The woman thought me a bit strange ringing from the Visitors centre a few hundred yards away - and even stranger when I said I was getting a bus to Bideford, picking my car up, driving to Hartland Quay, and then getting another bus from Hartland back to Clovelly. Good luck she said. I am now pretty familiar with North Devon's Bus Services and they seem pretty good.

Back at Bideford, the good news was that I hadn't got a parking ticket. So drove to Hartland Quay, where it was blowing an absolute Hooley. The seas were superb. Hartland Quay consists of a large Inn and is no longer a working harbour. The plan was to walk from Clovelly to Hartland Quay on the Sunday and have my car waiting for me. I made sure that they were happy for me to leave my car in their car park overnight and sorted out my overnight clothes. I was faced with a 2.5 mile walk to the village of Hartland to catch the bus, which I didn't fancy to be honest.
It was up a steep hill out of the quay for a starter and having walked about 11 miles....so I flagged down the first car leaving the car park - and the chap who it turned out worked at the pub gladly gave me a lift and dropped me off right at the bus stop. The only problem was that there was an hour to wait for it - so there was no choice but to head for a local hostelry for a couple of pints in front of a welcoming log fire.
Arrived back at Clovelly about 6.30pm and got shown to my room, which was very roomy and had a lovely big bath with loads of hot water - bliss - I even managed to wash my mud caked trouser bottoms as well - took them off first of course!
Spent the evening at the New Inn Hotel bar across the road and then wandered down the slippery cobbled path down to the famous harbour which was deserted. The locals use sleds to drag things up and down the cobbled path which is very steep in parts. It was nice to see it at night and particularly out of season.

Back up the path to my B&B in the New House. Now, me and locks and keys have a bit of history, so it came as no suprise when I found that I couldn't open the external door to the accommodation.
I was conscious that there was a lady having a fag outside the bar watching as I fumbled about with each of the three keys looking to all intents and purposes like a drunk trying to get back into his own house. After a few hopeless minutes, I peered at the lock and it seemed that there was a key already in it! I conceded defeat and headed for the bar to explain my predicament. The barmaid - said "Oh yes - the other guests broke the key in the door - I told them not to close it" Great - it could only happen to me - locked out of my accommodation, and it was now raining. " I'll see if I can break in" the barmaid continued cheerily and grabbed a sharp knife. For the next 20 minutes 3 of us attempted to prise open a ground floor window with a veg knife and the light from a mobile phone.
Eventually, one of the locals prised it open and clambered in to open the door from the inside.
Meanwhile the brainless culprits who not only broke the key in the lock but then closed the door were snoring away in the warm and dry of their room upstairs.
The Clocks were going back that night - I was looking forward to bacon and egg in the morning and probably a wet walk to Hartland Quay!

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!

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!