lyme regis to west bay

SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

monday, 9th june 2025

Start location: Lyme Regis (SY 34574 92500)

End point: West Bay (SY 46148 90403)

Map: Explorer 116

I should have another lovely day today with no chance of rain.

Lyme Regis low tide: 11:38

Lyme Regis high tide: 18:23

I start the day at the Charmouth Road car park above Lyme Regis. A sign here tells me that there are 114 steps down to the foreshore. I climb the steps down to the foreshore where I have a view of the Black Ven landslip and the coast path walk for the day is laid out in front of me, although a little hazily.

I can see over to Golden Cap and in the distance, East Cliff and West Cliff at West Bay and Burton Bradstock and just beyond those, Chesil Beach stretches out to the Isle of Portland. This is one of my favourite stretches of coast on the whole coast path.

hazy view from lyme regis

hazy view from lyme regis

I climb back up to the Charmouth Road car park and head towards Charmouth Road.

Today's walk has typically in the past been dogged by landslips resulting in several inland diversions starting with an inland diversion at Lyme Regis.

I head upwards through fields high above Lyme Regis, photographing the wild flowers and I have a final view over the Cobb.

the cobb

I enter a wood and the sign posts which were once very confusing, are now OK, so I wander along tracks through the woods until I'm then dumped out onto a busy road above Lyme Regis where I enjoy some of the garden flowers.

I continue along the road until a sign points me to a path through Lyme Regis Golf Club.

lyme regis golf club

I continue walking through the golf course following a stone path. There are some spectacularly bad golfers out on the course.

I come across a patch of common spotted orchids in the middle of the course.

There is now a decent coastal route behind the golf course and down into Charmouth without having to walk along nasty, stinky main roads.

I come across a sculpture of Mary Anning in woods and you can find out all about the making of the sculpture.

It is a thoroughly pleasant walk now next to the golf course before I come across a viewing point looking back over the cliffs to Lyme Regis.

view to lyme regis

A signpost tells me that I’m two miles from Lyme Regis and just half a mile away from Charmouth.

It’s now time to descend down to Charmouth along a minor road.

view over charmouth

I decide today to head through the main part of Charmouth, passing the Royal Oak pub, the Charmouth Community Library, St Andrews Parish Church, Charmouth Stores, Charmouth Pharmacy, Bank House Cafe, Charmouth Bakery and Charmouth Fish Bar and Pizzeria.

I head back the way I came and descend down a road towards the beach where I come across some beach huts and the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre.

I wander along the beach here which is surprisingly busy.

I head up from Charmouth Beach and walk towards a bridge above East Beach, where I cross the River Char. With a spring in my step I start to ascend the cliffs out of Charmouth.

I amble along the cliffs enjoying the views back to Charmouth and ahead towards Golden Cap as well as all of the wildflowers.

view over charmouth

I come across a coast path sign at Westhay Farm and descend into a meadow full of flowers, including yellow rattle going to seed. It looks absolutely lovely.

I’m now headed towards Golden Cap. I walk through a field full of cows and then climb slowly up on to the top of Golden Cap.

golden cap

It's a long way up at 627 feet and the highest point on the south coast but it’s a surprisingly easy climb. I enjoy the magnificent views from up here. In one direction I can see out to the Isle of Portland and in the other direction back to Lyme Regis and beyond.

There are several paragliders flying around.

Golden Cap is named after the distinctive outcrop of golden greensand rock at the tip of the cliff and is owned by the National Trust. There is a trigpoint s3752 on the eastern side which must have one of the best views of any of the trigpoints.

I hang around for a while admiring the views before taking the long descent down to the Anchor Inn at Seatown.

I crunch my way across the pebbly beach before heading across a footbridge at the car park and then climb back onto the cliffs.

seatown

seatown

I climb up Ridge Cliff high above Seatown where I have magnificent views back over Seatown.

view over seatown

It’s getting quite hot now and I’m getting seriously sweaty. After descending the other side of Ridge Cliff there’s an even higher climb up to Thorncombe Beacon.

thorncombe beacon

It's now another long descent, this time down to the village of Eype where there's another pebbly beach at Eype Mouth

eype mouth

eype mouth

I head over the footbridge over a stream where I come across some colourful pebbles.

colourful pebble

Another ascent and descent over West Cliff takes me to the charming West Bay.

west bay

west bay

I've lost count of the number of times I've visited West Bay, but it's an awful lot. I round the harbour passing The George, the Bridport Arms HotelThe West Bay Hotel, the amusement arcade and all of the food shacks dotted around the harbour. It is very busy.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

  • oxeye daisy

  • red clover

  • knapweed

  • honeysuckle

  • roses

  • hydrangea

  • foxglove

  • red campion

  • red valerian

  • mexican fleabane

  • aqualegia

  • common spotted orchid

  • poppy

  • fuchsia

  • wild carrot

  • yellow rattle

  • ribwort plantain

  • bird’s-foot trefoil

PODCAST

The podcast of today's walk is now available. You can subscribe via Apple Podcasts or listen using the player below.

MARKS OUT OF TEN?

According to my phone I've walked 11.7 miles which amounts to 30001 steps. It has taken me 5 and a quarter hours. The weather has been lovely and warm and I’ve been walking on one of my favourite stretches of the coast. Ten out of ten!

WALK DETAILS

MAP

common spotted orchid

mary anning

happyness

west bay

beach collection

west bexington to the hardy monument

south dorset ridgeway

sunday, 8TH june 2025

Start location: West Bexington (SY 53077 86409)

End point: Hardy Monument (SY 61296 87600)

Map: Explorer OL15

It looks like I'm in for quite a nice day today. It won’t be baking but there’s no chance of rain.

Bridport low tide 10:37

Bridport high tide 17:37

This is a completely new walk for me. I’m intending to walk the South Dorset Ridgeway over a couple of days. Although I can find some decent information about some of the features along the walk I can’t find any descriptions so I’m winging it a bit over the next couple of days.

I’ll be walking through an ancient landscape and one of the most diverse Neolithic and Bronze Age landscapes consisting of Neolithic causewayed enclosures, bank barrows, henge monuments and stone circles, an awful lot of Bronze Age barrows and later Iron Age hillforts.

I start the day in the car park at West Bexington and wander down to Chesil Beach to join all of the anglers.

chesil beach

chesil beach

I head up through the village and pass The Club House and the Chesil Beach Manor House Hotel.

the club house

the manor house

I leave the village and follow a South Dorset Ridgeway sign which tells me the the Hardy Monument is only six miles away so it’s just a short walk today.

south dorset ridgeway sign

I walk steadily up a track heading towards the B3157 at Limekiln Hill admiring all of the wildflowers in the verges.

west bexington track

I walk alongside the B3157 for a bit and then along a track through fields next to the road where I come across a sign telling me that a hill fort is half a mile away.

south dorset ridgeway sign

I pass a barrow before crossing the B3157 at Tulk’s Hill.

barrow

tulk’s hill

I head towards Abbotsbury Castle Hillfort where I have stunning views across the Jurassic Coast.

abbotsbury castle hillfort

Abbotsbury Castle is an Iron Age hillfort in a prominent position overlooking the coastline.

The hillfort is a triangle shaped enclosure covering about 1.8 hectares with a large Bronze Age round barrow sitting in one corner. From here I can see the remains of the medieval abbey in Abbotsbury village as well as St Catherine’s Chapel.

The signs have completely run out so I’ve no idea which way I’m supposed to be going. I end up clambering on muddy paths up and down the hillfort before finally finding a path that takes me back down to the coast road.

coast road

I climb up a minor road and finally come across a South Dorset Ridgeway signpost but it’s only telling me where I should have come from.

south dorset ridgeway sign

I follow a path through fields passing several barrows along the way. I have lovely views over Chesil Beach and towards the Isle of Portland.

isle of portland

I cross a minor road, Bishop’s Road, and enter a stinker of a path, covered in nettles, gorse and brambles which carries on for quite a while.

I had intended to divert slightly off of the ridgeway to visit Grey Mare and Her Colts and Kingston Russell Stone Circle but there was a complete lack of signage and I hadn’t consulted my map properly.

Grey Mare and Her Colts is a long rectangular mound, a Neolithic burial monument, probably built around 5000 years ago and is likely to have been used for generations by a local community who lived close by. The barrow was built high on the ridge, with views to the coastline and beyond.

Kingston Russell Stone Circle is a late Neolithic or early Bronze Age circle of 18 fallen stones. This is the largest of three stone circles in the South Dorset Ridgeway area, at about 30 metres in diameter, but easily missed if the grass is long as all 18 stones are lying down! The location of this stone circle is very prominent - this was clearly a place to see and be seen, most likely of deep significance to the people who constructed it.

I would have diverted again off of the ridgeway to visit the Valley of Stones Natural Nature Reserve. This National Nature Reserve has an unusual train of sarsen stones, boulders strewn across the valley, tumbled down from the ridge during the last Ice Age. It is very likely that some of the stones used in stone circles and standing stones on the Ridgeway came from here.

Unfortunately, the lack of signage meant that I didn’t visit any of these features.

I fight my way through this stinker of a pathway where I have views over strip lynchets, a form of a medieval field system.

strip lynchet

I continue along the stinky ridgeway and the going gets better before I come to Hampton Down Stone Circle.

This small circle was constructed on the ridge above Portesham about 4000 years ago and has been greatly altered over its life. In 1908 a photo shows 16 stones but in 1964 it had grown to 28 stones. However, excavation at this time revealed that many of the stones were out of place so it was shifted slightly west and restored with 10 stones to the correct site, now measuring about 6 metres across.

I like my archaeology but it looks to me like somebody has just chucked a few boulders in a corner of a field!

I cross a road and continue along the path to reach Hell Stone. Only I don’t because it is a terribly overgrown path covered in nettles, gorse and brambles and I can’t even see the path so I have to gingerly make my way along it hoping that I don’t turn my ankle on the flint pebbles underfoot, which I can’t see.

south dorset ridgeway sign

The Hell Stone long barrow was constructed around the same time as Grey Mare and her Colts. However, antiquarians in 1866 decided to (badly!) reconstruct the stone chamber at the front of the long earthen mound, setting these huge stones upright with a cap on top.

Needless to say, I was so concentrating on (and swearing a lot) staying upright on the path that I completely missed Hell Stone.

I come across a sign pointing to my left but it’s just pointing at a wall and some thick woods so it’s clearly positioned in the wrong place.

I retrace my steps and walk steeply through woods to come across Black Down and the Hardy Monument.

hardy monument

This area around the Hardy Monument is rare for the South Dorset Ridgeway in being mainly heathland.

The Hardy Monument was built in 1844 in memory of Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, born close by the here in 1769. He was Flag Captain of HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar when Nelson was fatally wounded as they paced the decks together.

The National Trust became owners of the site in 1938 and have maintained it ever since. When the tower is open visitors can climb the 84 steps inside for wonderful views from the top.

I expected to be at Black Down Car Park at this point which doesn’t show on my Ordnance Survey map and as far as I can tell doesn’t even show up on my Ordnance Survey app so my lift has to drive up from the Black Down Car Park up to the Hardy Monument to pick me up.

I was expecting to visit the Black Down Stone Circle, presumably next to the Black Down Car Park, but this is another feature that I completely missed.

This newish stone circle, built in, I think, 2016, has been designed by artist Amanda Moore to celebrate the ‘land of bone and stone'.

The stone blocks are arranged with one facing true north and the others aligning with the summer and winter solstice sunrises and sunsets. The square windows cut into each for viewing the sunrises and sunsets also allow light to shine onto the central Portland Stone during the solstices. For the rest of the year you can enjoy views out across Dorset's amazing landscape and Jurassic Coast.

I had intended to continue along the South Dorset Ridgeway tomorrow from the Hardy Monument to Ossmington Mills but the signposting has been terrible at times and a couple of long stretches of the path have been terrible and clearly neglected all of this year so I’ve abandoned my plans.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

  • red valerian

  • white valerian

  • roses

  • common mallow

  • lavender

  • wild carrot

  • stinking iris

  • pheasants

  • stone chats

  • speckled wood butterflies

  • nettles

  • gorse

  • brambles

PODCAST

The podcast of today's walk is now available. You can subscribe via Apple Podcasts or listen using the player below.

MARKS OUT OF TEN?

According to my phone I've walked 7 miles which amounts to 17817 steps. It has taken me three and a half hours. The weather has been beautiful but the signposting has been dreadful at times and a couple of long stretches of the path have been awful. I have been stung to buggery by nettles and brambles and scratched by gorse. One out of ten!

WALK DETAILS

MAP

south dorset ridgeway sign

strip lynchet

hardy monument

beach collection

hallsands to blackpool sands

SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

wednesday, 14TH MAY 2025

Start location: Hallsands (SX 81574 38494)

End point: Blackpool Sands (SX 85484 47843)

Map: Explorer OL20

It looks like I'm in for another day of beautiful spring weather today.

Dartmouth high tide 07:58

Dartmouth low tide 13:41

I walk down from the village car park, past a tennis court, and down to reach Hallsands.

I amble along the path through Hallsands, enjoying all of the spring wildflowers.

The path continues to Greenstraight Beach and then on to Tinsey Head.

greenstraight beach

tinsey head

I enjoy the wildflowers on Tinsey Head before dropping down to Beesands.

I walk along the road at Beesands to reach the Cricket Inn, birthplace of the Rolling Stones, before continuing on my way past St Andrew's Church.

beesands

the cricket inn

I wander along the beach at Beesands before heading off towards Torcross.

I climb up the wooded slopes of the cliff where I photograph the wildflowers and come across a clump of early purple orchids.

A short walk takes me to Torcross where I climb down steps, admiring the view across Slapton Sands, to reach the promenade. I walk past the Start Bay Inn and the Sherman tank next to the car park, honouring the memory of servicemen.

I drop down onto Slapton Sands and trudge along the sandy and shingly beach, although there is not much in the way of sand today.

slapton sands

I reach the picnic site at Strete Gate and it is suddenly quite busy. My boots are full of pebbles so I empty them next to the toilet block by the car park.

I continue on the path climbing up towards Strete where the verges are covered in wildflowers.

I pass a sign pointing up the bridleway where I used to come down onto Slapton Sands.The path continues upwards away from Strete Gate picnic site and I pass a bench with magnificent views over Slapton Sands. The bench is dedicated to the memory of Philip and Mary Carter. Thank you Philip and Mary.

“In memory of Philip and Mary Carter. Tireless campaigners for South West Coast Path and founders of the South West Coast Path Association.”

philip and mary carter

It's rather nice on this newish section and I enjoy the wildflowers here and walk below some HUGE echiums.

echium

I briefly follow the A379 into Strete where I pass the Parish Church of St. Michael, Strete Post Office and Stores, Strete Chapel and the King's Arms but everything seems to be covered in scaffolding.

scaffolding

A sign at a junction tells me that Torcross is three miles away and that Blackpool Sands is one mile away.

A rather circuitous route follows fields and paths heading towards Blackpool Sands and there are plenty of wildflowers to enjoy.

I now have some lovely views over Blackpool Sands. My camera is playing up though and most of the photos from here are over exposed. I’ve had this new camera a couple of years now but I still can’t work out what it is doing at times.

view over blackpool sands

I cross a steep grassy valley and have some lovely views over a beach I don’t know but must be Landcombe Cove. You can definitely get down there as I can see footprints in the sand.

I wander down Widewell Lane smothered in wildflowers and I have a lovely view over Blackpool Sands.

I wander downhill to the beach and have a potter around the sandy, shingly beach before wandering back to the Blackpool Sands Cafe where my lift awaits. Only it doesn’t because the car park machines are out of order so you have to buy a ticket online even though there is no phone signal around here so my lift is driving from Torcross as soon as I reach here.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

  • red hot poker

  • bladder campion

  • gladioli

  • iris

  • alexanders

  • hogweed

  • three-cornered garlic

  • red campion

  • bird’s-foot trefoil

  • common dog-violet

  • scarlet pimpernel

  • gorse

  • germander speedwell

  • primroses

  • bluebells

  • greater stitchwort

  • herb robert

  • ribwort plantain

  • red admiral butterfly

  • navelwort

  • early purple orchids

  • foxgloves

  • wild garlic

  • comfrey

  • white valerian

  • honesty

  • green alkanet

  • red valerian

  • herb bennet

  • echiums

  • cow parsley

  • garlic mustard

PODCAST

The podcast of today's walk is now available. You can subscribe via Apple Podcasts or listen using the player below.

MARKS OUT OF TEN?

According to my phone I've walked 8 miles which amounts to 22311 steps. It has taken me 4 hours. The weather has been beautiful although my camera has been playing up around Torcross and Blackpool Sands. Nine out of ten!

WALK DETAILS

MAP

beesands

beesands

beesands

early purple orchid

beach collection

salcombe to hallsands

SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

tuesday, 13TH MAY 2025

Start location: Salcombe (SX 74046 39082)

End point: Hallsands (SX 81574 38494)

Map: Explorer OL20

Today's weather forecast for today and the rest of the week looks to be fantastic.

Start Point high tide 07:15

Start Point low tide 13:12

I start the day back in Salcombe and  walk around to the Ferry Inn. It is very confusing walking through Salcombe but I eventually make my way through and climb down to the jetty where I catch the ferry over from Salcombe to East Portlemouth. The ferry turns up straight away and I’m the only passenger. The ferry fare is £2.70. The ferry turns up so quickly that I don’t really have any time to take any decent photographs.

salcombe

salcombe

I come ashore at East Portlemouth where I have lovely views back to Salcombe.

arriving at east portlemouth

ferry times

I turn right and amble along the road enjoying the wildflowers and immediately come across a clump of stumpy echiums.

stumpy echiums

I follow a minor road to reach Mill Bay, where I enjoy fine views back across to Salcombe.

view back to salcombe

A mass of sand from the beach has blown onto the road. The road verges are covered in wildflowers. I come across masses of a bell like plant which I don’t come across very often but is the three-cornered garlic (allium triquetrum) and I come across it throughout my walk today.

I walk along the cliffs along Portlemouth Down towards Gara Rock. There are bluebells everywhere! I also come across a lone early purple orchid.

signpost to gara rock

early purple orchid

I come across a small pearl-bordered fritillary and I will continue to come across them throughout the day.

small pearl-bordered fritillary

I reach a plaque commemorating the centenary of the Salcombe lifeboat disaster, when the RNLI lifeboat William and Emma capsized off Salcombe Bar with the loss of thirteen crew on the 27th of October 1916.

salcombe lifeboat disaster

I have lovely views ahead of me towards Gara Rock and Gammon Head.

The paths are covered in foxgloves just coming into flower. I love foxgloves!

foxglove

foxglove

I come across stonechats clacking away in the gorse.

I come across common bird's-foot trefoil, a scabious of some kind and something I don't recognize. I've come across it at home as well but it doesn't seem to feature in my wildflower book.

I spot a beach with some people on it. The beach doesn't seem to be marked on my map but is known as Seacombe Sand and a very nice place it is.

As I leave Seacombe Sand I come across large clumps of seathrift and bloody crane’s-bill.

sea thrift

bloody crane’s-bill

I cross a footbridge and enter West Prawle, Higher House and Borough farms and there are foxgloves and spurges everywhere. They look like wood spurges to me but it's not particularly woody.

I continue along Deckler's Cliff passing Deckler's Island, Shag Rock and Bullock Cove.

I spot another lovely looking beach, this time at Venerick's Cove. I know it's accessible so I scramble down myself but I don't quite make it to the beach as my heavy rucksack is making things a little unsafe. 

I scramble back up and come across more bloody crane's-bill. It seems to like it around here.

I come across a tiny adder but it disappears into the undergrowth before I have a chance to photograph it.

I continue along the coast path past Pig's Nose, Ham Stone and Bull Rock. I head out on to Gammon Head, given to the National Trust by the Rose family on the 5th of January 1965.

The view over Gammon Head is magnificent.

I come across yet another lovely beach, this time at Maceley Cove. It is a very steep descent to the beach but my rucksack makes the decision not to descend easy.

maceley cove

maceley cove

The path zig zags to reach Prawle Point National Coastwatch Station.

prawle point national coastwatch station

I have lovely views over towards Start Point. I continue along the path which takes me past Cobstone Cove, Western Cove, Landing Cove and Wollow Cove.

view to start point

The path verges are full of wildflowers so I amble along taking photographs.

I round Langerstone Point and pass Sharper's Cove and Horseley Cove and on reaching Maelcombe House I come across a speckled wood butterfly and a stonechat.

speckled wood butterfly

stonechat

The path passes in front of Maelcombe House and crosses Woodcombe Point, covered in wildflowers.

maelcombe house

I reach Lannacombe Beach which I wander down to to enjoy the sandy beach.

I leave the beach and enter Down Farm and then pass Limpet Cove.

I pass Great Mattiscombe Sand which I must visit one day as it looks lovely and out to sea are Frenchman's Rock, Barler Rock, Little Sleaden Rock and Great Sleaden Rock. 

great mattiscombe sand

I head round Start Point and pass the Start Point Lighthouse.

start point lighthouse

I now have magnificent views over Start Bay and over to Slapton Sands.

I have one last chance to capture the wildflowers before reaching Hallsands.

I follow the path down a steep slope to reach Hallsands, the village that fell into the sea. In May 2012, an access road, viewing platform and two houses were affected by a 200 tonne landslide.

FLORA AND FAUNA

  • skylarks

  • whitethroats

  • stonechats

  • pheasants

  • hydrangeas

  • white valerian

  • three-cornered garlic

  • echiums

  • red valerian

  • bluebells

  • greater stitchwort

  • early purple orchid

  • gorse

  • small pearl-bordered fritillary

  • foxgloves

  • ribwort plantain

  • bladder campion

  • scarlet pimpernel

  • bird’s-foot trefoil

  • herb robert

  • cat’s-ear

  • sea thrift

  • bloody crane’s-bill

  • red admiral

  • kidney vetch

  • wild carrot

  • alexanders

  • speckled wood butterfly

  • common vetch

  • primrose

  • herb robert

  • navelwort

PODCAST

The podcast of today's walk is now available. You can subscribe via Apple Podcasts or listen using the player below.

MARKS OUT OF TEN?

According to my phone I've walked 11.8 miles which amounts to 31487 steps. It has taken me 5 hours 40 minutes. The weather has been beautiful. Ten out of ten!

WALK DETAILS

MAP

small pearl-bordered fritillary

seacombe sand

sea thrift

start point lighthouse

beach collection

higher dinnicombe to higher dinnicombe

a circular walk

along allaleigh

monday, 12TH MAY 2025

Start location: Higher Dinnicombe (SX 81945 53190)

End point: Higher Dinnicombe (SX 81945 53190)

Map: Explorer OL20

Although there is a bit of rain around this week and it’s a gloomy start to the day the weather should be OK today.

I won’t be anywhere near the sea today but :-

Dartmouth low tide 12:44

Dartmouth high tide 06:46, 19:05

I leave our holiday cottage, Higher Dinnicombe, and walk up the lane towards Dartmouth Golf Course admiring all of the spring flowers in the verges.

higher dinnicombe

I walk along the golf course before climbing over a stile which takes me into farmland. I walk across three fields where the skylarks are singing their hearts out.

I come across a lot of clover which I’ve never seen before and turns out to be crimson clover.

crimson clover

I leave the farmland via a gate and join a minor road which takes me towards Cornworthy. There are lots of wildflowers in the hedges and plenty of butterflies flittering around.

I manage to photograph a painted lady, an orange tip and a red admiral.

painted lady

orange tip

red admiral

I follow the road which comes to a junction where a sign is telling me that Cornworthy is a mile away.

cornworthy one mile

I turn left and continue along the road. At Lower Tideford Farm I come across a field full of sheep. One of the sheep has got its head stuck between the railings and some wire and seems to have been stuck there a while.

lower tideford farm

sheep

I wander down the track towards the farmhouse to let the farmer know about the sheep. As I head back up the track to the gateway a woman drives up armed with a pair of wirecutters and rescues the sheep from its predicament. The sheep runs off bleating in relief.

I continue on my way and turn right at a signpost and then enter the village of Cornworthy.

entering cornworthy

I pass the village church where the clock is telling me that it is a quarter to eleven, and then pass the village hall.

cornworthy church

I pass the telephone box which has a notice on it saying that BT are proposing to remove the phone box.

telephone box

telephone box removal

I stop at the wisteria covered Hunters Lodge Inn. The inn was closed when I first passed it six years ago but is now open with newish tenants Grahame and Sue Nutt.

I enter the garden at the back of the pub to admire the Alice in Wonderland mural. It’s rather sad to see that the larger of the walls has been painted over.

alice in wonderland today

alice in wonderland six years ago

I pass through the rest of the village passing more wisteria covered houses.

The Dart Valley Trail heads off to my right but I continue straight on through the village.

leaving cornworthy

I pass the ruins of Cornworthy Priory, standing alone in the middle of a field. The gatehouse is all that remains of the 13th century priory. The convent was abandoned in 1539 when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries.

cornworthy priory

I continue along the road leaving Cornworthy behind me and at Edgecombe Barn come across a a large patch of early purple orchids on top of a bank by the side of the road. There are a lot more orchids here than the last time I passed here four years ago.

edgecombe barn

I leave the road at Coomery and wander along the ancient track, Allaleigh, which was once important for transporting timber. Nowadays it is just a muddy, rutted track.

allaleigh

It is now a pleasant amble along Allaleigh where I enjoy the wildflowers.

I pass by the Green Lanes Centre, set up in 1984, an education centre where young and old can learn about the local heritage, wildlife and ecology.

green lanes centre

Towards the end of Allaleigh I pass a group of ruined buildings where a chapel once stood. It now seems to be a home for swallows.

old chapel

I leave Allaleigh and head up a minor road before turning right and heading along the road which takes me back to the golf course and Higher Dinnicombe.

leaving allaleigh

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

  • herb bennet

  • primroses

  • red campion

  • shuttlecock fern

  • bluebells

  • celandines

  • greater stitchworth

  • hart’s-tongue fern

  • rhododendron

  • common dog-violet

  • herb robert

  • cow parsley

  • hawthorn

  • canada geese

  • foxglove

  • garlic mustard

  • crimson clover

  • cuckoo flower

  • devil’s-bit scabious

  • painted lady butterfly

  • orange tip butterfly

  • red admiral butterfly

  • skylarks

  • germander speedwell

  • honesty

  • aqualegia

  • red valerian

  • wild garlic

  • alexanders

  • dead nettle

  • green alkanet

  • wisteria

  • woodspurge

  • early purple orchid

  • bastard balm

  • swallows

PODCAST

The podcast of today's walk is now available. You can subscribe via Apple Podcasts or listen using the player below.

MARKS OUT OF TEN?

According to my phone I've walked 5.4 miles which amounts to 14066 steps. It has taken me 2 and a half hours. A short walk today but thoroughly enjoyable. Ten out of ten!

WALK DETAILS

MAP

painted lady

telephone box

hunters lodge inn

alice in wonderland

early purple orchids

beach collection