SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

sunday, 9TH may 2021

It looks like today is going to be cold, grey and cloudy. Perfect weather! Not!! At least I shouldn’t get much rain and the prevailing winds should be light.

Dartmouth low tide 11:35

Dartmouth high tide 17:56

Our holiday cottage for the week is Higher Dinnicombe near to Dartmouth in the South Hams of South Devon. I leave our cottage early and head up the track towards the golf course of the Dartmouth Golf and Country Club. The track is looking lovely, covered in spring wild flowers. The trouble is my macro lens is playing up and won’t auto focus and so I’ll have to rely on manual focus without any advanced practice. It doesn’t help that it’s a lot windier than my forecast is telling me.

I pick up a public footpath which crosses the golf course and then heads over a series of fields before reaching the A3122 at Forces Cross next to Airheadz Hair and Beauty Salon. This used to be the Forces Tavern but closed in 2011. I can’t imagine either of them get much traffic.

I cross the A3122 and join a road headed towards Blackawton where I enjoy the wildflowers in the hedgerows.

I reach French Furze Post on the outskirts of Blackawton and I’ll explore the area around this village later on in the week.

I wander briefly into Blackawton and at Normandy Cross I head along Chapel Street where a sign tells me that it is three miles to Strete. The Normandy Arms pub used to be on the corner here but is now closed and has been converted into a couple of houses.

I pass the old Wesleyan Sunday School and the old chapel and it is now a trudge along minor roads to Strete.

I pass through Cotterbury and pass Eastdown Cross and Cornish Post and I have my first glimpse of the sea. I reach Blackwell Cross where a sign tells me that I’m just one mile from Strete.

I pass Combe Cross and Norns Cross and I come across the village sign on the outskirts of Strete.

I pass the Parish Church of St. Michael, Strete Post Office and Stores, Strete Chapel and the King's Arms (@KingsArmsStrete). A sign here tells me that Torcross is three miles away.

I briefly follow the A379 out of Strete but it's not long before I come across a fairly new section of the South West Coast Path, only opened in July 2015, which takes me away from the busy main road and where I have magnificent views over Slapton Sands.

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

The path takes me down towards 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.”

I come across a small group of early purple orchids next to the bench.

I continue descending to Strete Gate and come across a small copper butterfly.

I pass a sign pointing up the bridleway where I used to come down onto Slapton Sands.

I reach the picnic site at Strete Gate and it is suddenly quite busy.

I drop down onto Slapton Sands and trudge along the sandy and shingly beach. It has turned into a beautiful day but is now blowing a gale straight into my face.

I'm usually defeated by the shingle and blustery winds and head for a path by the main road but I’m determined today so I head all the way along the beach to Torcross.

Today's walking is over so I wander back through Torcross passing the Seabreeze Cafe and the Start Bay Inn (@StartBayInn) before reaching the car park with a Sherman Tank at the entrance.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

pheasants
chickens
sheep
blackcaps
chiffchaffs
song thrush
ribwort plantain
chaffinches
swallows
bluebells
primroses
red campion
celandines
garlic mustard
greater stitchwort
wild strawberry
common dog-violet
cow parsley
herb robert
gorse
alexanders
dead nettle
navelwort
herb bennet
bugle
green alkanet
comfrey
cowslips
honesty
echiums
germander speedwell
small copper butterfly
foxgloves (not quite in flower)
early purple orchids
oystercatcher

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 12.6 miles which amounts to 24190 steps. It has taken me four and a quarter hours. It has been a while since I’ve been out on the south west coast path and it’s great to be back. As a bonus, the weather has been surprisingly good. Despite a long section of the walk being on minor roads, eight out of ten!

WALK DETAILS

My Ordnance Survey app for showing elevation details has failed me today but my backup myTracks app has worked. The roles will be reversed for the rest of the week.

higher dinnicombe to torcross