combe martin to woolacombe

SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

tuesDAY, 26th SEPTEMBER 2017

Today's weather forecast looks to be rather nice and I'll probably be accompanied by hazy sun. Hang on a sec though! Barely any wind! AT WOOLACOMBE!

Ilfracombe high tide 10:13

Ilfracombe low tide 15:57

weather forecast.jpg
tide times.jpg

I start the day back in Combe Martin and head up Seaside Hill to leave the village. I head along what appears to be a new section of the coast path at the Parade Area where I come across a second beach. I think this must be Mermaid's Cove but it doesn't appear on my Ordnance Survey map.

combe martin beach

I climb steeply up a minor road and pass Sandaway Beach Holiday Park.

I rejoin the busy main road and then follow a track beside the road to reach Berrynabor where I turn right downhill and follow Old Coast Road. I pass the Sandy Cove Hotel and a track which leads down to Golden Cove. I come across a seriously tall patch of japanese knotweed.

old coast road

The road turns into a track which takes me down to an empty Watermouth Valley Camping Park. I guess it is late September.

I come to Watermouth Cove Holiday Park and pass through the campsite before returning to the main road and follow a path parallel to the road where I come across Watermouth Castle Theme Park.

watermouth castle theme park

I wander down to the harbour at Watermouth Bay and enjoy the beach for a while.

watermouth bay

At a lower tide you can walk along the beach but the tide is in too far so I continue along the road before turning right along a path over a wooded slope.

The path continues parallel to the main road and at the edge of the wood I turn right and have lovely views over Watermouth Harbour.

I climb a steep flight of steps to the top of Widemouth Head and I have magnificent views back over Watermouth Bay. The path is narrow, muddy, slippery and nettle infested.

view back over watermouth bay

I walk down some steps and wander around Rillage Point before climbing up to a car park where I have my first view over Ilfracombe.

view over ilfracombe

I walk parallel to the main road again and follow the road down to Hele Bay where I pass the Hele Bay pub (what a terrible website) and Snacking Kraken.

hele bay

I wander down to the beach and enjoy the sand and shingle cove for a while. I retrace my steps and find a steep path that climbs up through woods onto Hillsborough Nature Reserve. The whole reserve is full of dog walkers.

The remains of a hillfort are here and I now have magnificent views over Ilfracombe from a view point.

ilfracombe

I follow a path which drops downhill along bracken covered slopes. I encounter a large group of school children out on a trip so have to wait for a while to let them pass. I drop down to the left hand side of Ilfracombe Harbour where I pass the Benricks Skate Park and a group of school children having way too much fun in canoes on the water,

I pass Ilfracombe lifeboat station and drop down to the sheltered sandy beach and trudge along it before climbing steps onto the harbour wall.

ilfracombe harbour

I continue around the other side of the harbour to visit Verity, standing at 20.25 metres and weighing 25 tonnes. She is on long term loan to North Devon Council as a gift from the London and Devon based artist Damien Hirst.

I'm quoting the pretentious blurb on the sign now :-

‘The sculpture is an allegory for truth and justice. Her stance is taken from Edgar Degas’s Little Dancer of Fourteen Years (c.1881). An anatomical cross-section of her head and torso reveal her skull and the developing foetus inside her womb.’

verity

Now I'm all for public art and sculpture but, come on Ilfracombe, Damien Hirst?

I retrace my steps and head out along Capstone Road where I pass the former home of Henry Williamson, the author of Tarka the Otter.  A path takes me around Capstone Parade and on to Capstone Point.

view back over ilfracombe

I pass Wildersmouth Beach and come across a mosaic celebrating the achievements of the triple jumper Jonathan Edwards who lived in Ilfracombe from 1976 to 1987. 18.29 metres is an awful long way.

I pass the odd looking Landmark Theatre and climb up steps next to it. A path leads up to a road where I follow Torrs Park Avenue and at Avoncourt I turn right to leave Ilfracombe behind me.

landmark theatre

I'm now on Torrs Walk, a path hacked out of the bedrock when Ilfracombe became a popular 19th century seaside resort, which zig zags uphill and I have one last magnificent view back over Ilfracombe before heading off along grassy slopes.

torrs walk

last view over ilfracombe

I follow the utterly peaceful grassy path with only sheep and cows for company before it descends to a gate and a minor road which I follow to Lee Bay, where I enjoy the small rocky cove.

It's lovely around here. At least it would be if it wasn't for the derelict eyesore of Lee Bay Hotel. The hotel has been empty for 12 years but there are plans for it to be replaced with 23 homes.

lee bay

I continue along the road which climbs uphill away from Lee Bay and climb onto Damage Cliffs and the path becomes a rollercoaster ride climbing up and down steps and across footbridges through a couple of valleys.

I come across a lovely beach, unnamed on my map, but possibly Bennett's Mouth.

bennett's mouth?

I come across Bull Point Lighthouse, built by Trinity House in 1975 replacing an earlier 1879 lighthouse.

bull point lighthouse

I cross Rockham Bay where I climb down some steep wooden steps to reach the beach. The beach is known locally as Mortehoe Beach and the low tide has revealed a sandy beach backed by rocky cliffs. I just have a couple of National Trust wardens and a dog walking couple for company.

I cross Rockham Bay. The weather was so bad last time I was here that I managed to get lost and headed in completely the wrong direction. Not today though! I spot a sign for Morte Point and the path becomes easier as it heads on the seaward side of the village of Mortehoe.

The path leads to a road between Mortehoe and Woolacombe where I have magnificent views back over Morte Point.

view back over morte point

I pass the Watersmeet Hotel and the entrances to Combesgate Beach and Barricane Beach. They both look rather lovely.

I head along a grassy strip where I have lovely views over Woolacombe Beach.

woolacombe beach

I continue along the path next to the road to reach my destination for the day, Woolacombe, where my lift awaits.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

  • red campion
  • beech
  • hydrangeas
  • buzzards
  • hypericum
  • clover
  • red valerian
  • ox eye daisies
  • fuchsias
  • ragwort
  • japanese knotweed
  • bracken
  • himalayan balsam
  • red admirals
  • toadflax
  • bladder campion
  • stonechats
  • toadstools
podcast logo small.png

PODCAST

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

10 out of 10.png

MARKS OUT OF TEN?

According to my phone I've walked 14.1 miles today which amounts to 33199 steps. I'm not quite sure why it has taken me 7 hours although it has been tough going most of the day. It has been an utterly lovely day of walking. Ten out of ten!

My total ascent today has been, err, I don't know as my Ordnance Survey app has failed again. In fact everything has failed me today. Modern technology can be quite spectacularly rubbish at times. It has been a rollercoaster ride.

MAP

I suspect that my phone rebooted in my bag at around 11:00 am and so this map is the best I can come up with for the day.

combe martin beach

watermouth bay

ilfracombe harbour

verity

rockham bay

woolacombe

beach collection

lynmouth to combe martin

SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

SunDAY, 24th SEPTEMBER 2017

Today's weather forecast doesn't look particularly good with rain forecast for all day but at least there should barely be any wind. Don't recall saying that much this year.

Ilfracombe high tide 09:12

Ilfracombe low tide tide 14:59

weather forecast.jpg
tide times.jpg

I start the morning back at the car park above Lynmouth next to the River Lyn.

lynmouth

I walk down towards the harbour and head through a gap between the Exmoor National Park Visitor Centre and the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway.

lynton and lynmouth cliff railway

I head up some steps and then zig zag along a tarmac path, crossing over the Cliff Railway as I go. I spot a robin with an enormous worm in its beak.

crossing the railway

I pass pieces of poetry as I zig zag along the path. The Poetry Box Project resided in Valley of Rocks over the three summer months of 2014 when over 2000 poems were amassed. The poems I'm passing must be as a result of this project.

At the top I have magnificent views over Lynmouth. The weather isn't actually too bad.

view over lynmouth

I follow a minor road running between the Fairholme Hotel and North Cliff Hotel where I cross over the Cliff Railway again. I pass Hewitt's Villa Spaldi and The Seawood Hotel.

For centuries this road had been used to transport goods from Lynmouth harbour up to Lynton. Before 1810 there were no wheeled vehicles and packhorses struggled up the cliff loaded down with lime from Lynmouth's kiln. They also carried coal and roof slates from Wales and foodstuffs from Bristol.

Work started on the cliff railway in 1887. Bridges had to be built at places where the excavations cut through the path. The railway was opened in 1890.

I amble along North Walk and before I've even walked through the gate to exit Lynton I come across feral goats greeting me just past the gate.

The gate leads out onto steep, rocky slopes along a path and the cliffs are covered in feral goats munching on the bracken.

feral goats

The paths are covered in goat pooh. I follow a fork in the path to the right and suddenly have lovely views over Castle Rock. It really is rather a pleasant morning.

castle rock

The path heads towards a road at the Valley of Rocks.

entering the valley of rocks

I head along the road which leads through the Lee Abbey Estate. Lee Abbey is to my right and is home to a Christian community that hosts retreats, holidays and conferences.

entering lee abbey estate

I pass Beacon Activity Centre which was opened in 2004 to host exciting breaks for groups of all ages.

beacon activity centre

I pass a cow who doesn't look particularly pleased to see me.

cow

I pass the entrance to Lee Abbey.

entrance to lee abbey

For some reason I've always managed to go wrong here in the past. I can sort of see why as the coast path signs are obscured further down the road than the main set of signs which I've previously followed incorrectly.

I'm not going to go wrong today so continue along the coast road and pass Lee Abbey Tea Cottage. There's a rather lovely garden outside of the cottage.

lee abbey tea cottage

I follow the road until a path leads through the woods and around Crock Point before entering woods again and I then climb down some steps

woods

A steep climb through woods takes me back up to the road and I head for Woody Bay where I turn right into woods before reaching Woody Bay Hotel. I have occasional glimpses of the sea and cliffs.

glimpse of the sea

I follow a muddy and wet woodland track through Woody Bay and come to a minor road at a cottage.

A sign helpfully shows me the way to Iceland, Russia, America and New Zealand.

the road to iceland

I follow the road up to a bend before climbing a rocky woodland path. I have magnificent if increasing murky views back along the coast.

view back along the coast

The path climbs downhill and I cross Hollow Brook next to a waterfall before heading out over open slopes above the towering cliffs.

waterfall at hollow brook

A rocky path takes me across a steep slope of heather and I have magnificent, but even murkier, views.

magnificent views

I reach Heddon's Mouth where the path slices down a steep stony slope and enters woods. I head inland next to a river and cross a stone footbridge before heading down the other side of the river.

entering heddon's mouth

I turn a sharp left and head upstream and inland. I head up a wooded slope and through a gate and start zig zagging up a steep slope covered in bracken before heading back to the coast high above Heddon's Mouth. It is quite a trek down and back up.

I climb up a steep rocky slope covered in heather and have more magnificent views over the cliffs.

view over cliffs

I come across a sign saying 'Please donate to preserve the endangered Exmoor pony and help preserve these paths and lands. Thank you.' I pop a coin in the slot. Thank you Exmoor ponies.

The fields here are covered in sheep. I follow an easy, grassy path at East Cleave and continue along the path at North Cleave.

I cross a field before climbing up onto a rugged moorland slope covered in gorse and heather. It starts to rain lightly which cools me down. I follow a track across Holdstone Down where I pass the same man as I passed on yesterday's walk. I can now see out over Great Hangman. It is rather murky and misty. 

view over great hangman

I start to climb uphill and inland and then steeply descend into a valley where I cross a footbridge over a stream at Sherrycombe.

stream at sherrycombe

I climb steeply up the other side of the vally rounding some woodland before climbing up a slope covered in gorse. It's a very steep climb and I get sweaty and puffed out. There are sheep all over the slopes beneath me. Quite how they get herded up I do not know.

I follow an easier track surrounded by heather up on to the top of Great Hangman where I come across a cairn. I'm now at 1043 feet and on the highest point on the entire South West Coast Path and take in all of the (misty and murky) views.

cairn on great hangman

misty view over little hangman

I follow a path downhill towards the much smaller Little Hangman before climbing up and down and up and down along the cliffs. I now have views over Combe Martin.

view over combe martin

The path now goes through trees before swinging left downhill and at the bottom i turn right to reach my destination for the day, Combe Martin. I drop down to enjoy the beach before heading for the car park where my lift awaits. It has been a wild and rugged rollercoaster of a day and thoroughly enjoyable.

combe martin beach

Combe Martin is often quoted as being the longest village in the UK but, even though at a mile and a half long it's pretty long, it's not. That accolade falls to Stewkley in Buckinghamshire.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

  • robin with big worm
  • herb robert
  • squirrels
  • oaks
  • beech
  • holly
  • buddleia
  • sweet chestnuts
  • feral goats
  • red campion
  • foxgloves
  • ragwort
  • cows
  • sheep
  • geraniums
  • red valerian
  • hydrangeas
  • crocosmia
  • pheasants
  • red admirals
  • small tortoiseshells
  • a hare
podcast logo small.png

PODCAST

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

10 out of 10.png

MARKS OUT OF TEN?

According to my phone I've walked 14.5 miles today which amounts to 35257 steps. It has been a lovely day of walking. Ten out of ten!

My total ascent today has been, err, I don't know as my Ordnance Survey app has failed again. It has been a rough and tumble ride today though, including climbing the highest point on the south west coast path, so that'll make a big total ascent.

I've only recently realized that one of the apps on my phone I use for tracking me also records elevation information so here's a graph of today's walk. That's quite a hike!

elevation.jpg

MAP

lynmouth

woods

the road to iceland

combe martin beach

beach collection