SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

monday, 10TH may 2021

It doesn’t look a particularly warm day today but I should get some sun but it does look like it might be quite blustery.

Dartmouth high tide 06:10

Dartmouth low tide 12:13

Dartmouth high tide 18:32

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 where I pass the chickens and the sheep belonging to the owner of Higher Dinnicombe. The track is looking lovely, covered in spring wild flowers.

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 the village sign 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 cross a bridge over a stream at Collaford Wood and enjoy the wildflowers that flank the roads. I come across a plant that I’ve not noticed before and seems to be shiny crane’s-bill but it’s not mentioned in my wildflower books. It’s a bit like herb robert but with much smaller flowers. Of course, after this I notice it everywhere.

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).

I leave Strete and have lovely views of the sea. I have also joined the south west coast path.

A sign tells me that Blackpool Sands is one and a quarter miles 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.

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.

At the top of the far side of the valley I come across an abandoned hat perched on a south west coast path marker.

I wander down Widewell Lane smothered in wildflowers and I have a lovely view over Blackpool Sands. The beach is virtually deserted except for a couple of people.

I have a potter around the sandy, shingly and empty beach before wandering back to the Venus Beach Cafe.

I pass by the toilet block and the path ducks down between bushes before heading out onto the A379 heading towards Stoke Fleming. I come across hydrangeas, fatsia japonica and camellias amongst other plants.

There is a small footpath diversion where a tree seems to have been uprooted, taking a fair chunk of the footpath with it.

I leave the A379 and climb up what must be Old Road although I don’t see any signs. I come across some speckled wood butterflies.

I walk down lanes through the village, surrounded by rooks, and come out next to the Green Dragon and St Peter's Church.

I wander down Rectory Lane and pass a big pond containing a giant gunnera and walk below rhododendrons. There are rooks around here making an awful racket.

I head along Venn Lane and then Ravensbourne Lane before briefly rejoining the A379. I leave the A379 and amble along Redlap Lane where I come across some extremely noisy sheep.

I reach the National Trust car park at Little Dartmouth before passing secluded coves on the way to Dartmouth. There are numerous dogwalkers and the wind has definitely started to pick up and it is very blustery.

I now have fantastic views back over towards Slapton Sands and Torcross and I come across a small copper butterfly.

I climb steeply and the path zig zags up towards Warren Point, Coombe Point and Blackstone Point and I now have views over towards Dartmouth.

I pass above Castle Cove where dogs are being exercised. It looks rather inviting down on the rocky and shingly beach but my path heads upwards.

From here I head next door to Dartmouth Castle which, for over 600 years, has guarded the narrow entrance to the Dart estuary.

It has started to get busy so I quickly pass by St Petrox Church and then head through Warfleet Creek before dropping down through the outskirts of Dartmouth towards Bayards Cove Fort, a small Tudor artillery fort guarding Dartmouth's inner harbour.

I now have lovely views over both Dartmouth and Kingswear.

I pass Bayards Cove Inn before walking along the cobbled waterfront and my walking for the day is done.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

pheasants
chickens
sheep
blackcaps
chiffchaffs
buzzards
chaffinches
swallows
wheatear
primroses
greater stitchwort
common dog-violet
bluebells
celandine
red campion
cuckooflower
green alkanet
cow parsley
wild strawberry
garlic mustard
herb robert
alexanders
wild garlic
shiny crane’s-bill
bugle
honesty
ribwort plantain
red valerian
red clover
bracket fungi
fatsia japonica
hydrangea
camellias
speckled wood butterflies
gunnera
rhododendrons
cherry blossom
small copper butterfly
yellowhammer

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 13.2 miles which amounts to 31371 steps. It has taken me five and a half hours. The weather has been surprisingly good if a little on the blustery side. 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 actually WORKED for the first time in a while but the two other tracking apps I use failed me today, including my normally extremely reliable backup myTracks app.

MAP

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 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 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.