151 Watchet to Quantock’s Head and Kilve Pill

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Ruth Livingstone

I’m staying in Kilve and catch the 8:50am bus to Watchet to resume my walk. I’m the only passenger on the bus (a County Council subsidised route) until we hit the outskirts of the town. It is a wonderful sunny day. I wander down to the harbour and take photographs.

Watchet Harbour, Ruth's coastal walking, SOmerset

At the bus depot (in front of the train station) I didn’t see any signage for the Somerset Coast Path and the trail is not marked on my current OS map . But last time I was here I noted a path running down the seaward side of the railway line, and this is where I start my walk today. Since it runs along the coast, it must be the coast path. Continue reading →

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150b Dunster to Watchet

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Ruth Livingstone

From Dunster Beach I begin walking westwards towards Watchet. I am looking across a wide bay. Below the rocky foreshore are lines of wooden groins, an expanse of mud, and then a stretch of water, with low cliffs on the far side.

b01 across Blue Anchor Bay, Ruth's coastal walk, Somerset Coast Path
My map shows only minor curves along the coast, so the wide bay comes as a surprise. And where is Watchet? It must be hidden around the corner, just beyond where the flat land rises to form a headland. Continue reading →

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150a Minehead to Dunster

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Ruth Livingstone

My B&B landlord told me the council say Minehead is a tourist destination, but fail to promote the town. I don’t know if this is true or not, but Minehead has, potentially, much to recommend it as a holiday centre.

There is the Thomas the Tank Engine, for a start.
Thomas the Tank Engine, Minehead, Ruth walking the coast Continue reading →

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149c Minehead, and the end of the South West Coast Path.

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Ruth Livingstone

I am walking along Culver Cliff, through woodland, towards Minehead. Nearly there. And that means I am nearly at the end of the South West Coast Path.

low path to Minehead, Ruth walking the SWCP
As I follow the path, sloping downwards towards the outskirts of the town, I am overcome with a very strong feeling. An orange line crosses my map at about this point. That means I am crossing over a boundary, moving out of Devon and into Somerset. Out of the domain of pixies and pirates and into the world of scrumpy and Glastonbury. I feel the division as though it is a physical barrier, an invisible wall that I am about to walk through. Continue reading →

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149b Hurlstone Point to Minehead

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Ruth Livingstone

Beyond the old lookout tower of Hurlstone Point the footpath continues. This not the official South West Coast Path but, according to my map, the track should loop around the headland and re-join the SWCP on the other side of the peak.

The path is narrow – a ledge really – above a steep drop to the sea. There is a warning sign – Walkers are Advised to Take Precautions when Using Path in Adverse Weather Conditions. What type of precautions? What does that mean, exactly? Luckily the weather this afternoon is fine.

warning sign, Ruth walking the coast, Hurlstone Point Continue reading →

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149 Porlock Weir to Hurlstone Point

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Ruth Livingstone

Setting off from Porlock Weir, the first section of the South West Coast Path runs along Porlock beach for a few hundred yards.

I wouldn’t really call this a beach. Shingle! It’s my least-favourite walking surface, after mud. But the path seems well-defined and I certainly don’t want to walk along the road.

SWCP crossing shingle, Ruth on her coastal walk, Porlock

Continue reading →

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148b Lynmouth to Porlock Weir

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Ruth Livingstone

The South West Coast Path splits into two and I take the lower route, staying among the trees and closer to where I know the sea must be, somewhere on my left. But inside the wood my horizon is limited by trees and ferns. No landmarks to guide me.

lunch beside a waterfall, Ruth on the SWCP, SomersetIt is still raining. Once there were dry patches under the trees, now everything is soaking. Puddles fill the hollows in the path. Water oozes out of the soil.

I feel totally alone. I’ve not seen a human being for 3 hours. Even my companion flies seem to have disappeared.

I come to a pretty waterfall, one of the many that brings streams flowing across the path. And I find an almost-dry branch, wedged between two rocks, a piece of debris carried down by the water during the 2013 winter storms, I imagine.

Somewhere to sit. At last. Continue reading →

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148a Lynmouth to Porlock Weir

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Ruth Livingstone

I stay the night in Porlock Weir. Hubby has gone home and I find it is surprisingly difficult to get from Porlock to Lynmouth by public transport. Only 3 buses a day cross this stretch of Exmoor.

It begins raining as I wait for the exceedingly-rare no. 300 bus. Exmoor is grey, watery and bleak. The bus makes only three stops on the way over the moors. But the sun is shining by the time we reach Lynmouth. Hoorah!

Lynmouth, Ruth on her coastal walk around the UK, Devon

I take plenty of photos. Lynmouth must be even prettier when the tide comes in. Continue reading →

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147 Holdstone Hill, Lee Bay to Lynmouth

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Ruth Livingstone

This morning I decide to accomplish yesterday’s mission. I will climb to the top of Holdstone Hill. At 349 metres, it is the highest point around. And so I ask my husband to drop me off at the car park giving the nearest access to the summit.

The path is well-worn. There is a cairn and a trig point at the top.

Holdstone Hill, Ruth walking north Devon

Continue reading →

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146c Combe Martin to Holdstone Down

Posted on July 5, 2014 by Ruth Livingstone

There is a concrete path running around the side of the bay at Combe Martin, and further along I can see a flight of steps leading upwards. I decide the steps must join the South West Coast Path, knowing it is somewhere on the slope above, and I set off.

On the way I pass a young boy who has been fishing in a rock pool. He has caught a large crab. He tells me it is only one of many – but the rest escaped.
steps to nowhere, Combe Martin, Ruth's coastal walkI climb the steep steps but find, to my surprise, Continue reading →

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