What a difference the sunshine makes. I resume my walk at the roundabout outside the Chivenor Barracks. The Tarka Trail continues ahead.
The first mile is pretty monotonous along a track runs between hedges, through fields and, in the distance, more industrial buildings. Continue reading
After lunch, I head out along the north bank of the River Taw, leaving Barnstaple behind. This is still the Tarka Trail, and part of the official South West Coast Path route. It’s both a cycling route and a walking route.
I pass a block of new flats, and look back to take a photograph of the Long Bridge.
I cross over a small river – the River Yeo – via a modern swing bridge – and then walk along beside an industrial estate. This part of the cycle-way is busy Continue reading
The tide is high and Instow looks lovely surrounded by water, instead of mud, despite the dull weather. I have a long walk ahead, aiming to get beyond Barnstaple today.
Across the water I can see Appledore, where I walked yesterday. Continue reading
The walk from Appledore to Bideford continues along a minor road that winds through an industrial area. Through gateways, I see wastelands of wharves, containers, shacks, cabins, skips. Sometimes I even get a glimpse of the water beyond.
I keep checking my map. Surely I must have missed the South West Coast Path. Am I really supposed to walk on this boring road through this industrial area? Continue reading
Westward Ho! looks nicer in the sunshine. The tide is low and there is a mass of rocky shore, with sand beyond.
There was a queue of elderly people waiting at the bus station in Barnstaple. I nearly got on the number 21A, but that would only take me as far as Appledore. When plain number 21 arrived, nobody in the queue moved. Strange. The bus was nearly empty and I bagged a prime seat (top deck, front row) but felt uneasy when we pulled away leaving everyone else behind. Did they know something I didn’t? Continue reading
Standing above Peppercombe, we should have a wonderful view along the coast, but we had to imagine it. Mist. Damn mist!
Looking at the grey beach below, I ask my husband if it is possible to walk along the shore, avoiding the ups and downs of the cliffs. It seems a long time since I walked along a beach, back in Bude. Continue reading
It is early and the visitors’ centre above Clovelly is closed. I walk down and find the stepped entrance to my secret, sunken, Wrinkleberry Lane. Next to the lane, a large gate marks the continuation of the South West Coast Path.
Constructed in the early 19th Century as a scenic carriage drive, The Hobby Drive is a three-mile track. It starts on the east side of Clovelly and winds around the coast, before joining the A39 a short distance to the west of Buck’s Mill. Continue reading
It is late afternoon when I leave the pub. Clovelly is set deep at the bottom of a north-facing valley and is being swallowed by dark shadows as the sun sinks lower in the sky. [The bad light makes photography disappointing and, later, I have to use photo-editing software to create usable images.]
The first thing I do is stroll to the end of the pier and look back across the little harbour and its pebble beach.
My husband stands outside the pub, bright in his yellow jacket. Continue reading
We arrive at Hartland Point and find the car park open and the kiosk manned. The attendant wants us to pay, but my husband is only dropping me off- and so we park on the road and I lace up my boots, grab my rucksack and prepare for another day of walking.
Several cars swing into the car park while I am doing this. Passengers for the helicopter trip over to Lundy Island. I see one woman with a rucksack and binoculars and, for a moment, I envy her and wish I was going too.
But I have walking to do. I add Lundy Island to my list of places to return to if and when I ever finish this round-the-coast walk. Continue reading
Today I plan to walk the short distance from Hartland Quay to Hartland Point, before lunch and a long journey home. Only 3 miles.
It is a glorious day. The car park at Hartland Quay is deserted, apart from a few chirpy birds. And plenty of DANGER signs. Continue reading
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Report: 1243 Date: 14/5/26 Location: The incident happened on the Dales Way. In the field between the railway line on Lambrook Beck and the Beck houses. This field is in the Dales Way between Sedbergh and Burneside. Rajiv’s post: We were walking on a public footpath on the Dales Way when our path was blocked […]
We published a post recently about being careful while planning new walking routes for fear of meeting cattle Ensuring Safety on a Walking Holiday: Cattle Management – Cattle Safety . This fear is not unusual, and is well founded, we have hundreds of reports where walkers have been frightened or hurt. Below are three recent […]
Report number: 1244 Date: 15/5/26Location: Greywell Hill Estate. Nr Odiham Hampshire. ///reverses.motel.ambitions 1 person no dog Graham’s report: “I was following the bridleway on a bicycle. The cows were 50 yards away from me, I was moving away from them when they came running towards me. Aggressively charging me, pawing the ground with their hooves. […]
Ruth's Coastal Walk (UK) 