South West Coast Path 28/03/25

Day 8. Friday 28th Mar 

A beautiful sunny morning with a fairly strong north westerly breeze that made it feel cold out of the sun. 

Sidmouth seafront 

A lovely route along the cliff top with a few steep drops and climbs to the lunch stop at Branscombe Mouth where there is a good café.

Cliff top walk

A short hop up and over Beer head and I was in Beer. It was obviously impossible not to have a beer in Beer and luckily the pub had Guinness Zero so I was able to survive the next section.

Enjoying the sunshine 

From Beer to Seaton was basically a walk along the coast and promenade but it then climbed up through the caravan park and turned into something special.

Beach to Seaton 

The route climbs up to Haven Cliff and then descends to the 'undercliff'. This is an area of collapsed cliff that had originally been high agricultural land.

The undercliff

It is a heap of jumbled ground that has grown a mass of tangled vegetation that the path threads it's way through.

Almost jungle 

Ash dieback has caused a big problem and there has been a lot of felling which is changing the nature of the area.

Nearing Lyme Regis

I would love to come back and walk this section later in the year when there is more new growth.

Under the cliff 

A great, but tough, finish to the day.

16 miles walked, 1100 meters ascent.

South West Coast Path 27/03/25

Day 7. Thu 27th Mar

A grey, misty and rather chilly morning as I happily left Dawlish and made my way to Starcross on a rather boring route following the railway line.

Over the footbridge to the sea wall at Dawlish

The ferry to Exmouth doesn't start until April so I had to get a train. It would have been a lot easier to catch the train for Exmouth from Dawlish but the Coast Path goes to Starcross so I did as well.

A reminder of one of Brunel's early railway ideas.

Exmouth is a bustling little town that has spread a long way east along the beach but has stopped before reaching the Geoneedle that marks the start of the Jurassic Coast.

A dinosaur roaming in the centre of Exmouth 

There is a huge caravan park behind the Army firing range at Straight Point and the sound of firing followed me all the way to Budleigh Salterton.

Misty view looking back towards Exmouth 

The Caravan park 

There was a very pleasant detour through the wetland at the mouth of the River Otter up to the bridge. It was the wrong time of year to see many birds but there were a few Egrets, Herons and Curlews.

River Otter

The walk from there was more like a countryside ramble with few climbs an an occasional view of the sea when the path went close to the precipitous, crumbling cliff edges.

Caravan park at Ladram Bay dwarfed by the scenery.

The wide, grassy way down to Sidmouth takes you to Jacobs Ladder and a concrete walkway under a vertical cliff around to the sea front.

Descent to Sidmouth 

Under the cliff

I found a very reasonable D,B&B price at the Riviera Hotel and it turned out to be amazing value and I even felt young sitting in the Dining Room. Decadence.

Riviera Hotel 

17 miles walked 750 meters ascent. Plus train journey.

South West Coast Path 25/03/25

Day 5 Tues 25th Mar

A cold night but it soon brightened to a lovely day. A hat was definitely needed to avoid burning.

Mew Stone where the seals were singing 

A day of contrasts, from cliffs to tourist beaches. The first section from Kingsweir to Brixham was a beautiful cliffy walk with only skylarks and primroses for company, I'm sure there were other birds and flowers but they were the ones I remember along with the ubiquitous gorse as well as the seals singing to me from The Mew Stone.

Up and down the coast to Brixham

The weather was good, the views were good and the path, although steep in places, was good as well. What more can you ask for?

Brixham was very busy and there were a lot of people in the shops and restaurants. I found a Specsavers where they put a new screw in my glasses without any problem, I'm not sure if they were impressed with my sellotape repair but it allowed me to see.

Brixham

Once through Brixham the path takes to the hills again to Broadsands where there is a walk beside the beach to Paignton where it climbs over the headland.

Broadsands

The path then follows the beach to Torquay where I turned off the SWCP to detour up into the town where I had been offered a bed for the night. Many thanks Sheila.

Paignton pier 

19 miles walked 1100 meters ascent.

South West Coast Path 26/03/25

Day 6. Wed 26th Mar

Another glorious day but it did start to cloud over in the late afternoon. A late start after thanking Sheila very much for putting me up and feeding me.

Tor Bay

A walk down to Torquay harbour and I was back on the Path and climbing over the head and down to Meadfoot Beach past some huge hotels before climbing to Hopes Nose.

After Hopes Nose the path escapes from the Torquay housing and heads for the trees around Black Head and the beautiful path above Ansteys Cove and on to Babbacombe. 

Who else remembers the album by Fairport Convention about John ' Babbacombe' Lee, the man they couldn't hang?

Looking back to Babbacombe

It's a beautiful path from Babbacombe but there are lots of ups and downs and I was happy to get to the pub at Maidencombe just in time to get a sandwich for lunch.

Lunch

I glanced at the map for the next stretch and thought it looked reasonably level above the cliffs but I was wrong, which I saw on closer inspection. It was however a great walk but I just missed the last ferry to Teignmouth and had to take the longer way over the bridge. It doesn't look like it but there is a lifting section in the bridge that, although it has never been used for shipping, is supposed to be opened once a year just to check that it works.

Rolling hills to Teignmouth

Teignmouth from the bridge

The walk on to Dawlish is along the railway breakwater and not very thrilling and I found a cheap room above the Railway Inn which was also not very thrilling, but at least it was warm and dry.

Dawlish

16.5miles walked 1300 meters ascent.

South West Coast Path 24/03/25

 Day 4. Mon 24th Mar

A grey misty morning but the sun appeared by midday although it remained misty.

Ferry going back to Salcombe 

It was a very varied days walk, starting with a ferry crossing to Portlemouth and a relatively level path that neither climbed to the top or descended to the bottom, a bit like the grand old Duke of York's men when they were halfway up.

Typical coast today

This continued to the Coastguard lookout on Prawle Point where the path descended to grassy fields beside the sea for a couple of miles before becoming more of a cliff path as it approached Start Point.

Misty Start Point

Long, flat gravel paths beside Slapton Sands and the nature reserve of Slapton Let were brought to an abrupt end by a steep climb up to Strete where the path becomes much more rural and more like a countryside ramble than a coast path.

Slapton Sands

It was a lovely day with the smells of gorse, wild garlic and freshly turned soil, kestrels and buzzards overhead and tiny lambs jumping around the fields. Also, being Monday there were far less people on the path.

Country lane

19 miles walked 1200 meters ascent 

South West Coast Path 23/03/25

Day 3 Sun 23rd March 

A beautiful bright morning with a north west wind to drive out the night's dampness from the tent.

Morning view

Like the other seasonal ferries the one across the River Avon wasn't running so I had to take a seven mile detour to the bridge at Aveton Gifford, a delightful walk at times high above the estuary with a tidal road and hollow way as well to add to the interest.

Avon estuary 

After the ferry crossing point at Bantham the path soon continued beside the golf course before getting more interesting as it approached the village of Hope.

Hope 

A good climb up to Bolt Tail, where there is the remains of an Iron Age Fort, and the trail continued in a typical coast path way undulating over the cliffs to Bolt Head.

Looking back past Hope

A lovely cliff path to Starehole Bay and on to Salcombe South Sands for a welcome coffee before continuing to Salcombe where I had decided to stay. I was in time to get the last ferry to Portlemouth but decided that I had had enough at that stage.

Starehole bay

Salcombe doesn't have budget accommodation so I have a very nice room for the night but couldn't afford the price of the dinner so found a good pub in the village for a lovely apricot and nut roast.

Cliff path round Starehole bay

Salcombe estuary

19 miles walked 1000 meters ascent