South West Coast Path 30/03/25

Day 10. Sun 30th Mar

The weather was even better today, just about perfect for walking, blue sky and sunshine all day and a northwesterly breeze to moderate the temperature.

Swannery 

An excellent breakfast and I was away down towards the Swannery, this was started by the monks for meat production but is now just a tourist attraction.

West Fleet and the Swannery 

The path goes inland for a while here to avoid the sensitive part of the Fleet nature reserve. It was nice walking round fields with no sight of the sea for a while.

Country walking

Down to the Fleet shore then near Langton Herring where the Path then follows the shoreline all the way to Ferrybridge with the huge gravel bank of Chesil Beach cutting off the sea view.

The Fleet 

It was a bit of a shock to meet all the traffic speeding backwards and forwards on the road to Portland but there is a good café at the Chesil Beach and Fleet interpretation centre that at least nourished the body.

Traditional style boats ay Chiswell

A short steep climb left the traffic behind and took me to the top of the Portland cliffs and a great walk along the top to Portland Bill and the lighthouse.

Looking back to Fortuneswell and Chesil Beach

There were loads of people at the Bill as was to be expected on this beautiful spring day but I soon left them behind as I walked back on the east side towards the mainland.

Portland Bill

I could probably have camped in the old quarry, that is now a nature reserve but had already booked a room so enjoyed yet another decadent night.

Evening 

21.5 miles walked 700 meters ascent

South West Coast Path 29/03/3/25

 Day 8. Sat 29th Mar

 Another beautiful sunny morning, cold but with a light wind. Lyme Regis was only thinking of waking up as I walked through the town so I kept my breakfast thoughts on hold. 

Lyme Regis in the morning sunshine 

The Path has some rather strange diversions that take you in loops off the road only to return after a short distance. It would have been easier to stay on the road.

Strange sculpture near the Golf Course

Charmouth provided breakfast at the Bakery before climbing up the road to Stonebarrow Hill where the path resumed rolling over the cliff tops before climbing to the days highpoint at Golden Cap, nearly 200 meters high with associated amazing views.

Vie from Golden Cap

 The wind was increasing and there were a number of paragliders utilising the updrafts from the cliffs to do some fancy flying. 

Gliding

The path was again diverted from the cliff edge to go through the Bridport and West Dorset Golf Club which was an interesting exercise in missile defense on a busy Saturday morning. 

Golfing 

The hills were getting lower and lower until after Hive I ended up walking on the pea gravel that, while not yet Chesil Beach, is of that start of that huge sweep of gravel.

Gravel 

Low shoes are not the ideal footwear for loose gravel and I admired the big boots of the hundreds of fishermen who were in their little shelters dotted along the beach in the now increasingly strong cold wind, patiently watching their rods.

Fishing

I was very glad to get off the beach and onto a track just behind the gravel bank which took me up to the village of Abbotsbury and a delightful ancient Inn 

Ilchester Arms

18.5 miles walked 900 meters ascent.

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.