Monday 8 June 2026

Day 43 of walking
Torquay to Shaldon
Distance: 20.67km
Total distance: 850.03km
Climbing: 1028m
Total climb: 28,591m

The first mission of the day was to get through and out of Torquay. It was early morning and the town was empty, just the rubbish trucks and the men water blasting clean the pavements. Torquay gets incredibly busy but we were way ahead of the crowds. You can’t be in Torquay without being aware of the legacy of its most famous daughter. Torquay does its best to capitalise on the world-wide fame of Agatha Christie. She was born here, honey-mooned here, worked as a nurse in WWI here and bought a holiday home nearby on the River Dart. There is an annual Agatha Christie Festival, the Agatha Christie Literary Trail which links 20 of her novels with local locations that have influenced or inspired them, The Agatha Christie Mile which starts at The Grand Hotel where she honey-mooned and continues along the sea front to The Imperial Hotel which features in a number of her novels. And of course there is a life size statue in the middle of town.

Leaving Torquay took a little concentration, walking through town, around hotels, through car parks and lanes threading their way through suburbia. Finally you get away from humanity through a stone archway at the Torbay National Coastwatch Visitor Centre. For almost the entire rest of the day the path was through wonderful woodland. After passing Meadfoot Beach and rounding Thatcher Point and Hope’s Nose we came down to the coast at the lovely twin beaches of Babbacombe and Oddicombe. We stopped and had our coffee at Babbacombe watching divers and snorkelers in the water. Separating the two beaches is the 100 year old Babbacombe Cliff Railway, a cable car that runs from the beach up to the town of St Mary Church above the cliff. At the far end of Oddicombe Beach is a 5,000 ton landslide that wiped out a section of the Coast Path in 2010. There is a diversion under the railway and up into the town, through a couple of streets and down again further up the coast.

After a lot of rain during the night it was a bright sunny, windless day. The dirt path was a bit sticky after the rain but generally easy to walk on. For 10 kilometres we walked in woodland, climbing up and down low headlands. Being in the woodland we rarely saw the coast even though it was close next to us. The last 5 kilometres were where the hard work really began. Four lung bursting, calf popping climbs and dips along the edge of fields. Each longer and steeper than the one before. At last when you think you can take no more you crest a hill and suddenly the town of Teignmouth is right in front of you. Further up the coast you can see Exmouth, our destination tomorrow.

A gentle walk down to sea level through more woodland brings you not to Teignmouth (pronounced ‘tinmouth’) but to the quiet Victorian village of Shaldon. Teignmouth is on the far side of the River Teign and we will get a little ferry over there in the morning. Tonight we are staying in The Potters Mooring, facing onto a picturesque village green. On this warm sunny evening there was a large turnout of the Shaldon Bowling Club rolling down a few ends.

The Potters Mooring only serves breakfast but right next door is The London Inn which serves meals 12.00 – 2.30 and 5.30 – 8.00. So next door we went. Barbara had Five bean and vegetable chilli with Mexican red rice and garlic flat bread. I had pan fried John Dory fillets with new potatoes, a mixture of green vegetables (broccoli, peas, courgettes), and a garlic and white wine sauce. Interestingly there was a large sign saying “Please pay in cash when you can. As a small business we are charged for every card transaction. The equivalent of one staff member’s wages a week goes on card charges. Thank you”. We paid in cash. Only the second time in about 8 weeks we have used cash.

Overall a very good day. Grey at first but soon warm and sunny but not hot. Leaving Agatha Christie and a large town, walking in wonderful woodland, two nice beaches, a cliff railway and finishing in a Victorian village watching lawn bowls. Maybe a bit too much climbing – over 1000m today.

Sunday 7 June 2026

Day 42 of walking
Brixham to Torquay
Distance: 15.06km
Total distance: 829.36km
Climbing: 210m
Total climb: 27,563m

Today we hit the “English Riviera”. This is a Victorian nickname given to the Torbay area of South Devon stretching from Brixham to Torquay. The title comes from the area’s plentiful beaches, palm trees, mild climate and historical comparisons to the Mediterranean Coast of France.

The breakfast window was 8.30am until 9.15am so it was not possible to get an early start today. It didn’t really matter as it was a relatively short day. It is Sunday so the buses are only every twenty minutes from Torquay to Brixham. After a 30 minute bus trip and some shopping for lunch at Tesco Express, it was 10.15am before we started walking. Leaving Brixham through the commercial part of the port and a large car park we were soon into the best walking of the day for 3 kilometres in the woods, alongside a golf course we could hear but not see through the trees. We passed the Brixham Military Museum which had some military vehicles and guns and museum staff dressed up in various British and American army and navy uniforms. Two small beaches at Churston Cove and Elberry Cove, both pebbly so not great for swimming. They were very quiet just a couple of families and some dogs exercising their owners. We sat on the pebbles at Elberry for our coffee.

Around the next point everything changed. Broadsands is a long sandy beach with a very long row of beach huts. The beach huts are generally white with brightly coloured doors and roof fascias. They can be hired for the day or a week. The beaches from here become more and more commercialised with cafes, deck chair and umbrella hire, bars, car parks and shops selling buckets and spades, balls, etc. At the Broadsands public toilets, for the first time, we used our debit card to ‘pay wave’ into, and make use of, the conveniences. After going over a little headland and passing under a huge viaduct that carries the Dartmouth Heritage Steam Railway we came to Goodrington Sands, a bigger version of Broadsands. Goodrington has hundreds more beach huts, cafes, bars etc and the UK’s biggest outdoor waterpark, Splashdown Quaywest. It was busy and I have never heard so much screaming and squealing from kids having a whole lot of fun. The Dartmouth Heritage Steam Railway runs on an embankment directly behind the beach huts and if you stand on the beach it looks as if the train is running across the hut roofs. We have now been here twice and miss-timed the train by about two minutes each time. The photo of the train in this post is only mine in the sense that I took a photo of a poster at the railway station. Behind the beach is a park with a ‘Circus’ bouncy castle and some large swans if you want a sedate paddle on a pond. We sat on the edge of the promenade at Goodrington and ate our lunch.

Next is Paignton, a bigger version of Goodrington. Paignton is a large town, a bit run down looking, and is the terminus of the Dartmouth Heritage Steam Railway. It has a nice boat harbour and a large pier. The pier was built in 1879 and was popular with holidaying Victorians until it was nearly destroyed by fire in 1919. It was brought back to life in the 1980s and now has the usual collection of arcade games, children’s fairground rides, ice cream parlours and cafés.

After Paignton and the small Preston Sands comes the largest of the Riviera towns, Torquay. We haven’t seen Torquay this trip yet as our B & B is on the western entrance to the town. We will walk through Torquay tomorrow.

Except for the first 3 kilometres almost all of the walking today was on hard surfaces: concrete promenades, paved paths, sealed foot paths alongside busy roads. While the walking is faster it is noticeably more tiring on the legs and feet than dirt or grass paths. The only worse surfaces to walk on are sand and pebble beaches. This was a relatively easy day with no serious climbing, only about 200 metres total for the day. The serious business of going to the seaside in England was on full display but we prefer the wild remote cliffs and the secluded little coves and beaches.

I know I have used this song in posts in previous years, and I know it is winter back home, and I can’t get it out of my head, so you can all join in and sing:

Oh! I do like to be beside the seaside!
I do like to be beside the sea!
Oh I do like stroll along the Prom, Prom, Prom!
Where the brass bands play, “Tiddely-om-pom-pom!”

So just let me be beside the seaside!
I’ll be beside myself with glee
And there’s lots of girls beside,
Beside the seaside, beside the sea!

Saturday 6 June 2026

Day 41 of walking
Dartmouth to Brixham
Distance: 17.83km
Total distance: 814.30km
Climbing: 921m
Total climb: 27.353m

Wet, windy, wild and wonderful. Maybe less of the ‘wonderful’ and more of the ‘wonder why we are doing this’? The forecast was for rain in the morning and high winds. Sure enough we could hear the rain on the rooflights in the night and in the morning it looked bleak with steady rain and a wind coming in off the sea. It was not cold though with a low of 12° and high of 15°. There is not a lot of motivation to get moving on a day like this but we know the sooner you start the sooner you finish.

The passenger ferry from Dartmouth over the River Dart to Kingswear is only about a 3 minute walk from the hotel and when we arrived there was a ferry at the pier and we were waved on. The ferry immediately took off and we were the only passengers. £2.50 each for a 5 minute crossing. Alongside the passenger ferry is a car ferry, known as the ‘Lower Ferry’ as there is another car ferry further up the river known as the ‘Upper Ferry’. The lower ferry is an unpowered pontoon carrying up to 8 cars that is pushed, pulled and steered by little tug boats.

We set off climbing out of Kingswear and there is 3 kilometres of walking in woodland. On a sunny day this would be a beautiful walk up the side of the River Dart with views down to little coves and of St Petrox Church and the Dartmouth and Kingswear Castles. Today we saw virtually nothing in the rain, and the strong wind gusting over 50km/hr was making an incredible sound in the trees. The path was a bit muddy, with puddles from the overnight rain and lots of twigs and leaves coming down off the trees but otherwise okay. We had in the back of our minds that if the wind got any stronger out of the woodland and on the exposed cliffs we may have to turn back. The wind was funnelling down the river between the headlands so we pressed on to the first of them, Forward Point, to see what it was like there.

Forward Point itself was extremely windy but once round the corner the path was sheltered and the much weaker wind was at our back. The next 10 kilometres would have been superb cliff scenery but the rain blotted most of it out and we had to just concentrate on the path. As the cliffs became higher and more open there was a lot of climbing, over 900 metres in total and I’m guessing it was a dramatic, steeply undulating landscape ending at the sea in steep cliff faces. Despite having a major town at each end, it was also a remote and lonely section. We saw only one person coming toward us and one going in our direction, and only one isolated house at a beach. There was also one lonely surfer at a beach. There are no villages, cafes or toilets on this section.

As you near Berry Head, only 2 kilometres from Brixham, suddenly there are two huge holiday camps and you are into suburbia. Berry Head was the last headland of the day and has a squat lighthouse, a Napoleonic fortified area, toilets, visitor centre, café and large car park. We spent some time there in 2019 so just stuck to the path as it passed the fortifications and didn’t walk out to the lighthouse on the point. At 58 metres above sea level it is located at the highest altitude of any British lighthouse, but being just 5 metres tall it is also the smallest lighthouse in Britain.

It was an easy short walk into Brixham. We have stayed here twice before and really like it as a long established Devon fishing area. Today it is still a major fishing port bringing in over 25 million pounds worth of fish each year. We didn’t stop long today as we were wet through and starting to get cold.

Even though our walk today ended in Brixham our accommodation was a further 15 kilometres on at Torquay. Tomorrow we walk from Brixham to Torquay. This means we have to transfer from Brixham to Torquay today and back again to Brixham in the morning. We think this is because it is difficult to get a one night booking on weekends. They could not get one night in Brixham followed by one night in Torquay, instead we have two nights in Torquay with transfers. As an additional extra Macs said they could arrange the two transfers with a taxi company for NZ$200. We baulked at this and as we have used public transport here before decided to arrange our own transfers by bus. The Stagecoach Route 12 bus from Brixham to Torquay runs every 10 minutes and takes about 35 minutes. It costs £3 each for each journey, so instead of paying NZ$200 we paid about NZ$30 (£12). Obviously not as convenient as a ‘to the door’ taxi, but good enough for us.

For two nights we are at the Devon Court Luxury B & B. It is a bit luxurious, we have a lounge as well as a bedroom and there is a swimming pool heated to 27°. We haven’t swum today but will definitely try it out tomorrow. It is a little out of the way for getting an evening meal so they offer a range of snacks up until 5.30pm. We each had a club sandwich of chicken, ham, tomato and salad that also came with corn chips and coleslaw. More than enough for us until breakfast.

Today was a milestone day in that we have now walked over 800 kilometres. It should have been a great day starting with the Dart River, some beautiful woodland, a few strenuous climbs and descents, two remote beaches, some gentle walking toward Berry Head, another fort and lighthouse  and finishing in one of our favourite Devon towns, Brixham. The weather put a dampener on it but we still felt proud of ourselves for plugging on and mostly enjoying the walk despite the wind and rain.

Friday 4 June 2026

Day 40 of walking
Torcross to Dartmouth
Distance: 17.13 km
Total distance: 796.47 km
Climbing: 455 m
Total climb: 26,441 m

The Thirty Nine Sixty Two Steps

A very interesting day. A memorial to a tragedy, a nature reserve, two small villages, a sandy beach, two churches, a castle, a river estuary, gentle flat walking, meadow walking, a harbour town, an old hotel with 62 steps, an attic bedroom, a nice meal.

Our taxi transfer was ready at 8.45am and we were at Torcross ready to walk at 8.58am. We were dropped off back at The Start Bay Inn and immediately came to a Sherman DD tank from WWII. This is a memorial to 946 American servicemen killed on the nearby Slapton Sands and in the sea off shore. In April 1944 the Sands were used as a practice ground for the proposed D Day landings in Normandy. 30,000 troops were involved in the exercise. On the way to the exercise, 8 landing craft were attacked by German E boats and 638 servicemen in three boats lost their lives. Worse was to follow when the remaining boats landed and a further 308 men lost their lives by “friendly fire”. General Dwight Eisenhower had ordered live ammunition to be used to “harden up the troops”. The incident was kept secret until the 1970s. The Sherman tank was fished from the sea in 1984 and kept as a memorial.

Slapton Sands is a 3 kilometre long beach with a narrow shingle bank separating the sea from a fresh water lake, the largest in the south west, called Slapton Ley. This is a large and important National Nature Reserve. There is a road on top of the shingle bank but it is now closed as it has been washed away at the Torcross end. It makes for easy walking on a trafficless stretch of tarmac instead of on the beach or a dirt path through the reserve. Half way along is a tall concrete monument erected by the Americans to thank the 3,000 villagers who had to move out when the American GIs moved in.

From the beach there was a steepish climb to the village of Srete, some walking over fields past the church of St Peter and a descent to the lovely beach of Blackpool Sands. We had our Kleen Kanteen coffee here although there was a nice café and shop at the beach. We then stopped at a bus shelter we used in 2019. From the end of Slapton Sands we had walked in pouring rain and the bus stop was the only place we could find out of the rain. Two wet, cold, drowned rats had their coffee in the concrete bus shelter. Not today though. A climb up to the second village of Stoke Fleming, a long spell on a narrow road, some more field crossing, a rougher path in woodland around Compass Cove and Blackstone Point and we arrived at Dartmouth Castle at the entrance to Dartmouth Harbour. Here we had our lunch.

Dartmouth Castle, and the Kingswear Castle on the other side of the harbour entrance, were built in 1388 to protect Dartmouth from attack from the sea. You can pay to visit the castle and adjacent are the Dartmouth Castle Tearooms and St Petrox Church. Last time two miserable souls drank hot chocolate in the tea rooms while the rain persisted down outside. It is a short walk into Dartmouth, a town with some lovely medieval streets and a rich history based on its deep water harbour. It was developed by the Normans over 1,000 years ago and in 1147 was the muster point for 164 ships going to the 2^nd Crusade. It repeated this role in 1190 for the 3^rd Crusade under King John.

In 2019 we had an extra day in Dartmouth and did a “Round Robin Tour”. A boat ride up the Dart River to Totnes, a bus ride across to the coast at Paignton, a heritage steam train to Kingswear and a ferry ride back to Dartmouth. A great day out. No time for that this trip. Tomorrow we get the ferry from Dartmouth across to Kingswear and continue walking.

Tonight we are in the Royal Castle Hotel, a 17^th century hotel, right in the heart of Dartmouth adjacent to the boat harbour. It has a ton of historical charm and cosy décor. We are however up on the fourth floor in an attic room. 62 steps up from the street. We love attic rooms but this may be a bit too much. The room has two rooflights with a view of chimney pots and the tower of St Saviours Church and its clock tower. The bells in the tower ring on the hour.

The hotel has bars at ground floor and a restaurant and bar on the first floor. We ate in the latter bar and for all of you dying to know, Barbara had Madras Style Curry: Pan seared chicken breast, aromatic curry sauce, tomatoes, braised saffron basmati & wild rice, warm naan and minted coconut yoghurt. I had chicken, ham hock and Proper Job IPA (beer) pie with gratin potato, peas, beans and red wine gravy. I am not a big fan of peas and think I have had my full ration of peas for about a year.

It was a very good day today, sunny, about 15°, a nice temperature for walking, lots of interest, an easy path and we were fresh and invigorated after our lazy day yesterday in Chillington.

The Thirty Nine Steps is a novel written by John Buchan first published in 1915, and is one of the first examples of the “man-on-the-run” thriller. It has been made into several films, tv series, and a play. The best film is Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 black and white adaptation.

Thursday 4 June 2026

Rest day number 6 Chillington

Chillington House has 9 rooms and there were 11 people at breakfast this morning. The breakfast was excellent. A great selection of fresh fruit: kiwis, plums, blue berries, white and pink grapefruit, melon, pineapple, apple, mixed berries, to go with a choice of muesli and plain Greek yoghurt. They had 2 or 3 egg omelettes on the menu so as a change from poached eggs Barbara had a ham and cheese omelette and I had a ham and tomato one. They have freshly baked bread and home-made jams and compote. I just about finished the whole jar of plum, rhubarb and ginger jam myself. Chillington House dates back to 1723 and was one of the main Georgian Farm Houses in the village. However it has had so many additions, alterations and refurbishments over three centuries you would not recognise it as being that old.

Chillington is what I imagine is the quintessential quiet little Devon country village. A population of about 1,000, it has a relaxed rustic charm and seems to have a strong community spirit with market days, fairs, fetes and festivals all advertised. There is an amazingly well stocked little village shop which also houses a real, live Post Office. You don’t see many of those these days. It is not a tourist destination in itself but is close to the coast at Torcross and bigger attractions at Salcombe, Dartmouth, Dartmoor and Kingsbridge. It is a ‘ribbon’ developed village along a narrow but busy road which is also a bus route. It is about a 300 metre walk from one end of the village to the other.After breakfast we did walk from one end of the village to the other and bought some supplies for the next two days from the village shop.

At lunch time we walked to the village pub, The Bear and Blacksmith. It was raining, windy and cold when we arrived so it was lovely to walk into a warm, cosy world away from the elements. This is a little pub with a limited menu but serving food all day from 12 midday until 10pm. For the record Barbara had Slow Roasted Pork Belly with smoked mash, mixed greens and jus. I had The Chillington Burger, beef, bacon, jam, smoked Applewood cheese, seeded brioche bun, gherkin, burger sauce and fries. While it is not bad etiquette to order food in a pub without buying a drink, it does seem a bit awkward sometimes when asked “Can I get you a drink?” to say “No thank you, can I just have some water with my meal”. We have only had alcohol once on this walking trip so far (and then because it was complementary with the room) and feel so much better for it.

Chillington was the ideal sort of place for us to have a rest day. After cleaning shoes, a little washing and mending, there is not a lot to do. Just relax and recharge for the next seven days of walking to Beer, our next rest day.

Progress Report No. 3

We have now reached Torcross in South Devon and have walked 779 kilometres and climbed 25, 986 metres. The is the equivalent of walking from our apartment in Wellington to just short of Whangarei in Northland and climbing Mt Everest not quite 3 times. From now on the South West Coast Path goes through much more urbanised towns/cities like Dartmouth, Brixham, Paington, Torquay, Exmouth, Weymouth, etc. We will not have many areas where you can walk for hors and not see a sole, or their dog.

Wednesday 3 June 2026

Day 39 of walking
Salcombe to Torcross
Distance: 21.84km
Total distance: 779.34km
Climbing: 686m
Total climb: 25,986m

Awoke this morning to light rain and strong winds. By the time breakfast was done and our bags packed we were in a bit of a hurry to get down to the 9 o’clock ferry that would take us across the Kingsbridge Estuary to East Portlemouth. We arrived at the quay at 9.02 and the ferry had just left and was about 30 metres off shore. The ferryman saw us and came back in to pick us up. Very considerate. Already on board were a man with his dog and two walkers we have talked with over the last few days. The £3 crossing was only 200 metres but the strong winds made for a choppy ride with waves slopping over the boat and wet butts. It was only when we had landed at East Portlemouth that we thought hang on a minute, we were supposed to go to a bakery first to pick up something for lunch. We were so distracted by ferry timings and whether it would operate in the rough conditions that we had forgotten about food. So lean pickings for lunch, some Ryvita biscuits, a couple of mandarins, one a bit mangy, nuts dates and raisins, one emergency One Square Meal bar from home, a canteen of coffee. We knew there was nowhere to buy food along the way until The Cricket Inn at Beesands about 2 km from the end of the day.

The walk out of the Kingsbridge Estuary while in the rain, was in woodland and sheltered from the wind. But once out of its shelter we were exposed to the full brunt of the wind. It was slow walking on exposed cliff faces in the rain. The roaring of the wind and the pounding of the waves on the rocks meant we had to shout to each other to sometimes be heard. It was quite a challenge but I enjoyed it, the worse it got the more I thought yeah we can do this. Prawle Point was the first of two major headlands. The last 100 metres to the Coast Watch Station were the strongest winds we have experienced so far. There was a cove far below and a steep narrow valley and the wind funnelling and accelerating up knocked us over as we tried to cross over the top.

Prawle Point also had a little Visitors’ Centre building and we took shelter in there. Already inside were a couple walking in the opposite direction to us. We watched as they poured boiling water into their pot noodles while we shared half an emergency One Square Meal. They were walking most of the Coast Path but in a complicated way. They had a campervan and a small car and there was elaborate planning as to where they could park a vehicle, drive the other vehicle somewhere. and walk back using the camper as their accommodation. This sounds okay but often the roads are nowhere near the coast or have long diversions to get around rivers and estuaries. They would like to park their little car and leave it overnight while they stay 20kms away in the van, but most of the car parks are for paid day use only and parking a car in them overnight is forbidden and risks fines or impounding.

When we emerged from the Visitors’ Centre the rain had stopped, the sun came out, and turning the corner of the headland we were sheltered from the wind. We then had 5 kilometres of easy walking on a grass ‘raised beach’ shelf just above the waves. This took us to the second headland, Start Point. The path here was quite dramatic going along and up a rocky ridge in the wind again before joining a road which serviced the Start Point Lighthouse. There is a sign on the road indicating you have walked 462 miles from Minehead and have 168 miles to Poole. There was an easy descent to the beach settlements of Hallsands and Beesands. These are typical Devon settlements, 50 houses, 100 people, a church, a pub and a small seasonal café.

A last hill to get over and we reached our destination, Torcross. In 2019 we stayed in the attic room of a thatched roof café right on the beach and had hoped to spend two nights there this time. It wasn’t to be and we soon saw why. All the buildings are in a row along the beach front and almost every one had boarded up windows or was covered in scaffold. The entire village looked deserted. There had been a series of wild winter storms in January and almost every building had been seriously damaged by wind and waves. The road beyond the village was closed and a massive concrete sea wall was going to have to be rebuilt.

We arrived in Torcross about 3.30pm and had a taxi pick up booked for 5pm to take us inland to the Chillington House B & B. With some difficulty Barbara rang the taxi company to see if we could get an early pick up. It was the usual dial 1 if you are a new customer, dial 2 for booking a taxi in advance, dial 3 for weddings, dial 4 etc. Their voice mail was full and the only one of the options that worked was dial 3 for weddings. Eventually a human being answered and the best they could do was to pick us up at 4.30. This was okay as we were a bit hungry and retired to The Start Bay Inn for an early dinner. The inn is very old, of stone and thatched roof, and as someone said it is so old it was built properly to withstand storms.

For the record Barbara had carrot and fennel soup with a chunk of farm bread. I had a vegetable Thai red curry with rice and salad garnish.

We are in Chillington for two nights. Tomorrow is a rest day. It is a small village with a pub, post office/general store, a hairdresser, a charity shop with a defibrillator, a health centre and Divine Spinal Flow & Massage Therapies. I think it will be a quiet day.

Tuesday 2 June 2026

Day 38 of walking
Bigbury-on-Sea to Salcombe
Distance: 20.46km
Total distance: 757.50km
Climbing: 726m
Total climb: 25,300m

Today was another taxi transfer day. The same guy who picked us up yesterday in Bigbury-on-Sea and brought us to Salcombe did the reverse trip this morning. He didn’t quite take us to Bigbury, he took us to Bantham. About a kilometre out of Bigbury we were to take a ferry across the River Avon. Not that River Avon, there are about 4 in England. This is a seasonal ferry that runs from Cockleridge Ham about 200 metres across to Bantham. It only operates between 10 and 11am, and 3 and 4 pm. The guy lives on the Bantham side and when you turn up at Cockleridge Ham you just shout and wave until you attract his attention. It was a windy morning and rain was forecast so we thought the ferry might not even run today. We would have been at the ferry by 9.20 and didn’t fancy waiting around in the wind until 10 for a ferry that might never arrive. The taxi driver offered to drop us off on the Bantham side, we accepted, so no ferry for us today.

It was windy all day but not cold and we had a few showers mid-morning but it cleared up to be mainly sunny. The early walking was straight forward, past a golf course with Burgh Island out to sea. It was a high tide and so the sand spit was underwater and their tall tractors were operating between the island and the mainland. Also out at sea was the holed Thurlestone Rock, battered by the sea, but standing proud. This part of the day was not remote, civilisation was always evident. The first villages were Outer Hope and Inner Hope, Siamese twin villages as although they are in different coves they are close enough to join up.

From here the walk became more remote with two major headlands, Bolt Tail at the Inner Hope end and Bolt Head at the Salcombe end. There were no villages or refreshments along this stretch. There were a few vigorous climbs but nothing like some of the ones we have done. Bolt Tail had great views up and down the coast and Bolt Head had dramatic rocky pinnacles. After Bolt Head came the most spectacular part of the day. At Starehole Bay the path seem to climb a cliff face to Sharp Tor. There doesn’t seem to be a way through but as you get closer a narrow path has been cut into the rock face with a tube and mesh fence stopping you from falling over the edge. Around the corner Salcombe can be seen at the mouth of the Kingsbridge estuary.

Although it seems so close it takes an age to get to Salcombe. The path meanders around several pretty little coves and beaches, including the two ‘millionaire’ hamlets of South Sands and North Sands. South Sands has a ferry service operating from the beach to Salcombe. The ferry is moored out in the bay, and to get to it there is a sea tractor that drives out into the water. Salcombe is a sophisticated little town with a 150 year old yacht club, upmarket housing and high end fashion shops.

We arrived at 3pm and although we had eaten some food up on Bolt Head, we were looking for an early dinner as we had no appetite for walking all the way down the hill from the B & B and all the way back up again after we had showered etc. Most pubs serve meals from noon until 2 or 3pm and again from 6 to 8pm. The first pub Barbara tried had just stopped meals at 3, but the next, the Victoria Inn, was serving meals right through. Barbara had a Mediterranean Bowl: cherry tomatoes, chick peas, avocado, cucumber, spinach, red onion, seeds, olives and a secret ingredient. I had Malaysian Laksa: red peppers, mangetout, spinach, cauliflower, rice noodles, coriander, spicy coconut curry broth and pan seared chicken breast. Both hit the spot.

Except for the weather Barbara thought this was one of the best walks of the trip. The path surface was good, signage was good, lots of variety and interesting, not too strenuous, not too long a day and finished off with a delicious meal.

Monday 1 June 2026

Day 37 of walking
Wembury to Bigbury-on-Sea
Distance: 21.32kms
Total distance: 737.04kms
Climbing: 747m
Total climb: 24, 574m

We knew today would be an interesting day and it turned out that way. We woke to low level mist and a forecast of rain in the afternoon. The swimming togs were packed away and instead the rain coats came out. This was scheduled to be a 24.5 kilometre day which is getting a bit long for us at this stage. We already had to add another kilometre to this to get from the B & B back to the Coast Path. There were also critical times involving two river crossings. We researched and devised an alternative route to shave a few kilometres off this.

After getting back on the path it was only 2 kilometres to Warren Point on the bank of the River Yealm. Here there was a seasonal ferry across to Noss Mayo. The first sailing was not until 10am and we arrived about 9.30. Another couple had been waiting since 8.45. Another 3 people turned up before 10. This ferry was interesting in that it was electric – an e-water taxi. It glided silently through the water like a sail boat. A 10 minute ride for £5 each.

At the Noss Mayo landing the Coast Path goes to the right and a walk around the coast and two headlands. Our new route went to the left on a road through the village of Noss Mayo, inland on a narrow road, over a hill on a public path through a wood to emerge on another narrow road which twisted and turned and eventually rejoined the Coast Path at Revelstoke. Our inland route was 2.8 kilometres and the coastal route was about 7 kilometres so we saved a bit there. I had made a little hand drawn map with notes, as it was not straight forward with other public paths and roads criss-crossing it and we didn’t want to get lost. We were pretty pleased as it worked a treat.

Another obstacle we hadn’t planned on was in a farm field. We were to enter the field through a corner gate and walk diagonally across and exit by another gate. Between the gates were about 50 steers. As soon as they noticed us, they all ran over and crowded us into the corner of the field. They came right up until they were bumping into us. It was a bit unnerving for two city slickers. We held our ground and started pushing back against them. We were able to push our way through the herd and hastily made our way out the other gate. They were not fully grown, we were taller than them, and they were not as big and bulky as some of the cows we have pushed around.

The mist enveloped everything and we hardly saw anything of the coast. It was easy walking though. The next obstacle was crossing the River Erme. There is no ferry or bridge here so you have to ford the river. Otherwise you have a very, very long walk around the estuary, or a very expensive taxi ride via the first road bridge. The Erme has a wide estuary and you can easily walk across the sand and wade through the shallow water an hour each side of low tide. Timing was on our side as today low tide was at 1.30pm and we arrived at 1.20pm. The shoes and socks came off (Barbara left her socks on) and we were across in a few minutes. The water was a bit cold and the river bed a bit stony but not a problem. The mist was starting to become more like drizzle so we sat in a recess under a cliff to dry our feet and have lunch.

The last 8 kilometres from the river to Bigbury-on-Sea were the hardest of the day. The only big climbs of the day were in this section and for the last 3 kilometres it rained heavily. Occaisonally we could see the coast, a beach or holiday park. At the very end out of the rain and mist Burgh Island suddenly appeared. This island is close to the shore and at low tide you can walk out there on a sand bar. At high tide they have very high tractors and trailers that go to and from the island. It has an upmarket 1920s art deco hotel which has appeared in many films and novels.

We arrived in Bigbury-on-Sea cold and wet at 4pm. Today was another taxi transfer day. At 5pm we were to be picked up and driven half an hour to Salcombe to our B & B. The meeting point was in a bus shelter on a beach front road. In Salcombe the B & B was again in suburbia, a long way from the town and no places nearby to get an evening meal. At the end of the day we didn’t fancy having to walk into town to find a pub. We hadn’t seen anywhere in Bigbury-on-Sea to eat but a kind gentleman directed us to the Venus café, hidden behind a sand dune on the beach. We ordered some wraps and a hot drink and sat in the warm café until just before 5 when we went back to the cold bus shelter.

The taxi arrived at 5pm and the driver was quite chatty so the drive to Salcombe passed quickly, and it was warm and dry. Tomorrow morning the taxi will take us back to Bigbury-on-Sea and we walk here to Salcombe. We have two nights here at the Fo’c’sle B & B, a standard bland suburban house. The owners don’t live here, they reside nearby. There is one other guest and his dog here tonight.

Quite a day. White out, an electric water taxi, frisky steers, wading across a river, cold and wet. Just another day on the Coast Path.

Sunday 31 May 2926

Day 36 of walking
Plymouth to Wembury
Distance: 16.11
Total distance: 715.72
Climbing: 525 m
Total climb: 23,827 m

Another relatively gentle and short day from Royal William Yard in Plymouth to Wembury Village. Breakfast in Bistrot Pierre where we ate dinner last night. Breakfast was slightly different in that you could have a hot drink (tea, coffee), cold drink (juice) and one item from the Menu Complet. Barbara chose Eggs Benedict: the usual poached eggs with ham and hollandaise sauce on a toasted muffin.  I had a Garden Breakfast: grilled tomato, avocado, field mushroom, spinach, potatoes, baked beans, poached eggs on a very thin granary toast. Without the mushrooms.

The official Coast Path route goes through Royal William Yard so we were able to step out the door and join it. It is a 5 kilometre walk from there to the Plymouth/Mount Batten Ferry, through the Yard and an older heritage part of Plymouth, past the vast vehicle ferry terminal where the ferries go to France among other places, and then up over The Hoe.

The Hoe is a green expanse on a hill separating the modern-day city of Plymouth from the sea. it is best known for a game of bowls played by Francis Drake in 1588. There is also the red and white striped lighthouse, Smeaton’s Tower.  Originally this was the third lighthouse to be put on Eddystone Rocks near Rame Head. It was dismantled in 1882 and just the top portion erected on The Hoe. Today, Sunday, The Hoe was host to a Ferris wheel and a major running event. The ‘Race for Life’ a fund raising event for Cancer Research UK, with 5k and 10k events. It is over a hilly (over 600m of climbing) course on and around the Hoe. It seemed a big event with most people decked out in pink and ages from about 5 to 85. Music, merchandise and much more.

Below The Hoe is the lovely Tinside Lido, a saltwater pool built out over the rocks. Alas for us it was too early in the day for a swim. In the same area as our ferry are The Mayflower Steps. Every American and most other tourists know this is where The Pilgrim Fathers set sail in 1620 to settle in Massachusetts America. The steps are not original and it is not known exactly where they cast off but there are steps, a portico and a platform hanging out over the water, built in 1934. Of more interest to us was a plaque in the pavement commemorating ‘The Tory 1839’. This is where The New Zealand Company barque set sail for Port Nicholson, now Te Whanganui-a-Tara, also known as Wellington, to start the settlement of New Zealand. Barbara has been to Plymouth 3 times, and I twice, so we didn’t go the The Barbican or the gin factory or any of the other attractions.

A ferry was waiting for us at the quay and we were the only passengers for the 5 minute, £3 each, trip across the River Plym. There were two crewmen on board, one a young Kiwi guy in the UK on a 3 year work permit. He picked our accents immediately. Once out of Plymouth and Mount Batten the rest of the day is a gentle rustic ramble through the countryside. Plymouth is always looming out over the water on your right but eventually gets left behind. Apart from a couple of holiday parks it is a quiet stretch through woods and meadows. There were a couple of small beaches at Bovisand and Heybrook but they were rocky, exposed to the wind and few people were swimming.

The distances on the signage are generally believable but not today. Not far out of Mount Batten was a large blue marker saying it was 175½ miles to Poole. We walked a further 9 kilometres and a standard timber sign said it was now 206 miles to Poole. Go figure!

By about 1pm we had reached Wembury and stopped at the beach to have our lunch. There is a church, café, toilets, bus stop and marine centre at the beach. It was protected from the wind and though there were a fair number on the beach, only about 6 were in the water, all in wet suits and playing on boogie boards in the surf. I decide to have a swim and it wasn’t too bad. A bit boisterous in the surf but not freezing cold.

Our accommodation is a B & B in Wembury Village, about a kilometre inland and up a hill of course. It is a standard family house in the middle of suburbia converted to a B & B. The only place to get an evening meal was ‘The Odd Wheel’, a pub a further kilometre inland up a hill. Barbara rang them to see it we could get a table for tonight but they were fully booked. It was after 3.30 and the café at the beach closed at 4 and we didn’t fancy rushing back down to the beach and then all the way up again. The very kind man who runs the B & B said he would drive us to the small general store a bit further inland than the pub, and if we got a pizza or something he would heat it for us. We accepted the ride up and said we would just buy something cold and walk back. So some simple food in our room tonight. No pics.

Tomorrow will be a much more interesting day.