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.