The Sixty Two Steps

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.