Woolacombe to Braunton 27km, 375m of ascending, 4,052m accumulative ascending

A late start today. Breakfast didn’t begin until 8.30 and we had to get back down to Woolacombe from the Seacroft farmhouse. Kim and Michael provided a ride to get up to their place but not a ride to go back down in the morning. We could have ordered a taxi but decided to walk. It was a complicated route across fields, through backyards, through a holiday camp, around a mini golf course and down some lanes. Michael and his dog Millie took us some of the way so that we wouldn’t get hopelessly lost. Another walker we have befriended over the last few days, Alec, came with us.

By the time we had purchased a fresh baguette it was 10 am when we left Woolacombe. High overcast cloud today and a bit cooler with the hint of a sea breeze so lovely walking conditions. Woolacombe Sands is vast and busy with families and surfers close to the town but quickly becomes surprisingly empty as you move away from facilities and car parks. Our path took us behind the beach and into the dunes which were very hard to walk in with soft sand. Beyond the beach was the headland of Baggy Point, a contrast to the beach with steep cliffs and broad, grassy top. At the point was a recreation pole which it is obligatory to climb apparently, so Barbara did the honours to show off her pole dancing skills.

Baggy Point was the last of our climbs. This afternoon and all the next two days are dead flat. From the point we could see our final destination Westward Ho! but between us and it is a deep estuary which will take two days to walk around. After Craggy Point was the smaller sandy bay of Croyde Beach, busy with Sunday surfers and families.

Immediately after Croyde there is a low cliff from which there are stunning views of the truly enormous Saunton Sands with the dune complex of Braunton Burrows behind. The path took us behind the beach, through the Saunton Golf Club and around a military training area and into the Burrows. This is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve which according to the United Nations contains a ‘world-class environment’ rich in wildlife and containing a mix of extraordinary landscapes. This the largest dune system in England with a wide variety of flora and fauna including 500 species of flowering plants and 33 species of butterfly. As well as the dunes there is the Braunton Marsh and the tidal estuaries of the Taw and Torridge Rivers.

Leaving the Burrows we walked for about an hour long the top of an earth embankment built in 1857 to keep marsh, estuary and river apart. During WWII the marshes were turned into a dummy airfield in the hope of distracting the enemy’s attention away from a nearby air base. It was low tide when we walked by today and wrecked boats and small fishing craft were dotted about in the sand. We followed the River Caen right into Braunton where we had some casual pub food before walking another kilometre through the town to our accommodation at Homesleigh.

A long day today, our longest at 27km, but not very physically demanding and we had ideal walking conditions.  It was a very diverse landscape today with cliffs, the Biosphere Reserve, dunes, marshes and the tidal estuary but the dominant feature was the beaches. Three vast stretches of golden sand.