12.3 miles, 3300 feet ascent, 7 hours walking, 35 mins per mile.
After a day’s walking I’ve just about mastered putting my new camera into the waist pocket of my rucksack. Important given the amount of photos I’ve been taking.
But back to the beginning. We set out on a bus from Barnstaple to Westward Ho! at around 8am. This turns out to be an inspired move, as we get a recap of the last few days of SWCP walking (done in 2011) leading up to this point, passing through Instow, Bideford and Appledore. ‘Previously on the South West Coast Path…’
From Westward Ho! we used the facilities, stocking up on sandwiches and pies at the coop and packing and repacking our bags several times before we finally get underway. The path starts out following a long curving coast, making for amazing views. Looking back we could see all the way to Baggy Point near Croyde. Forwards across the bay we see Clovelly, our destination, shining like a gem set in the tree-lined coast. Extending further out from Clovelly we can see to Hartland Point which we’ll reach on day 2.
At Peppercombe we make our way down to the bouldery beach from our lunch. Only two other couple are there which makes for a nice remote break. We also had repeated sightings of another SWCP walker (a German or Dutch chap we think) who we kept passing and being passed by. When we pause at Bucks Mill we have a quick chat with him: he’s doing the same section as us, Westward Ho! to Padstow, but in six days to our seven, so he must have a killer long day in store at some point. In Bucks Mill we walk down as close to the beach as we can get to view an enormous lime kiln, so big that it looks more like part of a castle!
The second half of the walk is less spectacularly scenic, but still very good, into the trees and so only glimpses of the seaview. The last couple of miles are along Hobby Drive, an impressive road built by the Hamlyn family (well actually built by Napoleonic prisoners, but there we go), which led us into beautiful Clovelly. A timeless village arrayed up the cliffside. Cobbled streets and seemingly run by cats, given by the number that greeted us.
A very enjoyable place to visit, with this entry written from the Red Lion Inn at the very bottom of the village with drinks and dinner (excellent fish and chips for me). After dinner I headed back out, down to the harbour to take sunset photos, only for the heavens to absolutely open and drop most of the sea on the land. I sheltered with a couple of late-night fisherman for about 10 minutes before making my way back up to the B&B and a worried Helen. Got some great photos though.
[amazons3_photo_gallery album_name=20140706-swcp2-clovelly]