Journeys...

  · Trip 1 (Minehead to Comb Martin)
  · Trip 2 (Comb Martin to Braunton)
  · Trip 3 (Braunton to Westward Ho!)
  · Trip 4 (Westward Ho! to Hartland Point)

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Trip 1 : August 9th to 11th 2008 : Minehead to Combe Martin

Saturday 9th August. Minehead to Porlock Weir - 9.5 miles 698 feet of climb

Forecast was awful. All the Goretex clothing packed. It turned out not bad. Dampish, but very warm. Reports from home indicate it is pouring down there....poor old Cranham Feast.

The first hill saw the pattern set... Mike ahead, getting a rest at the top whilst waiting for me to catch up.

(Click on any photos to see large versions)

Two hours to the first chocolate stop. I ate almost my whole lunch, which was just as well, as we didn't get to eat lunch until 4pm.

A lot of the walk through woodland, but we knew the sea was there somewhere as we could hear it. Some tantalising glimpses of the coast, and eventually coming out on a headland with Porlock Weir in sight.

We had taken the rugged route diversion (of course), but still made it to Porlock Weir in five hours.

Here we met a pub..named "The Ship". Set ourselves the daunting challenge of visiting every pub called "The Ship" that we came across in the next 600 miles. (Not exclusively, needless to say.) Found B&B. I got a lift back for the car, then we ventured out to find a pub for supper…Strangely it was called "The Ship". (Top Ship as opposed to Bottom Ship earlier).

Sunday 10th August. Prolock Weir to Lynmouth - 12.3 miles 934 feet of climb

A bit stiff of the legs, but a great breakfast, then B&B owners helped transfer the car to Lynton, bringing us back to start at Porlock Weir.

12.3 miles expected today, but we added a few more with a diversion to the beach and a visit to an old ice-house cut in to the hillside. Now I understood why Mike thought it essential to carry a torch on a day hike. Ice house was "Cool". The torch revealed a whole host of other inhabitants, including a spider nursery with rows of spiders spinning cotton wool ball sized homes for their babies.

We also popped in to the "Smallest Church in England" at Culborne (I think there must be quite a few claiming this). It announces that it can seat 33 "in some discomfort". The churchyard has many grave stones for the Red family, possibly the inspiration for the family name Ridd in Lorna Doone.

Had to put the coats on a bit today, but it still sounded better than Cranham weather. I developed a kind of foresight, that meant every time I judged it safe to go through all the fuss of taking my back pack off, coat off, coat in pack, pack back on….it started raining again!

This was a long day. By the time Lynmouth came into sight, it was weary walking, and the downhill hurt as much as the up.

A lesson learned: When your target comes into sight, it is still at least an hour's walking away. Today's total being six hours.

Found a pub. Oh dear. Its not "The Ship". Its "The Rising Sun". Oh well, it'll do. It did. Mike's greatest joy of the day (apart from that first beer) being the Dyson hand drier in the gents loo.)

Lynmouth was practically destroyed in 1952 when torrential rainfall in the hills above caused a deluge of ninety million tonnes of water to come down the valley, destroying property and bridges, sweeping all before it in the same way as at Boscastle a few years ago. Sadly, at Lynmouth, 35 lives were also lost. Recently, there has been much speculation as to whether there could have been a link with RAF rainmaking experiments over southern England. North Devon experienced 250 times the normal August rainfall in 1952 but, curiously, classified documents on the rain trials have gone missing……

Tracked down B&B. Mmmm... its in Lynton, not Lynmouth. Lynton is at the top of the hill. Ah! There is a funicular railway to the top. We'll take that. No we won't, we'll walk up. Grrr.. Oh well it saved having to walk that bit of the path in the morning, which was probably just as well.

B&B fine. Pub for the evening not "The Ship". Oh well, "The Crown" will have to do.

Monday 11th August. Lynmouth to Combe Martin - 13.3 miles 1350 feet of climb

Much angst in the B& B as one guest appears to have driven into the car of another group in the car park. Very uncomfortable as the Brit who did the deed is being most unpleasant about it, and trying to bully his way out by saying it was the other party's fault for being there. All the more unpleasant as the other group are Italian tourists in a hire car. Not a very nice impression of British behaviour.

We hot foot it off towards Combe Martin: 13.3 miles, strenuous with 1350 feet of climb feeling like the better option than hanging around where we were.

This was a long, hard walk, but stunning. The Valley of The Rocks hung on the cliff side and there were goats munching away up on the crags.

Chocolate stop was on a great promontory, called Highveer Point. We can still see Wales, but it seems to be raining over there, whilst we are back in T shirts and shorts. Looking down on Heddon's Mouth the river gushes out into the sea.

Once down at river level, a small diversion upstream comes out at…yes, a pub. We've added a mile to our 13.3, but it was worth it. Two long hard hills to accomplish all that climb, but some of it through the most amazing banks of heather. Right on the cliff side and rolling down to the water. At one point a small diversion into a field, along the fence and back out onto the path. This being necessary because the true path has started sliding down the cliff face. Diversion is no problem: better safe than sorry.






Eventually, Combe Martin comes into sight. The rule about one hour from here has to revised because we can see a massive hill we have to negotiate first. This actually takes us up to the highest point of the entire Coastal Path, marked by a large cairn, which Mike, in true Sherpa Tensing style, climbs to the top of.


Down into Combe Martin, now blazing hot. A quick pint, and lo, our B&B host arrives to take us back to the car. Thence back up the M5 and home by 8.30. Seven hours walking today. I hope it doesn't keep incrementing at the same rate!