Around Britain

Having registered positive for Covid for 3 weeks recently, I was less ambitious on this stage than previously intended. My only marked symptom had been loss of energy but that might have carried over following my recovery. The plan now was to walk from Kingswear to Exmouth taking a ferry over the River Exe.

Another change relates to my friends Rob and Gill. They had kindly offered to give me supper this evening and put me up for the night. Unhappily they both contracted Covid about a week ago and it has been sufficiently bad to stop them coming to their holiday home in Brixham.

I arrived in Kingswear at about 3.30 p.m.by the steam train starting in Paignton. The Coastal Path was well sign posted in Kingswear. One sign indicated a distance of 10 miles to Brixham. The next sign I saw as I walked south east towards Inner Forward Point directed me back the way I'd come. Ahead was a large private house with no indication of any pathway through the grounds. However, there was a public footpath leading upwards inland at an oblique angle to the road that had brought me from Kingswear. For want of any alternative I took that. After a steady climb I came to a narrow road. If I turned right heading back towards the coast I came only to a private house so I turned left. That direction was designated as a public footpath. I reached a road heading north east which was the approximate direction of Brixham.

The road climbed until it attained a height of 145 metres. Just before that I reached a fork. On the far side of the fork was an curious structure which looked like an underground bunker. It was elevated above the level of the field it was in but covered with turf. According to a notice on the field gate this had been the subject of a planning application. That told me that I was near Boohay Farm which pinpointed my position on the map. Shortly afterwards I met a couple of girls who'd been swimming off a beach nearby. They had one of those small devices which shows O.S. Maps on a screen so I discussed my route with them.

I passed Woodhuish Farm and then a parking area for those using the beach at Man Sands. This was reached by a long descent along a rough track wide enough to take a vehicle. I reached an alternative Coastal Path constructed a short distance back from the coast to allow the development of a wetlands area and (the notice said) to safeguard the Coastal Path in the event of a rise in sea levels.

I descended a long flight of steps. Emerging from a wood I saw a house in the direction of Crabrock Point and also a vehicle which had managed to negotiate that steep track. A sign indicated Kingswear to be 6.5 miles and Brixham 4.5 miles. There was now a steep climb without steps up the side of Southdown Cliff, a National Trust property. I had to stop several times to catch my breath. Once I reached the top the going was much easier. Apart from a foreign couple I met at Man Sands, I saw no one on the path which was through woods. When the land opened out nearer Brixham there were quite a few walkers.

I reached a stunning carving of a woman looking out over St. Margarets Bay. Rob had told me to look out for the statue and head inland at this point. This advice plus Google Maps led me to my hotel. If fire had broken out on the ground floor the designated fire escape from my second floor room would have taken me to the heart of the conflagration.

After a cup of tea I emerged to find the Rockfish Restaurant next to the harbour recommended by Rob. I'd mentioned this to the dour receptionist at the hotel and he'd responded that he preferred several other restaurants. I'd have backed Rob's judgement against his any day. Rockfish provided an excellent meal and glass of wine. The service was amazingly quick. That was just as well as the lighting was so dim I was unable to read my paper as I waited to be served.

Mileage 6.02; total 3697.96

It was another fine day in this late summer. Breakfast was not served until 8.30. I didn't hurry as I'd bought the papers beforehand. As I result I only started about 9.45 which I later regretted.

I retraced my steps of last night to the harbour and joined the coastal path. Soon I entered a large wood and descended to Churston Cove. On the far side of the cove a notice announced the closure of the coastal path. A man was working on the repair of the steps on the steep ascent out of the cove. There was a long diversion which brought me back to the coastal path. This proceeded through more woods above Torbay. Another descent took me down to Elberry Cove. Soon afterwards I was in Broadsands. A large car park served a mass of beach huts. These were very small and tightly packed in long rows. A few people were sitting outside their huts dozing or reading. Through open hut doors I could see that they were only large enough to store chairs and essential supplies enabling holidaymakers to enjoy the long beach in more comfort. They might also provide cramped shelter if it rained. The huts seemed to be linked up to electricity from the mains so one could boil a kettle or heat up some soup.

At the end of the beach huts and just before a towering red cliff a path led inland under a viaduct serving the Paignton to Kingswear steam railway. I now headed towards Paignton along the coastal path with many flights of steps up and down. The path had only a few users. On one section of ascending steps I saw a woman with a stick making her way cautiously down towards me. I took advantage of a bench to the side of the steps to allow her to pass. She stopped and we fell into conversation. She was in her sixties and had once been much fitter. It had been normal for her to walk from Paignton to Brixham where she lived. She had a map of the south west peninsula and marked each section of the coastal path that she completed. Her partner had become incapable of accompanying her but continued to support her by using their car. Unfortunately he then died. The woman told me she'd been very overweight but was now seeking to become fit again. Today was the first time for years that she's attempted the Paignton to Brixham walk. When I mentioned my intention to reach Teignmouth that day she said it was close to impossible as I'd only covered a tenth of the distance and it was already past noon. She suggested I caught the 22 bus when I realised that I wasn't going to make it. When I protested she said I could always catch the bus back to where I'd stopped and then walk on from there. We parted wishing each other well.

At Goodrington Sands I stopped for a coffee and lemon curd tart and to consult the map. I could see Roundham Head and decided to cut this out by taking a road directly to the waterside beyond the headland. I made good progress on the promenade past Paignton pier but then another red cliff ahead complicated matters. I was forced inland into a park which had been laid out on a former gas works a few years ago. I then had to follow the A379 towards Torquay splendidly set on high ground ahead. Rather than follow the coastal path round the harbour and Hope's Nose, I cut across Torquay on minor roads back to the A379 towards the north of the town. This was facilitated by numerous churches and the Town Hall acting as useful landmarks.

Soon after rejoining the A379 I left it again at St. Marychurch where the High Street had been pedestrianised. Away from the main road and its traffic there were many shops and people sitting out in the street in front of the cafes they were patronising. Later I again rejoined the A379 near a garage where I bought an iced coffee. The pavement soon ended but I was able to follow the road on a large adjoining field. At the field's end a road on the opposite side of the A379 enabled me to reconnect with the Coastal Path and I now stuck with this until Shaldon next to Teignmouth.

After Minchcombe there was no housing. The path was unrelenting. After each climb I hoped for a flat section for some faster and easier walking but normally I was disappointed . Each climb would be followed by a descent just beyond the crest. I was having to stop frequently on the steeper climbs. For miles on end I only saw one couple. Then I saw a notice concerning a car park near to Labrador Bay. I could see from my map that my suffering was nearing its end.

Two women appeared walking with heavy packs and poles. Their singlets indicated that they were raising money for Great Ormond Street Charity. One of them was intending to walk the whole of the SWCP for this cause with various companions to support her. I asked how she could abandon her normal life for so long. She explained that she was doing the walk in stages as her normal life included a husband and three children. They asked me how far I'd come that day and I was incapable of summoning up the word Brixham. They made various guesses and we eventually got the answer. I was able to tell them that it was two miles to Minchcombe where they planned to bivouac as they carried camping gear. What an amazing couple of women. They'd come from Exmouth that day.

Shortly after that encounter I crested a field and there before me was Teignmouth on the far side of the River Teign shining white in the evening sun, It might have been Shangri-La such were my feelings on seeing it so suddenly revealed after so many miles of sea, woods and open country.

It was too late for the Exe ferry so I made my way upstream to cross the long bridge. The river was very wide and remained so until Topsham just south of Exeter. I'd eaten next to nothing all day so it was disappointing to learn that the hotel restaurant was fully booked. The receptionist said that, for a £5 surcharge, I could eat in my room to which I readily agreed. After a shower I went to the bar and asked whether I could eat there. After consultation with a person I never saw the barman told me that I couldn't eat in the bar and that there was no room service. I went to Teignmouth town centre and wasn't able to find a half-decent restaurant. Disaffected youths roamed the street shouting threats. I went hungry sustained in my room only by numerous sugary cups of tea.

Mileage today 16.88; total 3714.84

Breakfast was served from 7.30 and I was one of the first in the dining room. I set off at about 9.30. Initially I stuck to the A379 which was generously provided with pavements on both sides of the road for most of the way. Passing through Holcombe I reached Dawlish without incident. I had conservatively booked my train from Exmouth at 16.26 so I was under no time pressure. This prompted me to return to the coastal path. From Dawlish Station this followed the top of a sea wall protecting the railway. These defences proved inadequate in 2014 when the wall was breached in a storm and a section of the line was left hanging in mid-air with all its support swept away. A section of South Devon was cut off (except by road) for several months before repairs could be completed.

The top of the sea wall was gritty with gravel thrown up by the waves. On a drizzly day it was still proving popular with locals and tourists who were walking to and from Langstone Rock. The path then turned north towards Dawlish Warren. This is a popular holiday resort. Dawlish Warren is a sandy spit of land that extends across the mouth of the Exe almost reaching the far side. It's much used by wading birds and birders are likely to spot something of interest.

A lapse in concentration led to me starting to walk onto the nature reserve. I retraced my steps looking for a road but none were visible. I decided to head for the car park. This had multiple sections catering for visitors. Eventually I found the entrance road which took me under the railway. I then headed north on a minor road. I went through Cookwood and reached the A379. Walkers and cyclists were able to use a wide asphalted track running alongside the main road until reaching Starcross. The ferry across the Exe left at ten minutes past the hour until 1610. For five pounds one experienced a ten minute ride to Exmouth quay. The ferry stops at the end of October but I noticed at least two water taxis which may be available throughout the year.

In Exmouth I had hours to kill before my train to Exeter St. Davids and connection to the train for Paddington. In the town centre heaving with people I found a W.H. Smith to get the papers and settled in a coffee house to read them. The station itself was too small to be comfortable.

The journey went to plan and I was back in London by 19:30.

Mileage today 6.17; total 3721.01.