The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking, trekking, and climbing the world

The Southwest Coast Path: Minehead to Westward Ho!

More precisely, this installment of my SWCP odyssey turned out to be 5 days of hiking divided into two parts: from Minehead to Combe Martin, and – after suitable recovery – from Westward Ho! to Barnstaple. Enjoy the photos and chronicle. . .

Minehead, Somerset, has the distinction of being the official starting point for the Southwest Coast Path, now a part of the almost-completed England Coast Path. As I just missed the bus from the Taunton train station, I chose to take a taxi to save nearly 2 hours’ journey time. Big mistake. That 23 mile ride set me back more than 110 GBP, about twice the cost of the First Class train from Hastings! Other than the typical August beach vibe, Minehead has little to recommend it and early the next morning I began walking. As usual for these shortish segments, I carried all that I needed in my rucksack, taking advantage of lodging and restaurants each day.

View of Minehead beach towards the west and the start of the Coast Path, on a gray day.
Minehead Coastguard Cottages in a lush garden along Quay Street.
The SWCP starting monument
A long way to go!
View along the path, with bracken. Despite the overcast, at no time during my walks did it rain.
Valerian. Ok, I was a bit desperate for wildflower photos at this time of year!
Steep descent danger sign. I wimped out and took the slightly less steep, but better protected, route.
Wayside Cottage, looking almost Swiss

Porlock Marsh. It was at this point early on the 2nd day that I performed an emergency duct tape repair on my water bladder. This just about lasted the day.
The remote and picturesque St Beuno’s Church, Culbone
The path through oak woods, with the Bristol Channel below
An elaborate entrance gate along the path. No signage to give a hint of its history.
Two heathers together: common (left) and bell (right). By this point the path had left Somerset for North Devon.
Countisbury Parish Church, appearing half-submerged on its eponymous hill east of Lynmouth
Orchard House Hotel, Lynmouth. A Grade 2 Listed property and highly recommended for an overnight stay if you’re ever in Lynmouth.

Looking back to Blacklands Beach, Lynmouth, on the initial climb to Lynton.
The Valley of Rocks, by a long shot the most popular walk in the area.
A bold robin, hanging out near the bench where I consumed my packed lunch
Looking back on the Coast Path and vertiginous Heddon’s Mouth below
An impressive waterfall. Nearly all “combes” (deep, narrow valleys) had some sort of stream flowing down them to the sea.
An atmospheric coastal view back to the east. This is my favorite photo.
Heather (and gorse) on the Great Hangman
Summit rock pile on the Great Hangman. At 318m, this is the highest point along the SWCP.
View towards Combe Martin. . . still a long ways down!

The first three days of what was intended as a 7 day walk to complete this section of the SWCP ended at Combe Martin. As you can see from the All Trail stats, the walks were long and had many steep ascents and descents. By this point, my plantar fasciitis had become so excruciating that the next morning I resorted to a taxi to my next hotel, and then a bus the following day to my hotel in Barnstaple, essentially granting me two days of rest to recuperate. It was just what the doctor ordered!

After two days lazing around, with limited time completing the entire section of the SWCP was off the table, so instead I chose to walk the last two days in reverse direction (west to east) from Westward Ho! as the path was essentially flat and buses were readily available if plantar fasciitis reared its ugly head (foot?!) again.

The market town of Barnstaple was far better than my (admittedly low) expectations. Staying here the final three nights (that was my plan all along) meant that I only carried a light day pack, taking advantage of the bus connections from the nearby depot. A great vegan restaurant provided a respite from the heavy Devon cuisine. Add in live music one evening and a reasonably priced, yet elegant hotel, and what’s not to like?

Surfers at Westward Ho! beach. Westward Ho! is the only town in the English language with an explanation point in its name.
The natural pebble ridge and sandy beach at Northam Burrows Country Park
Saltwater marsh with Appledore
View from the RNLI Appledore Lifeboat Station. That’s a Tamar-class lifeboat on the right if you’re curious.
Irsha Street, Appledore. The Coast Path follows this picturesque street.
Old boats and the River Torridge

Bideford’s Tarka the Otter, from the book by Henry Williamson. The Long Bridge is behind.
View of the River Torridge
Blue houseboat on the River Torridge
Bridge spanning the Tarka Trail, which here coincided with the Coast Path. The entirety of this day’s walk was on tarmac, hence the 3 star rating.
Barnstaple and the River Taw, end point for my week’s (well, 5 days) walking

A rainy day in Hastings and my mind beginning to shift to my next trip. . .

In six days I’m off to Uzbekistan for some hiking & culture in the country at the heart of the Silk Road. I’ll leave you with two photos from my balcony at Rocklands in Hastings, once again my home away from home.*

Rocklands Dawn
Rocklands Dusk

The Vagabond Hiker

* – when queried about my “home”, depending on the context I respond either “Utah” or “Planet Earth.”

Comments

  1. Cool experience – but sorry about your plantar! I had that a few years back and it was so frustrating! Hoping you’re feeling better about it as you embark on your next adventure!

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