To a Long Steep Hill

  Thursday 22 October   What to do? It was too late to go back as we were due for lunch with Becky at Cuckoo Down Farm. We considered stopping in Exeter to buy trainers, or borrowing boots from Becky.   Finally, Chris decides that her fashion boots which, luckily, she is wearing will have to stand in for the real ones.   And please don’t mention it at lunch.   Lunch at the farm is a happy occasion – it’s John’s birthday and we celebrate.   We have a short walk round the farm, where the camping ground is still open and booked through to the end of next week’s half term.   It’s also an opportunity to have a first look at Becky’s child care operation which has just opened.   There are three munchkins.   We say hello to Hetty, Harry and August. We are introduced to the lovely Ellie, who is one of two carers.   John and Becky have built a sweet house for them, but the idea is that they will spend most of their days out on the farm and...

                                                              Prologue     Boots – so useful when trekking, especially in October with a doubtful weather forecast.   So, where are Chris’s boots as we speed down the A303 for a final shot at the Southwest Coast Path before the winter?   Not in the car.   They have been left behind.   I take some responsibility for this.   In fact, that’s probably why I said:   “You have got your boots, haven’t you?”   No, she hasn’t.   Yesterday I pulled both our pairs of boots out of the cupboard and asked if she wanted me to dubbin them.   “No” she said. “They are fine”.   I kept mine out and put them in the car.   Fatefully, I put hers back.   Chris assumed that I had put them in t...

  T o walk, or not to walk, that is.... Walking achieves our objective of getting into Cornwall – Hartland Quay to Morwenstow.   However, the forecast, though better is still iffy.   In the end, we decide that the combination of strong winds, slippery surfaces, a path which follows the cliff edge followed by driving back in the dark is just too much. We check out and hit the road for home. £149.60 b & b dinner.(£90.00 deposit already paid). Was this our finest hour?   Probably not.   Did we enjoy the weekend?   Absolutely.

                                                          Stormy seas at Crooklets Beach, Bude When we chose this weekend for our final lunge at SWCP,    The long range forecast was not too bad.   Light breeze and an occasional shower.   With their super-computers based not a million miles away in Exeter the Met Office still can’t get it right more than a few days ahead.   Within 24 hours, however, they are pin point accurate these days. They are now forecasting a good old-fashioned storm.   We have definitely made the right decision on walking today.   Instead, we drive over to Bude and mooch about in the rain.   The town is packed with traffic and the rain beats down.   We park up at Sainsbury’s and walk down to Crooklets Beach. ...

                                                                  The lighthouse at Hartland Point But first, we have to face the 10 ¼ miles from Clovelly back to Hartland Quay.   The weather is blustery and rain threatens.   The stiff breeze is in our faces, and there are at least four steep coombes to navigate. Our taxi from Number Six in Bideford is right on time.   We’ve checked out the previous evening so we are good to go at 08.45. £110 for b & b, £42.45 for dinner and drinks. Our driver is a familiar face.   She picked us up from the RHS Gardens at Rosemore last time.   At Clovelly, I make a stupid mistake.   I miss the trailhead and we go charging down a steep road, only to trudge all the way back up.   I kick mysel...

    Let’s hear it for the Royal Hotel   Excellent food, nice bar, willing staff and they have got the virus defences absolutely right.   The only negative is that our room is a little tired and ready for a makeover.   The location could not be better for our purposes.   It’s right on the SWCP and the bus routes we need. However, it is somewhat caught in the general decline of the town.   It faces a derelict wharf.   Behind is the closed railway and station. There are empty houses on one side, and an abandoned bistro on the other.   Sad!  One tip: If you are like us and like a nice strong coffee for breakfast, order an americano with hot milk from the bar. Yum.  

  Wednesday 19th  August   We are both frankly knackered.   Weather is still unsettled and our next section (Clovelly to Hartland Quay) is one of the longest and hardest on the entire path.   There is really nowhere to break off to make it shorter.   So, we decide to take a day off.   We head over the bridge to the Pannier Market and Butchers Row.   It is deserted and the market is mostly empty.   Half the craft shops on Butchers Row are closed. Two guys are sitting outside a second hand book stall in the deserted Pannier Market.   I select The Cruel Coast, about wrecks on the North Devon Shore (very bad) It’s a lee shore for the prevailing west wind with few safe harbours. Hundreds of sailing ships were lost. Then I spot a first edition of A E Houseman, Last Poems.   The two men are council maintenance workers, but they agree to take my money and pass it on to the book shop owner. £20.00 for the two books.     ...