D144: CLOVELLY to INSTOW
Thursday 19th September 2024
Today miles: 19.3 Total miles: 2362.6
I caught the first bus back to Bucks Mill and then walked the half mile back to the coast along a minor road. I initially missed the coastal path so then had to backtrack slightly before making the steep ascent up through Worthygate Wood. Despite the steep ascent it made for a nice change to be walking through a green tunnel for a while. The route then descended down towards Peppercombe Water and Peppercombe Castle. There’s a series of small water cascades along the valley floor but these were difficult to see through the overgrown vegetation and I couldn’t spot anything that even resembled the remains of a castle. There was a small building (similar to a Scottish bothy) with a wooden bench outside, I decided to sit here for my first short break. A short time later whilst I was climbing yet another steep hill I flopped down momentarily on the grass and put my right hand down heavily on a prickly plant. I painfully collected several splinters in the hand and fingers, these would annoy me for the next few days, particularly the one embedded in my pinky finger. The path then flattened out for the next four miles towards Westward Ho. Eventually the path became a nice grey stone path and the miles were knocked off at a fair pace. On the way into town I spotted a large group of school students, maybe one hundred or more, sat on the grass having what sounded like a biology lesson. I decided to take an extended break on the outskirts on Westward Ho and within half an hour the same group of students noisily passed me by.
An hour later I continued along Pebble Ridge towards the mouth of the River Taw and then around Northam Burrows Country Park. There’s a nice promenade walk around Appledore which diverted slightly inland to bypass the shipyards. The coastal path skirts along the edge of the River Torridge. The tide was still out as I approached Cleave Quay. There’s a finger sign pointing out both the low and the high tide routes along the coastal path. I initially chose the low tide route because it looked shorter and quicker on the map. Very quickly the path dropped onto the sand which was soft but thankfully somebody had placed stepping stones along the route. After approximately two hundred metres I came across a large sewer outlet pipe and a dangerous, fast flowing stream of water. This prevented me moving any further along this low path. So much for saving time. I then had to backtrack for the second time today. A few minutes later I was walking under Torridge Bridge (A39). I was enjoying the walk along the side of the river towards Bideford but was surprised by the increased number of drunks that were either sitting or staggering close to the coastal path. I had originally planned on stopping at Bideford and then catching the bus back to Hartford but after checking my map I decided to carry on and walk the additional three miles towards Instow.
I stopped for my final refreshment break on a wooden bench next to the Tarka the Otter statue. I’m old enough to remember the Tarka the Otter movie from 1979, which was adapted from the popular book by Henry Williamson. The book recounted the life of an otter (Tarka) on the River Torridge and River Taw in the 1920’s. There aren’t that many buses running between Instow and Bideford and the last one leaves Instow in around an hour. The track along the Tarka trail towards Instow is flat and excellent and I was able to make very good progress, arriving at the bus stop with plenty of minutes to spare. I spotted a man walking his dog and when I checked with him if I was at the correct stop he immediately volunteered to drive me back to Bideford. He wasn’t coming across as a psycho so I accepted the offer of a lift. Five minutes later Peter dropped me off outside of the Tesco store and I now had enough time to grab some food for my tea and a few snacks for the next couple of days.
My final night at Hartland Campsite was quiet. After a good tea, I was watching episodes of ‘Nightcaller’ on Netflix when I fell asleep, this was well before 9pm.
Werewolfandflump UK Coast Path 