D148: LYNTON to PORLOCK
Tuesday 24th September 2024
Today miles: 15.0 Total miles: 2427.3
The first half mile today is a steep descent down a nice meandering path into the Glen Lyn gorge and into Lynmouth. I slept well last night and with clear blue skies overhead I was feeling energised and I’m raring to go. I passed the bus station at Lynmouth where I’d be returning to later today. For the next two miles the path runs adjacent to the A39, rising steadily up towards Butter Hill. I could see the television aerial on top of the hill which I later skirted around. I left the SWCP temporarily in order to walk around ‘The Foreland’ and Foreland Point before rejoining the path thirty minutes later. I was pleasantly surprised just before I entered Gurneys Wood. There’s a table and chairs next to an honesty cafe (cooler box) on the path. I opened the box and it was full of goodies. I selected a couple of chocolate bars and a can of fizzy pop and then rummaging through my pockets I found £1.80 in loose change.
It’s a nice walk through the woods and it’s pleasantly flat. I did take a wrong turn shortly after entering the woods and added a quarter of a mile to my day before realising my mistake. At Desolation Point the coastal route has been formally diverted away from the old SWCP by the National Parks service and a new path is being used instead. The signs didn’t really explain why the change was made and the old route can still be used as a public footpath. I used the newer route which is a little closer to the coast and only slightly longer. I was a little surprised by the lack of proper seating along this section. The path is wide enough for seats with some great views. As an alternative, I ended up having a much deserved break sat on a damp tree stump. The descent through the woods into Porlock Weir was steady and I managed to get myself a coffee and a slice of carrot cake at Porlock Weir cafe. It was nice sitting outside overlooking Porlock Bay. I quickly checked the bus timetable on my mobile and realised that I had over two hours to walk the two miles into Porlock. There’s a short road walk before arriving on the shingle beach. The coastal path previously went straight across the sea defence wall but that collapsed in 1996 during a severe storm. The ecosystem changed dramatically and now I need to walk slightly inland to get around Porlock.
Sadly, there’s yet another memorial to a crashed WW2 aircraft. This one was an American Air Force Liberator which crashed into the nearby Bossington Hill, all but one of the twelve man crew was killed. A few minutes later I passed the sign telling me that I was now entering the County of Somerset. Minutes later I left the coastal path and made my way into Porlock. That only leaves seven miles of the south West coast path for tomorrow. After returning to my hotel and having something to eat I began to leave unwell. The whole night was horrendous, vomiting and diarrhoea. I even fainted for the first time ever and split my head on the hotel rooms chair. It ultimately turned out that yesterday when I drank some unfiltered water from a steam (which I’ve done hundreds of times before) I got gastroenteritis. I didn’t get to walk the final seven miles and celebrate the end of the SWCP. That’ll now have to wait until next year.
SOUTH WEST COAST PATH:- SUMMARY: The South West Coast Path is 630 miles long and takes (most, normal people) between 50-60 days. The official SWCP guide book breaks the path down into a 52 day itinerary. These numbers are listed on the assumption that most people use the thirteen ferry crossings which are available along the route. I’ve added up all my tracks from Poole to Porlock and the total number of miles walked, plus the outstanding seven additional miles from Porlock to Minehead, which I’ve yet to walk is 852. That’s an additional 222 miles. I completed the path in fifty five days and that was an average of 15.5 miles each day.
Werewolfandflump UK Coast Path 