D149: PORLOCK to WATCHET
Friday 7th March 2025
Today miles: 15.5 Total miles: 2442.8
I can’t believe that it’s that time of year again. Obviously, my first objective of this week and this year is to finally finish the South West coastal path. It’s the small and hopefully an easy matter of seven miles between Porlock and Minehead. The second target for 2025 is to complete the final one hundred or so miles of England, then crossing the Bristol Channel into Wales. Thirdly, I’d really like to complete the Welsh coastal path. but that’s going to be a really big ask. The WCP unlike large sections of the ECP is a very well established route and the entire walk should be relatively user friendly. It’s over 870 miles from Chepstow in the South to Chester in the North and thankfully unlike the SWCP there aren’t many rivers to go around so that mileage should be fairly accurate.
I arrived in Porlock after a seven hour overnight drive and immediately started walking the quarter mile back to the coast around 11am. It felt really good to be back in Porlock once again and despite the long drive I was full of energy and excitement. The only significant ascent of this entire week would be climbed today, actually within the first mile. After skirting around the eastern flank of the aforementioned Bossington Hill there’s the short but steep climb to over one hundred metres above sea level. The route then hugged the side of the tree covered cliffs for a further three miles, the path would also occasionally dip down into one of the many Combe’s (Valley’s). There’s a slightly higher SWCP route showing on my map with potentially better views. I’m not sure why but this particular alternative was currently signposted as being closed.
There’s several campsites over the next three miles, I didn’t hold much hope that any of these would be open this early in the season, this was confirmed as I contacted each one in turn and was disappointed time and time again. The last site I spoke to suggested that I wild camped on the cliffs, and then jokingly reminded me not to fall off (the said cliff).
The small town of Watchet is less than two miles away and I prefer not to wild camp too close to any towns. With this objective in my mind I walked the final thirty minutes and then settled for a reasonably flat area of grass close to the Warren Farm campsite. It was an hour before dark so I made myself something hot to eat and watched as the sun went down.
Werewolfandflump UK Coast Path 