D150: WATCHET to COMBWICH
Saturday 8th March 2025
Today miles: 20.5. Total miles: 2463.3
I slept reasonably well during the night, the only real noises that I heard came from the migrating birds flying overhead. As soon as first light arrived I woke and made quick work of packing away my gear, I was walking again just after 7am. The initial route for today continues across the tree covered cliff tops but then quickly took me down onto the beach at Daws Castle, only a quarter mile West of Watchet. There isn’t a great deal open this early on a Saturday morning but I managed to find an open Co-Op store in Watchet not far from the coastal path. I picked up a few bits and pieces and then sat overlooking the harbour with dozens of huge and very noisy seagulls for company. Carrying on, the route eventually dropped down onto the beach and I could see the sand stretching out in front of me for miles. There’s a lengthy sign warning that the coastal path is inaccessible during a high tide and there’s no easy or practical alternative. Thankfully, at this time of day the tide is out and it’s not due back in for several more hours. I thoroughly enjoyed the next mile, hopping across the beach trying to avoid the deepest rock pools and the most slippery of green, moss covered rocks. I wasn’t sure why but thirty minutes after arriving onto the beach I spotted an ECP finger-sign pointing me further inland. Luckily, a couple of ladies walking with dogs suddenly appeared, I asked them for some advice about the route ahead and was told there’s a narrow stretch of water ahead and that’s why the official coastal path heads half a mile inland towards a bridge. I decided to check out the water feature and seeing that it was no more then a few feet deep I decided just to wade through. I didn’t even bother to remove my new trail shoes. I carried on for a further two miles along the compacted sandy beach but got gradually more anxious when I realised there’s no obvious access off the beach and the cliffs are becoming increasingly higher. I had to backtrack slightly a few hundred metres and then clambered over a short stretch of boulders onto the cliff top path.
I walked across the cliff top for a short distance before encountering a steep set of wooden steps back down onto the beach. I realised, with the benefit of hindsight that I probably could have stayed on the beach for the entire time. There’s a wonderful waterfall spilling down onto the beach at St Audrie’s Bay, something I hadn’t seen before. I was loving the walk along the beach but unfortunately, once again it ended all too soon. After ascending the cliffs once again, I got my first glimpse of Hinckley Point Power Station. The next five miles went by in a flash and I quickly arrived at the boundary fence of Hinckley Point. Until a decade ago (2016) it was a simple one mile walk along the coastline but due to the huge construction of Hinckley Point reactor C the route has been diverted around the site. This adds an additional, but temporary (until at least 2031) one and a half miles to the coastal path. It’s actually a very well sign posted and pleasant diversion and I arrived at the Eastern side of the perimeter fence an hour later without any difficulties.
Shortly after leaving Hinckley Point behind I entered the area of The Somerset Wetlands, a national nature reserve. The route entered the area named Fenning Island which meant walking along a muddy track with tall pond reeds on both sides. On reaching the end of the path at Stert Point there’s the option of taking either the Summer or Winter route along the English Coastal Path. In order to avoid bothering the nesting birds, as per the sign I stuck to the winter route, which is actually half a mile shorter. As I reached Marsh Farm I met up with a wildlife photographer who was taking pictures of a barn owl that was so far away I couldn’t even see it. The photos were amazing, particularly the one where the owl had a dead vole in its beak. I stopped about a mile short of Combwich, close to a bird hide. I knew that it was going to be dry so decided to try my first experience at ‘Cowboy Camping’. As the sun began to set I blew up my airbed and climbed into my sleeping bag with even more migrating birds for company.
Werewolfandflump UK Coast Path 