North Devon – June 2022

DAY 1 – MONDAY 06 JUNE 2022

Having had the misadventures of THE GREAT ESCAPE ( see previous blog posts), I decided to give myself a bit of a “consolation prize” of a few days in North Devon. I haven’t stayed in the Lynmouth/Lynton area for some time (probably decades !) and I needed an excuse to try out the replacement tent.

My “confidence” in it being able to stand up in drafty situations had to be re-established – aren’t we humans silly about such things – it’s only a bloody tent !!!!!! The tent WAS replaced completely and I also got a bonus upgrade to the new Version 2 as well – thank you Zempire.

So it was off down the M5, leaving at the Tiverton junction, then a bit of “cross country” on the A396 north to Minehead, followed by the A39 through Porlock to Lynton/Lynmouth.

Set up camp at the the Camping & Caravan Club  site at Lynton, just outside town  a few hundred feet above sea level – complete with semi-permanent Westerly wind, it seemed ! Found a reasonably sheltered spot behind a fence/bank, which turned out to be a good move later in the week…..

From the information board, I gathered there were plenty of great walks, the issue being how was I going to fit them all in ! The  Warden’s suggestion of a circular walk looked good, taking in some of the more famous “sights”.

Just to cap off a beautiful; sunny day, there was a glorious sunset.

DAY 2 – TUESDAY 07 JUNE 2022

On with the boots this morning, to do the circular walk, apparently 7 miles in total. So a walk down a VERY steep lane into Lynmouth. For those of you old enough to remember, Lynmouth suffered a major disaster in 1952, wiping out loads of houses/businesses and killing 34 people. Obviously all rebuilt, with the river course much wider now.

My first target was the funicular cliff railway which runs between Lynmouth and Lynton above. It opened in 1890 and is the highest and the steepest totally water powered railway in the world – with a spectacular view……..

At the top, I joined the South West Coastal Path for few miles. The path itself is a total of 630 miles long and runs from Minehead right round to Poole in Dorset.

Spectacular views, as you would expect from a path originally created to allow customs officers to patrol the coast on the lookout for smugglers. This section starts off gentle enough, but soon changes to the classic cliff walk – complete with grazing goat….

 

My destination was another”must do” place called the Valley of the Rocks.

It’s a spectacular dry valley running parallel to the coast. Once inhabited, as there are remains of agricultural activity. Formed, it seems by glacial activity. 

You get the picture…….

So far, easy-peasy. I’ve been following  a well trodden path ( literally !) but now it was cross country back to the campsite.  A very useful walking map/guide  for the locality is this:

 

Now working on the principle that what goes down must go up, it was a bit of a zig-zag climb back up to the campsite, past a place called Lee Abbey, which is Christian conference, retreat and holiday centre.

 

They have a fantastic view from their terrace…….. My path goes through and over the trees at the end of the clip, like this:

 

Believe me – it’s quite steep, but with great views over  Lee Bay.

Back at the tent, it was time for some lunch, before venturing out to the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway, just down the road from the campsite at Woody bay station. At present, it’s only a short railway, but they have grand plans to restore it to both Lynton and Barnstaple.

My final “tourist” destination for the day was back in Lynmouth – the Glen Lyn Gorge.

Now very much a site of Special Scientific Interest, it includes an exhibition about the power of water. At one time all the power in the two villages was provided by a turbine generator system, rather mangled during the disaster 0f 1952, but restores somewhat to provide power to the national grid.  The power house and the display jets give an idea of the forces available to be harnessed from nature – if you are careful ! The gorge itself is pretty too.

 

Finally, finally, finally, it was time for tea – a full Devon tea of course, with scones, cream and jam  – cream on first in Devon……..

A busy day with lots stuffed into it, but the sun was shining, so had to make the best of it…..

DAY 3 – WEDNESDAY 08 JUNE 2022

Today it’s steam train time !!!!!! The only fixed item in my schedule was a trip on the West Somerset Railway from Minehead to Bishops Lydeard and back. It’s the longest heritage railway in the UK – 20 miles – going along the coast initially, then diving into the glorious Somerset countryside. Been meaning to go on it for some while.

 

A Wednesday in early June doesn’t seem to be too busy ( especially straight after THAT long, long weekend) so the train was not at all crowded – nice !

On the way back from Minehead, I diverted off the main road to seek out a village called Brendon, which is in the  Doone Valley ( Lorna Doone and all that…). Very pretty and worth a return visit. It’s on the end of a long-ish walk from Lynton, which might be worth trying later in the week. Campsite there as well….

Returning to camp, it became obvious that the weather had turned, pumping up to 35 mph gusts and forecast of ran for tomorrow. Defences were put in place with wind breaks and strategic car placement. Camping is such fun……

 

DAY 4 – THURSDAY 09 JUNE 2022

It rained overnight and continued throughout the day, so no trips out at all.  Got up late, had a late, late breakfast, read a book. Nuf said.

DAY 5 – FRIDAY 10 JUNE 2022

As is the way with weather, it was a BRILLIANTLY sunny day – complete contrast to yesterday.

My target today was Dunkery Beacon, the highest point in the Exmoor National Park. Bit blowy still ( as you can tell from the video !) but a decent pull up to the top. Naturally a great view.

After that dose of fresh air, I motored down to Porlock Weir to have a wander round.  A small village with a harbour and all that goes with it.  At the end of a minor road, it’s definitely a “destination” with pubs, a shop, a big pebble beach and some splendid houses.. Very nice.

The afternoon was devoted to walking from Lynmouth up through Watersmeet, along part of the Coleridge Way, which I think has been featured on the TV on a Kate Humble programme.  It’s a beautiful valley/gorge, now looked after by the National Trust.  Lots of pix, as it was indeed beautiful.

 

As you can see, there is a cafe, where I was joined at one point by  a little fat bird, who obviously was tame enough to scavenge of people’s plates……

Unfortunately….. on the way down I went over on my bad left ankle, which rather spoilt things – bring on the ibuprofen………. 

Had a bit of a mooch round Lynmouth itself before retiring for the night.  These couple of signposts and the sculpture made me laugh, considering I’d just taken myself ( somewhat involuntarily) out of the walking community for a while……

DAY 6 – SATURDAY 11 JUNE 2022

So, base on the fact that the ankle was hurting, I decided to be a motoring tourist, going rouns some of the roads hitherto unexplored . Included Simonsbath, Exford and Dulverton and the Brendon Hills. Dulverton looks nice, but a bit busy today, as the sun was shining !!!!! Another day, perhaps….

Also, did a bit of “campsite spotting” for the future, so not too bad a day really.

DAY 7 – SUNDAY 12 JUNE 2022

Ah yes, a big bruise this morning…….HO HUM…..

So essentially today was pack up and go home day – with a dry tent !!!!!! There had been another beautiful sunset last night, which is always a good way to finish a holiday break.

As usual, I could have done with more time to roam around, as there was plenty to see and some magnificent walking ( haha ). For the future……..