Day 35: Dawlish to Paignton
My alarm goes off at 3 am and I pass one of my sons on the stairs — ships in the night. I must arrive at Exeter bus station at 8 am to collect my phone from Amanda (“I’ll be […]
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Day 34: Sidmouth to Dawlish
Gorgeous red sandstone cliffs and stacks, draped in green, make a lovely start to the day, despite the heavy cloud cover. The Otter Estuary Nature Reserve outside Budleigh Salterton is an attractive spot for early lunch. Sitting on the grass
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Day 33: Seaton to Sidmouth
A cloak-and-dagger day. The early morning drive takes me past a mist-shrouded Stonehenge and valleys with only church spires rising above the haze. I have an early morning rendezvous on Seaton promenade to hand over legal documents to my sister-in-law,
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Day 32: Charmouth to Seaton
Due to a landslip, the path from Charmouth to Lyme Regis is diverted inland, tracking less scenic main roads, before cutting through woodland and a pristine golf course. The popular beach resort is quiet at this early hour, with colourful
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Day 31: Abbotsbury to Charmouth
I’m back on the shingle of Chesil Beach, but the tide is going out, so there is comfortable wet sand to walk on. A well-placed sign suggests I’m going the wrong way, but heading west works for me, keeping the
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Day 30: Ferry Bridge to Abbotsbury
The spectacular Fleet Lagoon, over eight miles long, stretches to Abbotsbury. With only a narrow tidal opening at Ferry Bridge, it’s separated from the sea by the equally impressive Chesil Beach, dotted with isolated fishing huts. It’s theoretically possible to
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Day 29: Worth Matravers to Lulworth Cove
Today’s section of the SWCP is rated severe. Ian is hiking with me again, kindly dropping me off at the isolated 13th-century St Aldhelm’s Chapel. First, I must walk back east to Winspit Quarry, which is closed to film the
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Day 28: Ferry Bridge to Isle of Portland
The Isle of Portland is shrouded in dark clouds, grim and forbidding, as I walk across the long beach connecting it to the mainland. Tiny figures gaze atop a structure in Castletown Harbour, part of an artificial Mulberry Harbour used
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Day 27: Lulworth Cove to Ferry Bridge
The challenging Worth Matravers to Lulworth Cove walk is postponed until next weekend, as it passes through MOD firing ranges, and they are closed during weekdays. Duncan survived the night in the Viano and his friend, Ian, joins us for
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Day 26: Poole to Worth Matravers: South West Coast Path
Today marks the start of the South West Coast Path, stretching 630 miles to Minehead, climbing 114,931 ft, almost four times the height of Everest. It’s also my first time with hiking poles, so this should be fun. One of
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