The Viano failed its MOT and is moping in the garage, so my plans to try camping are accelerated. This means a long train journey down to Totnes and it’s not until 1 pm that I pick up the trail […]
Day 37: Kingswear to Start Point Read More »
I’m looking forward to a wild and challenging walk. Due to bus limitations, I’m starting from pretty Kingswear. Sadly, it’s a little early for the steam train, still asleep in the shed. There’s a tough early climb from the castle,
Day 36: Paignton to Kingswear Read More »
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
Day 35: Dawlish to Paignton Read More »
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
Day 34: Sidmouth to Dawlish Read More »
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,
Day 33: Seaton to Sidmouth Read More »
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
Day 32: Charmouth to Seaton Read More »
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
Day 31: Abbotsbury to Charmouth Read More »
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
Day 30: Ferry Bridge to Abbotsbury Read More »
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
Day 29: Worth Matravers to Lulworth Cove Read More »
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
Day 28: Ferry Bridge to Isle of Portland Read More »