Great South West Walk

Saturday August 4

Section 7. BRIXHAM TO TORQUAY HARBOUR. Miles: 8.4. Grading: Moderate

Start time and location
Could you please report for registration at the inner harbour at the statue in Brixham at 9am.
The walk will commence at 9.30am.

Parking
Plenty of parking avaialble at start points.

Bus services
Bus services operate regularly between Brixham, Paignton and Torquay. Particularly useful is Stagecoach number 12 (Brixham – Paignton – Torquay). For local Stagecoach enquiries ring 01803 664500.
Confirmation of all buses should be obtained from traveline on 0870 608 2608 www.traveline.org.uk before relying on a service.

Trains
There are stations at Paignton and Torquay, which connect to the main Paddington to Penzance line at Newton Abbot. For information on train services, contact National Rail Enquiries on 08457 484950.
Paignton also has a station on the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway, which is well worth a trip by steam train in season. For further information, contact 01803 555872.

Maps
Ordnance Survey Landranger series (scale 1:50 000) Number 202, Torbay and South Dartmoor.
Ordnance Survey Explorer series (scale 1:25 000) Number 110, Torquay and
Dawlish.
Ordnance Survey Outdoor Leisure series (1:25 000) Number 20, Plymouth and South Devon.

General Information
BRIXHAM: accommodation, cafés, pubs, shops (including a chemist), post office, parking, toilets and public telephones. BROADSANDS: café, shops, post office at the top of the hill on main road, toilets and seasonal café on path. GOODRINGTON SANDS: café, pub and toilets.
PAIGNTON: accommodation, cafés, pubs, shops (including a chemist), post office, parking, toilets and public telephones.
TORQUAY: accommodation, cafés, pubs, shops (including a chemist), post office, parking, toilets and public telephones.

TAXIS
Brixham Taxis – 01803 853000
Torquay & Paignton Taxis – 01803 213213

TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRES
Old Market House, The Quay, Brixham, TQ5 8TB. Tel: 01803 852861.
The Esplanade, Paignton, TQ4 6ED. Tel: 01803 558383.
Vaughan Parade, Torquay, TQ2 5JG. Tel: 01803 297428.

The Route
Starting from the picturesque inner harbour, at the statue of William of Orange, the route goes along the harbourside (passing the Tourist Information Centre in a few yards) until you reach the bottom of Overgang Road where you take the path signposted to Oxen Cove and Freshwater. This path follows the edge of the outer harbour, with good views of the many moored boats, to Freshwater Car Park, where you continue past the Zeneca, Brixham Environmental Laboratory, then up the steps to the Battery Gardens. These contain old gun emplacements and lookouts facing seaward, now converted to shelters, and you should follow the lower path to descend steps to Fishcombe Cove, although these steps cannot be used at some states of the tide, in which case you follow the track which will bring you out higher up the cove, by the public toilets.

Now ascend the road and turn right along the track between Torbay Holiday Chalets and Brixham Holiday Park, signposted ‘Coast Path, Churston Cove’.

(There is little of interest in the small Fishcombe Cove and as an alternative you can take the higher path through Battery Gardens to exit onto the road, turn right and shortly you reach the path to Churston Cove.)

In about a 0.25 mile (300 m) the wooded path descends to Churston Cove where you cross the beach and ascend the path meandering up the cliff ahead. There are some steps cut in the rock to help. The next section of about a mile (2 km) can be rather disappointing in summer when the seaward views are limited to occasional gaps in the trees. But it is a pleasantly shaded path alongside the golf course.

The route now descends to the attractive Elberry Cove, with a shingle beach where swimmers can enjoy a dip although half of the cove is reserved for water skiers. Cross the beach, ascend the steps at the far side and continue along the path until you emerge onto the large grassy area of Churston Point. There is a pitch and putt course on the inland side of this and there are plenty of seats to enable you to sit and enjoy the splendid views of Torbay. It really is an excellent picnic site.
From Churston Point the path now takes you along the seaward edge to descend to Broadsands, where there is a signpost, ‘Coast Path, Goodrington’.

BROADSANDS

This is a very popular holiday beach. There is a large car park, toilets, an ice cream kiosk and a refreshment café open in the summer when families enjoy the sands and swimming.

Follow the promenade to the far side of Broadsands where you must resist the temptation to ascend a grassy path and instead turn inland up the road, signposted ‘Coast Path, Goodrington’; pass under the railway bridge and immediately turn right up the steep steps onto a footpath which will now follow the railway line to Goodrington.

The railway is the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway which runs, with spectacular views, along the coast from Paignton to Churston, then through country areas to the Dart Estuary and Kingswear, for the ferry to Dartmouth. The steam trains, usually pulling five or seven coaches, including an observation car, really make a splendid sight and operate from Easter to October.

Initially, the path climbs above the railway then descends to pass a large caravan site before ascending steeply above the railway again and then it again descends to a road where you turn right, passing under the railway to reach Goodrington Sands.

GOODRINGTON SANDS

A large sandy bay, very popular with holidaymakers and has shops, toilets and refreshments, including the Inn on the Quay. It is now known as the Quaywest Beach Resort; there is a large and rather ugly water slide facility and a station here on the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway so that you could perhaps make the short journey to Paignton by this route. Nearby at Torbay Leisure Centre there is a large swimming pool and a variety of indoor sports on offer. As you pass along the promenade you will find an attractive park with a boating lake and water birds on the inland side.

From Goodrington follow the promenade round and just before the end, take the zigzag path rising through ornamental gardens onto Roundham Head; continue on a tarmac path round the headland to emerge onto Cliff Road. Turn right and descend the road which leads to a the small Paignton Harbour, mainly used by yachts and pleasure boats. Continue round this to join the Paignton esplanade.

PAIGNTON

This is a popular family holiday resort with superb sandy beaches and a busy town centre. There are good shops, restaurants and pubs and plenty of holiday accommodation. In addition, Paignton has a Tourist Information Centre, theatres, parks and a pier.

Well worth a visit, if time permits, is Paignton Zoo, where much money is being spent on increasing the animal population and their facilities. Also, Oldway Mansion, an imposing building set in beautiful gardens and once the home of the celebrated ‘Singer’ family, is now owned by the local authority and is open to the public. The Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway line ends here and its station is adjacent to the main line railway station. We have already mentioned the leisure centre situated between Paignton and Goodrington.

The route follows the promenade, the sea on one side and attractive Paignton Green on the other, past the Apollo Cinema (the Tourist Information Centre is in the end of this building) and the pier. At the end of this main promenade a short diversion round the Redcliffe Hotel and adjacent buildings is required (except at low tide when a beach walk is recommended). Regain the seafront, passing Preston Green and where the road turns sharp left under a railway bridge keep straight on and eventually the promenade ends at a cliff. A few yards before this bear left on a path up a slope to reach the grassy open area of Hollicombe Head

Continue past a shelter then turn left on a bridge over the railway and immediately turn right to enter Hollicombe Park. This small but attractive park was created on the site of a former gasworks. There is an exit from the park, under a tunnel onto the beach, but you leave by the main gate onto the busy Paignton to Torquay A379 road, and turning right, head for central Torquay.

You now have just over a mile of pavement/promenade walking with a very busy road running alongside before you reach Torquay Harbour. On the seaward side you pass sandy beaches and the good viewpoint of Corbyn's Head, and on the inland side lies the mainline railway station (just behind the Grand Hotel), and then the Torre Abbey and its associated Torre Abbey Meadows of approximately 8 acres.

Torre Abbey is Torbay's most historic building, founded in 1196. The buildings are now the property of the Borough of Torbay and are largely used as a museum and art gallery, but unfortunately are closed for refurbishment until spring, 2008. The Tithe Barn is now generally known as the Spanish Barn as prisoners from the Armada of 1588 were housed there.

The route now passes through layouts of attractive formal gardens and on the inland side of the road is the Rock Walk, a raised esplanade running through picturesque gardens which can be used as an alternative to the main promenade. Soon after passing the Princess Theatre comes the Marina and the harbour.

TORQUAY

Situated at the northern end of Torbay on a peninsula, this attractive town has long been a premier seaside holiday resort and a much sought after town for retirement. A mild climate the symbol for Torbay (the English Riviera) is a Palm Tree ensures its attraction as a yearround resort.

Needless to say the facilities here are numerous, with many cafés, pubs, restaurants, shops and a large range of holiday accommodation. There are theatres, cinemas and a marina adjacent to the inner harbour. There is a good Tourist Information Centre situated just by the inner harbour.

If you have time, do visit some of Torquay's attractions. Cockington Village, one mile (1.6 km) from the centre with its extensive grounds, thatched cottages, and a 17th century manor house, the headquarters of the Torbay Coast and Country Trust which maintains the whole of the coast path along this section. There are interesting craft studios, displays of the Trust’s work, and an organic garden here. Or there is Kents Cavern which are show caves and are open all year. There is also an excellent Torquay Museum in Babbacombe Road, only yards from the harbour, and, the Model Village at Babbacombe is a masterpiece of miniature landscaping.

If you have any question on any of the above please do not hesitate to contact one the event organisers found on the Contact us page click here

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