Great South West Walk

Monday August 13

Section 20. LYNMOUTH TO ILFRACOMBE. Miles: 18. Grading:Strenuous

Start time and location
Could you please report for registration at the Cliff Railway, the Esplanade, Lynmouth at 8.30am.
The walk will commence at 9.00am.

Parking
Plenty of parking avaialble at start points.

BUS SERVICES
Buses run between Barnstaple and Lynton and Ilfracombe. A service runs between Combe Martin and Ilfracombe. Full information can be obtained by contacting the Devonbus Enquiry Line on 01271 382800 (Mon to Fri 0830 - 1700).

RAILWAYS
The nearest station to this part of the Path is Barnstaple, and you will need to get a bus from there to connect with this section.

MAPS
Landranger Series (scale 1:50 000) Number 180 - Barnstaple and Ilfracombe
Explorer Series (scale 1:25 000) Number 139 - Bideford, Ilfracombe and Barnstaple
Outdoor Leisure Series (scale 1:25 000) Number 9 - Exmoor

GENERAL
LYNMOUTH - accommodation, cafes, restaurants, pubs, shops, post office, toilets and parking.
LYNTON - accommodation, cafes, restaurants, pubs, shops (including a chemist), post office, toilets and parking.
COMBE MARTIN - accommodation, cafes, restaurants, pubs, shops (including a chemist), post office, toilets and parking.
ILFRACOMBE - accommodation, cafes, restaurants, pubs, shops (including a chemist), post office, toilets and parking.

TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRES
Sea Cottage, Cross Street, COMBE MARTIN. Tel: 01271 883319
The Promenade, ILFRACOMBE. Tel: 01271 863001
Exmoor National Park, Dulverton, Somerset. Tel: 01398 323665

The Route
LYNMOUTH TO COMBE MARTIN

Annual Guide Section 3 (13 miles; 21 km) Grading - Strenuous

Lynmouth is a scenic gem and is well worth spending time in. The Rhenish Tower on the harbour is a landmark, the origin of which is now said to be for a General Rawdon to store sea water to ensure plentiful supplies for his baths, rather than the more obvious use as a light for mariners. He copied the design from a painting in a friend's house. Whatever the origin, so much was it a part of the Lynmouth scene that after the disastrous floods of 1952, the council had it restored in its original form.

The cliff railway at the west end of the front provides an interesting way out of Lynmouth to Lynton. This was built in 1890 and has never had an accident. Water is filled into a tank beneath the top car as it drains out of the bottom one. On the brake being released, gravity takes the top one down, and, because of the continuous cable, the bottom one up. The walker's path up is close to the railway and crosses it three times. The Exmoor Folk Museum in Lynton is worth a visit for those with time.

From Lynton the official route goes along the famous North Walk - a firm path 5 feet (1.5 m) wide. However, an even more scenic route is to turn up by the right of the Town Hall through the public grounds of Hollerday Hill. Uphill on the wide track you will soon find, on a left bend, a path going forward marked 'Higher Path'. Take this and you will have a magnificent walk in the open, very high, which brings you out to a splendid view of the next points in our coastal route, i.e. the Valley of Rocks (a geological remnant of the Ice Age of 10,000 years ago), Lee and Woody Bays and the coast beyond. You may be surprised to see the herd of feral or semi-wild goats. Some of the billies look magnificent and we have never heard of them causing any problems, that is unless you get downwind of them on a hot summer's day! Descend
almost to the floor of the Valley, but go right for an obvious path going up to the top of Castle Rock and down again to the far end of the Valley. Then continue a few yards along a road and take the second of two paths bearing right (the first leads only to a beach), which later turns sharp left up to the erstwhile Toll House on the road.

There is now a well-made grassy path beside the road but when you get opposite the Lee Abbey entrance (its grounds are
private), leave the official (road) route, and take the track through a white gate, follow the finger post with the yellow waymark 'Woodland Walk to Woody Bay', and follow the waymarks through a pleasant woodland track giving views to the Abbey and bay, over two bridges by a newly-made footpath to meet the road again.

At the present time, you are forced to follow the road for 1/2 mile (800 m) to just near the Woody Bay Hotel.

Where the track from the 'Woodland Walk' meets the road, the coast path is being routed around Crock Point to recross the road and continue west above the road to the Red House to regain the existing path east of the Woody Bay Hotel; this will eliminate this road section. Keep a sharp look out for the new waymarks when this change takes place.

Turn right on to the path just before the Hotel, down a path signed to “Woody Bay Beach”, but on reaching a private road at the
bottom, turn up left until, off a left bend, you find a clear wide path on the right. After ¼ mile (400m) you reach a stile then after the first 200 yards (185m) of path narrowed by bushes, there is a fine waterfall and then endless rapture until Highveer Point is reached, where, out on the rock above Heddon's Mouth, there are wonderful views of the coast in both directions.

COMBE MARTIN TO ILFRACOMBE

Annual Guide Section 4 (5 miles; 9 km) Grading - Moderate

Combe Martin village is a mile long, has a little reddish sand beach and around here over the centuries, iron, copper, lead and silver have all been mined. An interesting pub is the Pack of Cards, so named because it was built in the seventeenth century from gam
bushes, there is a fine waterfall and then endless rapture
Turn right on to the path just before the Hotel, down a path signed to 'Woody Bay Beach', but on reaching a private road at the bottom, turn up left until, off a left bend, you find a clear wide path on the right. After 1/4 mile (400 m) you reach a stile then after the first 200 yards (185 m) of path narrowed by bushes, there is a fine waterfall and then endless rapture until
Highveer Point is reached, where, out on the rock above Heddon's Mouth, there are wonderful views of the coast in both directions.

However, at Heddon's Mouth, walkers who are prepared to forego the refreshments can cross the river bridge in the centre of the valley and proceed up the zigzag path opposite; after a while this bears seawards, giving superb views of the valley floor beneath. It is, however, a good climb, as to get from Heddon's Mouth to the top of the Cleave to the west there is an ascent of 900 feet (274 m) in a short distance.

The path now continues around Peter Rock, very exposed and high above the sea. It is the opinion of the writer that this section should not be walked in adverse weather conditions. If that is the case, walk into Hunter's Inn and use the road to Trentishoe Church to reach a high level path, which will miss out the Peter Rock section. An alternative is to continue on to the top of the Cleave up the steep zigzag out of the valley.

The official route is now fairly well marked and the general direction obvious; if in doubt, keep following the coast, passing the two summits of Trentishoe and Holdstone Downs to your left.

There is a point of interest here: in the late 1930s the land on either side was going to be developed as a building site for summer-let bungalows! Just as the awesome Sherrycombe comes into view (yes, the path does go down there!), when the path turns left, look for the ruins of a homestead which was home to a family who farmed before the 1939-45 war.

At this viewpoint, follow the wide, marked path left inland, being careful to go through a gap in a bank forward right which looks like a well-used path. Similarly, at the foot of the combe over a bridge, go steeply uphill and inland - the path to the right, although it will take you to an exciting waterfall, will give you an almighty climb out to resume the route.

This waterfall was used by the crew of a German U-boat to replenish its fresh water supply.

Above Sherrycombe there is a sign to Blackstone Viewpoint - the path presents an exciting diversion and fine coastal views, but latterly it is not for those who have no head for heights and you will have to return to rejoin the official route at a signpost.

The track to Blackstone Point was in fact a mine road going to an ironstone mine, which operated around 1870 but produced little ore.

The path up to the cairn on Great Hangman, the highest point of the South West Coast Path at 1043 feet (318 m), thence over Little Hangman and down to Combe Martin is easy to follow and gives grand open views of the rugged coast to Water Mouth rocks and caves, Ilfracombe and Bull Point.

Descending Little Hangman, the path has been realigned and now runs higher up the cliff slope; in fact the whole length above Wild Pear Beach has been improved thanks to the National Trust.

Just after the shelter, the official path forks left to drop down via a narrow path into Combe Martin. The alternative route is to fork right - this is more scenic, but is only a permissive path and dogs are not allowed.

Legend has it that Great and Little Hangman derive their names from a sheep thief who had stolen a sheep and tied it about his neck. He rested on a parish boundary stone, but the struggling sheep slipped off and so strangled the man.

COMBE MARTIN TO ILFRACOMBE

Annual Guide Section 4 (5 miles; 9 km) Grading - Moderate

An Exmoor National Park kiosk in the car park marks the end of this magnificent 36 mile (58 km) coastal adventure within the Park from Minehead.

The path leaves Combe Martin sea front by a path past the public toilets to Newberry Beach. After a metalled lane, turn right and go steeply up to join the main A399. After a few yards there is a slightly raised path on the right hand side. This path soon drops down again to cross the start of a cul-de-sac path going down to Sandy Bay. The route then continues inside a field hedge. It
continues along the top side of the fields below the road, until it rejoins it up a large flight of wooden steps.

Owing to some very unstable cliffs, a new coast road has been constructed; it was hoped that the old road would become the coast path. Unfortunately Devon County Highways has prohibited this, so one has no option other than to walk this road section, which cannot in any way be described as a coast path.

At the top of the wooden steps, turn left into Newberry Close, and walk up the A399. At least we have a footpath to walk on, until just past a bus shelter. Turn right down the hill and you rejoin the other end of the closed section of the old road.

Cross the road and turn into an unmetalled road towards Golden Cove.

Further along towards Golden Cove, you can take a slightly seaward path through the woods. This will provide a couple of better viewpoints, but the walking is not really a great deal better. Soon, the path turns off down through a field and gets back onto the coast proper for a very short distance. It then comes out into a double fenced section alongside the main road. Where the definitive right of way, not part of the coast path, turns off to the right before Water Mouth, there is now a low tide route going along the foreshore and then up some steps. There is no signpost for the steps but they are not difficult to find. Be careful - the rocks can be slippery. This is not possible at high tide, when one has to continue along the road with no pavement for about 30 yards
(28 m), and there is then a stile on the right into the woods.

Take care whilst walking the road section. A full traffic calming and pedestrian scheme is being investigated at this point by North Devon Coast and Countryside Service.

Water Mouth has a castle built in 1825 which is open to summer visitors. Around the sandy beach are smugglers' caves and tunnels. The fjord-like harbour was a scene of intense activity during World War II, when trials for Operation Pluto were carried out. The oil pipeline under the sea was used to support the allies during the Normandy Beach landings.

The next section of the path is very pleasant on the western side of Water Mouth and continues out and around Widmouth Head. This new section provides some very spectacular walking. We recommend the view back from Widmouth Head over Water Mouth, whatever the state of the tide or sea. This will be your last good viewpoint for the dramatic setting of the Great Hangman and the Little Hangman eastwards above Combe Martin; in fact it is probably the best viewpoint on the North Devon / North Somerset coast path. After Widmouth Head, the path continues in front of the coastguard cottages going to Rillage Point.

Unfortunately, this good stretch becomes just a roadside path, but at least there is a path now; until recently one had only the road to walk on. This section ends in a car park. You then have to walk along a pavement and down the lane into Hele and turn right. There is then a very good stretch well worth taking to
Hillsborough.

Hillsborough (447 feet; 136 m) provides panoramic views over Ilfracombe and the prominent Lantern Hill. Below is a tiny cove called Larkstone, named after the ballast that used to be dropped there by foreign ships. Look out for the 'buggy-pits' - offshore reefs that create spectacular waves when wind and tide are in opposition. In springtime one can have close views of nesting herring gulls, kittiwakes and fulmars.

From Hillsborough to nearby Ilfracombe is a short but rewarding section.

The name of Ilfracombe originates from Saxon times and it has been a fishing port since the Middle Ages. Edward I granted a charter to the town in 1278. The town has regularly supplied men and ships during times of war. It sent six ships to aid Edward III in his siege of Calais in 1346. Kaiser Wilhelm II was sent here to be educated in the 1870s; locals believe he got to dislike the English after being punched on the nose by a local boy for throwing stones at bathing machines.

Ilfracombe is the largest holiday town on the North Devon coast and has been popular as such since the early part of the last century. During the summer months steamer trips to Lundy are available and, if you have time, are thoroughly recommended. Lantern Hill, once believed to be an island, shelters the harbour and is surmounted by the ancient chapel of St Nicholas (1300).

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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