Great South West Walk

Thursday August 16

Section 24. WESTWARD HO! TO CLOVELLY. Miles: 11.2. Grading: Strenuous

Start time and location
Could you please report for registration at Westward Ho seafront at 8am.
The walk will commence at 8.30am.

Parking
Plenty of parking avaialble at start points.

Bus Services
Services run from Barnstaple, Bideford, Westward Ho!, Clovelly, Bude and London. Confirmation of all buses can be obtained from traveline on 0870 608 2608 www.traveline.org.uk

Trains
The Tarka Line runs between nearby Barnstaple and Exeter, so you can reach the rest of the country from here.

Maps
Ordnance Survey Landranger series (scale 1:50 000) Numbers 180, Barnstaple and Ilfracombe and190, Bude, Clovelly.Ordnance Survey Explorer series (scale 1:25 000) Number 126 Clovelly, Hartland and Bideford.

General Information
Westward Ho!: accommodation, shops (including chemists), pubs, restaurants, cafés, car parks, toilets, and public telephones.
Clovelly: accommodation, shops, pubs, restaurants, cafés, car parks, toilets, and public telephones.

The Route
This section of the South West Coast Path is one of extreme contrast between two of Devon’s most famous resorts—you’ll see what we mean! There is no chance of refreshment on the way, and although Clovelly remains in sight for most of your walk, it will take you longer than you think to arrive.

WESTWARD HO!

Westward Ho! is new, and the source of its name possibly unique. How many other towns are named after a novel? The town’s development stems from the time of the great popularity of Charles Kingsley's ‘Westward Ho!’ published in 1855. The foundation stone of the first villa was laid in 1863. Perhaps it should go on record that Kingsley was not so flattered as one might imagine and wrote in derogatory fashion about the development. Kingsley is not the only literary figure to be associated with the place. The United Services College was founded here in 1874 for sons of service personnel, the great block now past its prime still stands, although the college moved in 1904. Amongst its pupils here for four years was young Rudyard Kipling, and one of his books, ‘Stalky & Co’, was based on his school days.

In its early days as a resort Westward Ho! even boasted a pier. It did not last long: erection started in 1870 and the pier was destroyed by the sea in 1880.

A much older interest is offshore. From erosion over the years, a middle Stone Age deposit has been found in peat under a bed of clay. Weapons, tools, animal bones and deer antlers have all been recovered. Owing to the peat's preservative qualities, many of the items were in very good condition.

WESTWARD HO! TO CLOVELLY

The main part of Westward Ho! is not likely to divert most walkers, or indeed the first few hundred yards westwards from it. Give a thought though to the day in May 1978 when the official opening ceremony of the Somerset and North Devon Section took place hereabouts. The band played, speeches were made and in at least one respect, the opening ceremony was appropriate; there was a walk and then cups of tea - a typically English affair.

At the end of the first meadow, bear slightly left to a track.

The Bideford, Westward Ho! and Appledore Railway

It would not surprise anyone to be told this was at one time a railway but the amazing thing is that it was such a short lived one. The line from Bideford to Westward Ho! was opened in April 1901, the first train being played in, rather ironically as it turned out, by a German Band. The line on to Appledore from Westward Ho! was opened in 1908 but the whole line closed during the First World War in 1917. It did not connect with the main railway system, Bideford Station being at East-of-the-Water on the other side of the River Torridge. In fact, when the railway closed temporary lines were laid across Bideford Bridge to get the engine to the main system. It was then driven away to war service against the German army in France.

After a level stretch along the railway, or close by, the countryside becomes more undulating. The usual series of ups and downs familiar to all coast path walkers begin once more.

CORNBOROUGH

The next item of interest is Cornborough. Here there were lime kilns occurring as they so often do, close to the seashore. The reason for this was that in the days of small and not altogether watertight ships, it was not a practical proposition to carry quick lime at sea. Therefore the limestone itself had to be carried and as soon as it was ashore, the sooner it was burnt and reduced in bulk and weight the better for trans-shipment further, usually by cart. The interesting thing at Cornborough is that the kilns were fired by using local anthracite. North Devon is a carboniferous area and coal is surprisingly nearly absent, but close by and around Bideford a few deposits are found. As well as the anthracite, a softer coal, locally called 'Bideford Black', was mined from the early 19th century until the late 1960s. It was used for paint manufacture, originally for the keels of wooden ships, and it was later used during the Second World War for camouflage. One of its last uses was for mascara!

Cornborough is in the parish of Abbotsham which obtained its name from the fact that it was an endowment of Tavistock Abbey in South Devon. Strangely enough two-place names nearby and close together, Cockington and Babbacombe, also occur as place names close together near Torquay in South Devon, where they are better known.

At Babbacombe Mouth you go steeply down to the beach and up again the
other side.

If sufficiently fit you may be pleased at the money that was supposed to be saved here by the public authorities deciding at the last minute to omit the planned wooden viaduct. You might not be quite so pleased if you knew just inland was a perfectly serviceable bridge they had determined previously not to use. Portledge, now a hotel, was the home until latterly of the Coffin family, all the way through from the 12th century.

The short stretch from Portledge to Peppercombe is particularly good. The reason for this is that here the line of the original coastguard path has been used. The path through the woods beyond Peppercombe is a delight, especially in the spring at bluebell time. From Gauter Pool there has been an improvement thanks to the National Trust. Our Association had argued for years that the diversion inland towards Higher Worthygate was unnecessary but officialdom ruled any route more seaward was impossible! Yet shortly after the land became National Trust property, a route was established very quickly after our request and suggestions.

BUCKS MILL

Bucks Mill, apart from being an attractive place is of considerable interest. It was typical of many isolated, and one-time closed communities with much intermarriage. In fact nearly every family came to have the name Braund; hence the plaque which you can see on your left after you have turned right on to the road.

The very steep inclined plane used to take lime up from the kilns by the beach is worthy of inspection; there is not another to match it on the North Devon Coast. The church, away from the village, is thought by some to be a clue to the original nursery rhyme ‘Old King Cole’ . To finish on a sterner note, Bucks Mill was in the sixties proposed by the Central Electricity Generating Board as a site for a pumped storage scheme up from the sea. Most will be thankful that this desecration never came to pass.

Beyond Bucks Mill the path climbs pleasantly through a wood and continues on the top of the cliff scarp, mostly using an old Victorian track through the wood.

The woods are interesting for a number of reasons. You will pass an unidentified species of elm and the lichens are particularly fine because of the pure air coming in from the sea. Finally, towards the end of the wood notice the row of close-set beech trees with very long limbs—this was almost certainly a beech hedge set in the last century which they forgot to trim. Walking gardeners - take heed!

The Bideford Bay Holiday Parc used to be called Walland Cary. The name Walland originates from a certain Henry de la Wallen, who owned these lands in the time of King Edward I.

Bypassing the holiday park you come out into a field to turn right, very soon turning right again to re-enter the wood. Presently you come out into fields again. Continue along the seaward boundary, bearing left at the end of the second field and then soon you drop down over a stile into the woods to a wooden bridge.

HOBBY DRIVE

The Hobby Drive was commenced as part of a landscaping scheme in the 19th
century by Sir James Hamlyn of Clovelly Court. Of the Hamlyns, there will be more below but as you walk along, you can see an inscription on a stone seat which marks an extension.

This seat will be found on your left after you have crossed one stream at the top of a longish rise. The drive continues, there are white seats on your right where you get your first good view of Clovelly village, and you cross two more streams. Then watch on your right for a new path, a woodland walk which has been made down from The Hobby Drive into the village. Unless pressed for time, take this; it will more easily enable you to visit the village itself. The only fault to find is that the old rubbish dumps were left in situ along the way.

If you stay with the Hobby Drive at the end, the coast path is along the road bearing slightly right, but we do stress if you have never seen Clovelly you should.

CLOVELLY

Clovelly is a scenic showpiece; in the writer's opinion it is quite the most attractive village in all Devon, and that is saying a lot. There will be no apology for having to admit that because it is so attractive at times it becomes over-run. If you can, avoid the peak season: if you cannot, try early morning or after tea when nearly all the visitors are away.

Clovelly has a splendid situation, the houses as it were tumbling one below each other down towards the sea. A local poet put it better, ‘a village like a waterfall’. The main street is cobbled steps and no vehicular traffic mars it. There are donkeys and sledges to take down heavy loads. To give credit where it is due, firstly the Hamlyns and then the Clovelly Estate has prevented exploitation of the village, and the villagers with their enthusiasm for Britain in Bloom Competitions, of which they have been winners several times, have all contributed to make a show-place.

Historically, Clovelly was the fief of the Careys of Clovelly Court, who owned it for over 250 years and founded its prosperity when one of them built the stone pier. This made it a safe harbour for a fishing fleet mostly engaged in the herring trade, rising in its zenith to sixty or seventy boats. It is strange to think of Clovelly as once more famous for its herring than its beauty. They were locally sold by the 'maize', a quantity of 612 fish. One of the Careys gave his name to Will Carey of Westward Ho!’ - Charles Kingsley's father was the rector here.

The Hamlyns, a London banking family, succeeded the Careys at Clovelly Court. They were responsible as already said for The Hobby Drive. Perhaps the thing which gives you the best idea of their importance in Clovelly is the vast portrait of Christina Hamlyn in the dining room of The New Inn. You look back on an age when the aristocracy were all-important and the word ‘squire’ a title of real importance, not the rather vague term it can be today.

Again, it is interesting that Clovelly's modern popularity was based on literary efforts: partly this was the result of Charles Kingsley's ‘Westward Ho!’, but also due to Charles Dickens' ‘A Message from the Sea’.

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

click to go back to previous page