Great South West Walk

Thursday August 16

Section 25. CLOVELLY TO HARTLAND QUAY. Miles: 10.3. Grading: Moderate to Strenuous

Start time and location
Could you please report for registration at The Red Lion Hotel in Clovelly at 1pm.
The walk will start at 1.30pm.

Parking
Plenty of parking avaialble at start points.

Bus Services
Services 119, 128 and 319 run between Clovelly and Hartland village (not Quay). Service 319 continues to Barnstaple, from where it is possible to join the Tarka Line railway service to Exeter - please see our current Annual Guide for details. Confirmation of all buses can be obtained from traveline on 0870 608 2608 www.traveline.org.uk

Trains
The Tarka Line runs between Barnstaple and Exeter, so you can reach the rest of the country from here. For more information, please telephone National Rail Enquiries on 08457 484950.

Maps
Ordnance Survey Landranger series (scale 1:50 000) Number 190, Bude and Clovelly.
Ordnance Survey Explorer series (scale 1:25 000) Number 126 Clovelly, Hartland and Bideford.

General Information
Clovelly: accommodation, shops, pubs, cafés, car parks, toilets, and public telephones.
Hartland Quay: hotel (which includes a pub serving food and hot drinks, and a public telephone), car park and toilets.
Hartland village (inland): (2.5 miles - 4 km inland) limited accommodation, shops and pubs.

TAXIS
You will probably have to resort to using a ‘pick up and drop’ service if you are not walking the coast path as a continuous operation, as there are no taxis which cover this area as such. The Hartland Quay Hotel provides a pick up and drop service for guests—for prices, please contact the owners direct. For other providers, please see our Annual Guide. You could also try the National Taxi Hotline on 0800 654321.

The Route
If you are walking the coast path as a continuous operation, you will have no transport problems. If you want to walk this as a day's walk, and a good day's walk it is taking approximately five hours, then you have problems - public transport is non-existent. The best idea is to work with a friend as a two-ended car walk or use a pick up and drop service—see our Annual Guide for details.

Refreshments are best carried with you. There is a hotel at Hartland Quay, which has a shop, open for long hours in summer, but more limited ones in winter. In season, there is an excellent refreshment hut at Barley Bay, just before Hartland Point, which sells superb home-made cakes.

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, he said, ‘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’.

CLOVELLY TO HARTLAND QUAY

Annual Guide Section 11 (10.3 miles: 16.6 km) Grading: Moderate to strenuous

If you have descended through the village to the harbour you will have to return all the way up the cobbled street to the top to continue westwards. You leave Clovelly village passing the splendidly-sited War Memorial. Go right along the road. Where the main road bears left, go ahead to pass into the fields through a large gate. Follow the track, bearing right until you reach a post which points right to the coast path. You enter a wood and soon come out again into a field. Here look left to see the big house, Clovelly Court. Originally the Tudor home of the Careys it was mainly rebuilt in 1740 by Zachary Hamlyn, but extensively altered later.

Follow the fence along to reach a metal kissing gate, double height - a one-time fence for a deer park. Pass through the metal kissing gate, keep on keeping right. You pass an unusual summer house called Angels Wing’s - once you have seen it you will realise why it is called that. When you come to an arrow pointing left and inland you have a choice. Left is the official and easy path, right are the views and you can always retrace your steps if you do not like the steep path towards the end of the diversion.

Alternative Path to Mouth Mill

Following the diversion in about 70 yards (64 m) there are the remains of stone edged steps on the right - ignore. There is presently another set on the right, just opposite a tree close to the left hand side of the track, which you take. They soon lead through a mini-tunnel to a surprise view of the sea. A gem if ever there was one, but difficult to photograph effectively. Having viewed, continue ahead to regain the track. You pass another summerhouse, stone built, with a pointed green door. Note the plaques on the side you come to first. More evidence here of the Hamlyns and a good view across inland to a coastal waterfall. After the summerhouse you come to a platform on the cliff-top. Another superb viewpoint nearly 400 feet (122 m) above the sea. From close by a narrow, very steep, but not dangerous path, leads down to rejoin the official path at Mouth Mill. (Those travelling west to east look for the little path directly behind the coast path sign pointing inland on the east side of the stream at Mouth Mill.)

MOUTH MILL

At Mouth Mill there is again the ruin of a lime kiln. In at least a couple of early guide books it is recommended that you have tea in this place; presumably in earlier days there was an establishment which supplied such refreshment, so today you will only get what you have taken. It is, however, a pleasant place to stop; it may have been used as a setting in Kingsley's ‘Water Babies’. The chief point of interest here for those who divert to the beach is double-arched Blackchurch Rock. If you have previously followed our advice you will have viewed it before, and indeed can view it again looking back from Windbury Point - it is here alone that you can appreciate its impressive size.

Some have recommended the low tide walk along the beach westwards to the foot of the waterfall. However, if you do this you have to come back to Mouth Mill and quite frankly there are better coastal waterfalls to come, so we suggest when you have viewed the scene, turn inland up the west side of the valley. You pass in front of the lime kiln and then an old building. About 25 yards (23 m) further on, bear right onto the path going up through the woods. At the path junction in the wood go right up the steps.

At the top of the wood you enter a field. Watch for the sharp right turn of the coast path just before the end of the second large field. The section from the top of the wood is National Trust property and improvements here over the years speak well for their efforts. Shortly after this the coast path turns right, over a stile and down by a zigzag route into a deep wooded valley (Beckland Valley). Cross the stream at the bottom and climb up the other side: then turn sharp right (at a junction where the path to the left is signposted ‘To Beckland and Brownsham’).

Less steep alternative route

There is however an alternative route, only slightly longer and very much less steep and therefore recommended if your legs are tired. Cross the stile, then immediately turn left along the edge of the field. Shortly after the path descends into the wood. Turn right into the valley (the path straight ahead leads to Brownsham car park). Cross the bridge at the bottom, then turn right, through very beautiful woodland You then reach the ‘Beckland and Brownsham’ junction, where you fork left.

You then climb up to Windbury Point, where there are beautiful views back to Blackchurch Rock and over the whole stretch of Bideford Bay, all the way to Morte Point.

Windbury Point itself was an Iron Age Castle, or Camp. There is not much evidence of it now, but if you look to your left just after the highest point you can make out the remains of a rampart. A little further on is a path going inland to Brownsham. Just after this on the right before the next stile is a memorial to the Wellington Bomber which sadly crashed in 1942 on a flight from Chivenor to St Eval in Cornwall. It’s a long way indeed from Canada and New Zealand.

From the next triangulation point above Chapman's Rock, the original idea was to keep the path inland to Shipload Bay. A combination of common sense, more perceptive work from Devon County Council, National Trust acquisition, and, we sincerely believe, some encouragement from our Association, all combined to make a new line along the coast. We are sure those who walk this beat will never doubt that second thoughts were very much the best.

Eldern Point is a superb lookout point; go as far as you dare for the best all-round view. The pattern of sea and clouds across to Lundy can be magnificent in all sorts of weather. The first cable to Lundy was laid from Shipload Bay in 1884 but the currents proved too strong for it and it was re-laid elsewhere. A certain Barnstaple MP, Thomas Benson by name, obtained a contract to ship convicts overseas. He saved himself considerable time and money by landing them on Lundy. He successfully pleaded that he had taken them out of the country!

The path from Shipload Bay is now seaward of the radar station. A special word of praise to the MOD is due here because they went to considerable trouble to make a seaward path available, and very scenic walking it is too. The North Devon Coast and Countryside Service also spent a lot of energy ensuring the coast path was as wide as possible around the Radar Dome and in encouraging the MOD to improve the area. The station is much smaller in area than it once was, but the new high-domed tower makes it visible from a longer distance. The view from the point just east of Barley Bay certainly equals, if not surpasses, Eldern Point.

HARTLAND POINT

Hartland Point is presumed to be the Hercules Promontory on an ancient map of Roman Britain. The lighthouse was opened in 1874, being blessed by Bishop Temple of Exeter who later became Archbishop of Canterbury. There is an interpretation board here giving details of the area (also a refreshment hut in season).

Walk down from the car park at Barley Bay towards the gate of the lighthouse. On the left is an interesting old catchment area used when mains water services were not so available. The path turns sharp left, just past this catchment area before the gate of the lighthouse. The path goes up right towards the coastguard lookout, like so many others no longer continuously manned. There is a small diversion around the back of the lookout to the best view of the wreck below and the interpretation board giving more details about it and the lighthouse. There is no access to the lighthouse due to the risk of rock falls on the track leading down to it.

At first you cannot see very far forward but soon from Upright Cliff the view ahead opens out. The dominating cliffs to your right bearing a vague resemblance to a crouching lion are the north cliffs of the Smoothlands Valley. Away ahead can be seen the tower on The Warren which will be passed later. The path drops down to Titchberry Water and a path goes down to the beach, close to the stream, for those who wish to go. In any case it is best to go straight across the stream because there you will see a series of rapids in a deep vee-cut stream bed, very typical of the walk to come.

A very good bridge crosses the stream a little inland level with the caravan in the valley. Having crossed, climb up the other side working over the right until you come out on the north side of an open field. Here proceed seawards until the field boundary turns left southwards.

Now in front of you is the Smoothlands Valley; not only is this a beautiful place but an extremely interesting one. It used to be a continuation of the Titchberry Water stream valley. However, the sea eroding eastwards broke into the valley and made what is called a sea capture, leaving a sea-disected valley. In other words, the little stream in the Smoothlands Valley is only the local drainage and not the original Titchberry Water which used to flow through it.

The path winds down the valley towards Damehole Point. Damehole Point was not all that apparent from the north, but it will dominate your view back from the south for many a mile. The definitive right of way goes out on to the point and, provided the narrow neck of land does not fall away, is probably the most dramatic piece of official footpath in all England! If you like such places, a stop for refreshment is recommended. There are, often, very good views over to Lundy.

LUNDY

Lundy is only about 12 miles (20 km) from Hartland Point; its name coming from the old Norse - it means puffin island and the puffins are still there. It has had a mixed history, at one time being occupied by Marisco pirates; but in 1834 it was purchased by a Reverend W H Heaven, and was nicknamed ‘The Kingdom of Heaven’.

Just behind Damehole Point is a small waterfall, but there is better yet to
come. The path goes forward up Blegberry Cliff and the view in front is a most dramatic foreshore scene whatever the sea and at all stages of the tide. As you come up over the top of Blegberry Cliff, you can see the four pinnacles of the church at Stoke which is Hartland's Parish Church.

The path drops down to Blegberry Water which you cross by an old stone bridge. This is a second example of a vee-cut valley and just 30 yards (27 m) above the bridge is a right angled bend caused by the type of rock strata the stream is crossing. However, the best view is looking at the way the stream falls straight to the beach, and there, not quite so dramatically but rather surprisingly, the stream usually disappears into the beach!

The path goes up and over and down again to Blackpool Mill. The official path goes to the left, behind the cottage and then immediately turns right to go through a kissing gate towards a stone bridge.

Having crossed the bridge turn right and avoid the temptation to turn first left. As you climb towards the top work over to the cliffs to look northwards. You see a distant view of the waterfall of Blegberry Water, Damehole Point, and beyond to Lundy.

The path goes up towards The Warren and surprisingly at first you cannot see the tower on its top which is hidden by the contours of the ground. You look inland here towards Hartland itself - a small and unimportant town today but once reputedly twice the size of Bideford.

A lot has been written about the tower on The Warren, but in fact what is truthfully known is very little. It was a two-storey building, probably built as a summer house by the owners of Hartland Abbey. It also seems safe to conjecture that it was built to provide visual effect, like a folly tower, when looking westwards from the Abbey inland.

HARTLAND ABBEY

Hartland Abbey was not the only one in North Devon. It was originally founded not on the present site, by Gytha in the mid 11th century as a thanksgiving for the escape of her husband, Earl Godwin, from shipwreck. (A nice thought that, she was pleased to have him home again!) It was refounded on the present site in 1169, but went the way of the rest of English abbeys at the Dissolution. There are now scanty remains incorporated in the private house. The Abbey House and Garden is open on certain days throughout the year (telephone 01237 441 264 or visit its web site: www.hartlandabbey.com).

On leaving the Warren Tower, walk back towards the cliffs. Here you can look right over the cliffs to Hartland Quay with its hotel, a tremendous sight, but the view back from the slipway of the cliffs is even more impressive, particularly to those with even a slight geological interest.

The path goes forward to the Rocket Apparatus House, once used to store life-saving gear; having walked this coast no one will doubt of its need in time past.

After going through the stile by The Rocket House, the path turns down the road and down onto the magnificent Hartland Quay, where you will find refreshment and wonderful views.

HARTLAND QUAY

Hartland Quay is an interesting place in its own right. There was a quay and small harbour here from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I until the 19th century. A severe gale in 1887 partly destroyed the pier and it was completely destroyed in another gale in 1896. Mixed cargoes were brought ashore including glass from Sunderland and lead for the repair of Hartland Church.

There were three lime kilns and a malt house on the quay. The commerce was enough to warrant a small bank which issued £1 and £5 notes until 1833. The inn has had various titles over the years, being known as the Mariner's Rest, the New Inn and The Hoops. Whether it was the lime kilns which caused the thirst is not known, but it is on record that in 1874 the inn was closed for a while because of excessive drinking!

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