WOOLACOMBE to BRAUNTON Stage 8 (28th July 2007)

We left at 9.30, walked along the hard wet sand on the beach as far as (1.5miles). Leaving the beach by the car park steps we climbed a steep grassy path to join the coast path going right, high up on . This is an excellent high level, relatively flat section all the way to the headland, with views of Lundy. We saw whitethroats (?) and heard their rasping song. After the headland the path turns back to take a lower level path to village. We crossed the beach to a low path just above a low point then crossed a busy main road to take a sheltered path above it which follows the line of the road to . Then another short length of road walking before turning off right towards , just past the Golf Club entrance. The Coast Path goes beside the golf course and a military range. Then we cut off a small corner by following the road from a car park with tea served from a sea container (!) past the (a medieval wonder) before rejoining the SWCP at Caen river, then following it to . We left the path there and walked into , staying at the Brookfield B&B which was v.good. Early dinner at the George Inn. A very fine day of walking, though rather long distance, and with many different component parts. Baggy Point was especially good and Braunton Burrows proved just as interesting in a contrasting way.
Total time (including stops) around 6.5 hours. Length of walk: 18.0km Ascent on walk 385m

The South West Coast Path is the longest of the official UK National Trails, running from Minehead in Somerset round the English south west peninsula coast to Poole in Dorset. The total length is just over 1000 kilometres or, more precisely, 630 miles. Only very dedicated walkers could contemplate completing the whole walk in one go, although plenty of people have done just this. Received opinion is that it would take around 6 weeks, even for the most dedicated.

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