Clovelly to Westward Ho - 11 miles

This has got to be one of the hardest walks we have ever done.  Almost 7 hours of walking nonstop.  We started our walk at 9.45am and got back to the car at 4.30pm.  The official SWCP website describes this walk as 11 miles of easy to strenuous walking.  We are starting to wonder just exactly who measures the length of these walks?  And who puts up the sign posts.  This walk was very confusing!  Firstly, it definitely seemed to be much, much, longer than 11 miles.  And secondly, the signposts were not very accurate.  For example, we regularly passed signposts saying it was a certain distance to a place; we would walk half a mile to a mile, and then see another signpost saying that it was further than the original one.  Very odd!

At the start of our walk

Anyway I have had a lovely day.  Ann left her car at Westaward Ho (£2.50 to park it all day – out of season) & then her friend, Angela, drove us to Clovelly.   We didn’t have to pay there because we arrived before 10am.  Normally we would have had to purchase a ticket to park, enter the tiny one street pedestrian village, etc. etc.  It was extremely windy in the car park.  Ann had forgotten to bring a hat and her ears were getting cold.  However once we got into the woods it was lovely.

For some reason Ann thought that the first bit of the walk was going to be the strenuous part (she obviously didn’t read the map properly) but the first couple of hours were actually very easy as we were walking along a made up track.  We were walking through woods.  In fact we walked through woods for at least four hours of this walk.  It was fab.  There were zillions of pheasants in the woods and I went zooming about chasing them.  Ann told me I had to pace myself but I didn’t really know what that meant so I must have run more than 10 miles in a couple of hours. 

Poorly sheep

This was a hard walk

Bucks Mills



Another steep hill!

 Ann had brought water for me but there were loads of little streams for me to wallow in and have a drink out of.  Unfortunately there was absolutely nowhere on this walk for Ann & Angela to stop for a coffee or have something to eat.  However they knew this, so they’d had a big breakfast before we left.

               After we’d been walking for a couple of hours we came out of the woods and had to cross a field before going back into the woods.  Ann said I had to go on my lead ‘just to be on the safe side’.  We couldn’t see any sheep but there were sheep in a neighbouring field and because we couldn’t see the whole field we didn’t know if there might be sheep further on.  There wasn’t – but then we spotted a sheep just lying by the fence.  We were able to go right up to it.  It wasn’t very well.  I had to sit by Ann’s side while Angela went to see what was wrong with it.  The sheep didn’t move while Angela felt all over it to see if she could work out what was wrong.  We think it might have had a broken leg.  We didn’t really know what to do so me & Ann stayed and looked after the sheep and Angela’s rucksack & walking sticks while she went to the next field where the other sheep were, to see if she could see anyone (we’d spotted a guy riding around on a bike that we’d thought was maybe a ‘modern day’ shepherd) but she couldn’t.  Then she walked up the hill to some barns and a couple of houses but no one was there.  We had no option but to leave the sheep where it was.   However, the one and only couple that we met on this walk, soon after, said they’d try and contact someone once they got to Clovelly.  We actually must have spent at least half an hour trying to find someone to help.  We diverged off the path to go to the ‘Bideford Bay Holiday Village’ looking for someone to help us (it was closed for winter and no one was about).  We also spoke to some guys just outside Buck’s Mills who were erecting a new seat and some guys in Buck’s Mills village.  But no-one knew who the farmer was.  We’re hoping the couple we met, who were walking to Clovelly, managed to contact someone.  The sheep was really sweet – I liked it.

Once we got past Buck’s Mills the walk got really, really hard.  We were still walking through woods for a lot of the way but the path went up and down constantly – until we were about 2 miles from Westward Ho.  I pretty much ran about for the entire walk.  In fact I was off my lead for the whole walk (apart from a few times when we walked past fields of sheep) until we got back to Westward Ho and had to walk along the road back to the car.  Ann & Angela started to get quite tired but they knew they had to keep going.  We weren’t near any civilisation, we only saw a couple of other people walking and this walk was actually quite isolated.  Ann said she was glad that Angela was walking with us.  She was glad she wasn’t doing it by herself.  Well, she’s never by herself – I’m always with her.

Today’s walk was brilliant.   I have had such fun. 

Ann and Angela were thinking of walking from Combe Martin to Woolacombe tomorrow which is 15 miles of moderate/strenuous walking.  They’re tired so have told me we are going to do an easy section of the SWCP tomorrow instead.  I don’t mind where we go. 

Actually I have to admit I’m very tired too.  I’ve been asleep on my duvet since about 6pm.  Ann & Angela went out for something to eat and I was allowed to stay here by myself and snooze.  Ann took me out for a quick wee when she came back and then I went straight back to bed.  Well, a collie does have to conserve ones energy for another long walk tomorrow. 

Just in case anyone is interested – we’re staying at ‘Sundene House’ in ‘Northam’ (just outside Westward Ho).  This is the best B&B we have ever stayed in.  Absolutely great location for walking in North Devon.  We have a ground floor suite (Angela has a first floor suite).  Ann has a double bedroom all for herself, and then Ann & I share the living room which has a TV, microwave & fridge.  I have my travelling duvet in this room.  And we’ve also got an en-suite shower room.  The owners, Harry & Louise are lovely, their children are lovely (they like me) & the breakfasts are lovely.  There are no rules or regulations.  I think they only have 3 letting rooms/suites and as there’s only us and Angela here I’m allowed in the breakfast/sitting room.  Also I’m allowed to stay in the suite by myself.  Just how good is that?  And all this for £35 per night.  This really is the best place to be.  I love it!

I'm exhausted.