Westward Ho to Instow - 11 miles

I’ve had another lovely walk today – in the sunshine and pretty much on the flat.  When Ann took me for a little walk around the block before breakfast she wasn’t very happy.  It was raining, windy and generally felt rather cold.  ......But she was determined to do this walk come rain or shine, so I’d resigned myself to the fact that I was going to be a soggy doggie today.

Ann left her car in Instow for free and then Angela parked hers (£2.50 for the day) at Westward Ho.  Angela had worked out what direction the wind would be blowing so thought that we’d be best walking from Westward Ho rather than vice versa.  It was raining a lot when we were in the car however by the time we’d driven to Instow and then back to Westward Ho it had stopped.  In fact today turned out to be the best day of the whole weekend. 

On the beach at Westward Ho

I've found a tennis ball

First we had to walk round the Royal North Devon Golf Club and Northam Burrows Country Park.  Almost as soon as I got let off my lead I found a tennis ball.  Ann said she wasn’t going to throw it for me but I knew if I did my ‘appealing look’ Angela would.  I had about an hour and a half playing with it.  I was zooming about all over.  It was such fun.  But then we had to walk along a road into Appledore.  I had to go on my lead.  Ann said I could carry the ball if I wanted to keep it.  However, I accidently dropped it and I wasn’t allowed to go back for it, so that was the end of that. 

Me - in Bideford

Once we got through Appledore I was allowed to go off lead again as the coastal path went down by the Torridge Estuary and then up a little hill and through woods.  However once we got to the outskirts of Bideford I had to go back on my lead.  In fact I had to stay on my lead all the way from Bideford back to Instow.  On this section we were back on the Tarka Trail again but the path was running parallel to a very busy road so Ann said just to be on the safe side I had to stay on my lead. 

Today’s walk took us just under 5 hours.

Almost at the end of 50 miles walking

It’s been lovely having Angela walking with us.  It’s so much easier when we don’t have to get public transport to the start of our walks. 

Also ‘Sundene House’ has to be the best B&B in the world.  I’ve had a lovely time here.  I’m not sure what section of the SWCP we’ll be walking next.  I know I’m a super fit collie but 50 miles of walking in just four days is tiring even for me!

Woolacombe to Braunton - 15 miles

Woolacombe Beach

Today we walked 15 miles in 6 hours.  It was a relatively easy walk today apart from the wind.  We had to walk along three very big beaches and it was very, very windy on all of them.  However apart from that I’ve had a lovely day and now I’m very tired.



On my best behaviour beside the sheep.



Ann parked her car at Braunton and then Angela drove us to Woolacombe.  We were able to park both cars for free.  There were lots of people walking on Woolacombe beach and the tide was going out so I was able to have a good run.  That was fun.  It took us about an hour to get to the end of the beach and then I had to go back on my lead because we had to walk round the headland to Baggy Point and there were lots of sheep grazing.  I can’t be trusted not to go chasing when there are sheep about.  However, I was a very good girl.  I just trotted along sensibly by Ann’s side.  Angela was very impressed with me. 

I need the loo now!



Fun on the beach

   After we’d walked round the Baggy Point headland we got to Croyde beach.  Angela wanted to go to the toilet but lots of sand had blown off the beach and made a little sand dune that she had to climb over to get in.  It was quite funny – and no way could she shut the door so I had to stand guard.

Braunton Burrows

I found a tennis ball on Croyde beach.  Even though I’d been walking for 2 hours at this point I still had loads of energy left for running.  In fact I got to play with the ball for the whole of the time on the beach.  Then Ann said I had to leave it there for another doggie to enjoy.  I wasn’t really very keen on that idea but she took it off me, put me on my lead and threw the ball back on the beach.  I had to stay on my lead until we got to the Saunton Sands Hotel because the SWCP went along the road for a little while.  I was a very good girl and walked sensibly. 

From Saunton Sands Hotel we went down onto the beach at Braunton Burrows.  The beach there was ever so long.  It was only 1pm at this point which lulled us into a false sense of security.  Even though Ann knew this walk was 15 miles she thought it would just be a gentle stroll along the beach and then we’d be back in Braunton.  Actually it was a three hour walk along the beach, back to the car, with us walking directly into the wind!  It was ever so hard to walk & I started to get a little bit tired.  I didn’t do any running because I was concentrating on how to stop the sand blowing in my eyes.  There weren’t any streams for me to have a drink out of so Ann had to stop to give me some water because I was very thirsty.  If the tide had been in we would have had to have walked along the path which went behind the dunes.  In retrospect this would have been a better option as it probably wouldn’t have been so windy. 

When we got to the end of the beach we then had to follow the path through the dunes which ran alongside the River Taw, then we had to walk alongside a much smaller river; the River Caen, until we got back to Braunton.  I was a little bit naughty in this last section – I’d managed to stay lovely and clean for the whole of the walk and then about 15 mins before we got back to the car I went wallowing in a muddy pool.  Well, I needed to cool down a bit, though I have to say Ann wasn’t too pleased with me.  However, she likes to see me having fun so she wasn’t too angry with me.

Today’s walk has been great and I really enjoyed it but I have to admit I am getting very tired.  Ann says we have one more long walk to do tomorrow – Westward Ho to Instow which is 11 miles – and then I can spend the rest of the week relaxing.

 

At the end of our walk




 

Braunton to Instow - 13 miles

On the Tarka Trail

Today’s walk was so, so much easier than yesterdays.  Originally we thought we might walk from Combe Martin to Woolacombe but as that part of the SWCP is described as moderate to strenuous we decided against it.  At least Ann decided against it.  She said she couldn’t cope with another day of hard walking.  Instead we walked along the Tarka Trail from Braunton to Instow which was easy peasy.

Ann parked her car (for free) by the beach in Instow and then Angela drove us to Braunton where we also parked for free – one of the advantages of doing our walks out of season.  When walking with friends, Ann prefers us to be the driver at the end of the walk because she says I often stink.  I suppose I do have a habit of wallowing in mud and swimming in every bit of water I can find.  I’m ever such a good girl if I have to go in some one else’s car – I just sit by Ann’s feet in the foot well.  But in my own car the boot is all kitted out for me with towels, etc, so Ann doesn’t mind how muddy I get.

This walk wasn’t as exciting as yesterdays walk for me – there were no pheasants to chase.  But compared to yesterday, this walk was like a stroll in the park!  Because the Tarka Trail (which is part of the SWCP) follows what used to be a railway line around the coast it was all very flat.  No hills at all which I have to say pleased Ann.  The only problem with this walk was that it was very, very windy, but compared to the strenuous ups and downs of yesterday, it wasn’t a problem at all.

The never ending road!

We had to walk up one side of the River Taw to Barnstaple and then back down the other side to Instow.  I was off my lead for most of the way although when we got to the section around Barnstaple, Ann said I had to go on my lead just to be on the safe side.  I didn’t do anything naughty on this walk.  Well, actually there wasn’t any opportunity for me to do anything naughty?!

As far as walks go it was pretty boring as far as I was concerned – walking along an old railway route doesn’t leave much room for deviation.

Also it was a pretty dismal day.  It didn’t rain but the sun never shone.  We think the views would have been so much better if it had been a nice day.  However, I’ve had another lovely day.  Our walk today took us about 5 hours and now I’m very tired.

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.

Shaldon to Torquay - 11 miles

I've got a long way to go.

Today was one of the hardest walks we have done on the SWCP.  11 miles of walking up and down very steep cliffs.  It took us 6 hours of non stop walking to complete this walk and now we are both very tired.  Ann is lying on the sofa and I have just gone straight to bed!

We got the 8.45am No. 11 bus from Torquay to Shaldon.  It cost £3.80 for Ann and 50p for my 'pet explorer' ticket.  The bus driver was very helpful and told us which stop to get off at and also told us how tired he'd been when he'd done the walk.  Stupidly, we just thought he was exgagerating when he said it was a very tiring walk.  Ann had told me that the first section out of Shaldon would be hard but for some reason she thought the rest of it would be easy.  Why she thought that, I don't know?  It was all hard - very hard.

Lovely sunny day, we can see for miles

We started our walk at 9.15am.  Shaldon is a very pretty place - lovely little cottages, a lot with thatched roofs.  It was a beautiful day and we got a good view of Teignmouth which is more than could be said for our walk on Wednesday.  Also once we'd climbed the first hill out of Shaldon we could see right the way up the coast to Exmouth.  Infact we could see for miles in every direction.  We could see all the way down the coast to the headland before Torquay and we could see all the way over to Dorset and the Chesil Beach.  It was lovely to have some sun for a change. 

Dartmoor Ponies

I really enjoyed this walk because I was off my lead for pretty much all of the walk until I got back to Torquay.  There were a few places when I had to go back on my lead because the walk went alongside the road for a couple of mins, and once I had to go back on my lead because Ann spotted sheep.  Normally I'm quite observant and would have seen them first, but I was having such fun running about sniffing all the new smells and generally just having a good time, that I'd failed to notice that there was a whole flock of sheep in the field we were walking though.  I was really confused when I got put back on my lead 'cos I knew I hadn't done anything naughty.  However Ann told me I was a good girl and I only had to stay on my lead for a couple of mins.  We also saw some Dartmoor ponies.  There were signs saying that we weren't to approach them because they might bite.  I'm normally quite good with horses (unless they're running in which case I chase them) so Ann said she was going to trust me to walk sensibly through their field.  I managed to do that perfectly.  



Fun in the woods

This walk went through a lot of woody areas and through a lot of fields.  But, whether it was wood or field the path was all very, very up and down.  Ann was really slow at walking up the hills so I raced to the top and then had to come back down again to check she was following me.  This meant that I probably walked double what she did.  No wonder I'm a tired collie.  Also there wasn't a great deal of streams on this walk for me to drink out of, nor did the path go right down to the sea on many occasions so I had to rely on Ann giving me drinks at regular intervals.  The trouble is Ann didn't really want to stop too often.  We stopped for a few mins a couple of times and sat on benches admiring the view but Ann complained that her feet and knees hurt after a stop.



Oddicombe Beach

 Ann said that when we got to Babbacombe we'd find a nice pub or cafe and stop for some lunch.  But she hadn't really thought about the fact that we were walking the coast path and not walking through the centre of Babbacombe.  After about 3 hours of walking we got to Oddicombe Beach in Babbacombe where we had to walk up & down the side of the Babbacombe Cliff  Railway.  I didn't like that.  The train wasn't running but I still didn't like the railway track.  However I did get to have a swim in the sea and then Ann spotted a pub at the end of the beach where she thought we could maybe go for lunch.  It had a dog bowl full of water outside so we thought it was probably dog friendly but the menu outside seemed very 'restaurant orienated' (and all Ann wanted was soup or a sandwich) so we thought it was probably too posh for us.  Ann wasn't really very hungry anyway but we both could have done with a sit down. 

Relaxing

For some reason Ann thought that Babbacombe was only a couple of miles from Torquay.  Well it probably was if we'd gone the direct route.  But of course we were walking the coastal path so it was probably another 5 miles or so.  Another 5 miles of walking up and down. 

When we got to the headland at 'Long Quarry Point' we thought we'd just have to go around the corner to get to Torquay.  When we got to the headland at 'Black Head we thought we'd just have to go around the corner to get to Torquay.  When we got to the headland at 'Hope's Nose' we thought we'd just have to go around the corner to get to Torquay.  When we got to the headland at 'Thatcher Point' we thought we'd just have to go around the corner to get to Torquay.  When we got to 'Meadfoot Beach' we thought we'd just have to go around the corner to get to Torquay.  When we got to 'Daddyhole Cove' we thought we'd just have to go around the corner to get to Torquay.  When we got to 'London Bridge' we thought we'd just have to go around the corner to get to Torquay.  When we got to 'Saddle Rock' we thought we'd just have to go around the corner to get to Torquay.  Finally, when we got to the 'Millstones' we went around the corner and we could see Torquay.

Torquay Harbour

The harbour in Torquay was such a welcome sight at the end of this walk because we knew then we only had a mile or so to walk back to our apartment.

Today's walk has been lovely but I'm so glad the weather has been good.  Ann said we were going to do this walk whatever the weather, but if it had been as wet as it's been for the last 3 days I think we would have had to abandon it and get a bus or a taxi back to our apartment.

I've really enjoyed my walking holiday in Torquay but I'm absolutely shattered now.  I know I'm a collie and am supposed to be able to keep going forever but as I said before, I've walked double what Ann has, and 22 miles in 6 hours is hard going - even for a speedy, full of energy, collie like me!

Brixham to Torquay - 9 miles

Brixham Harbour

Yesterday we didn't do a walk because it poured with rain all day.  However today we decided to walk from Brixham to Torquay.  It was rainning quite hard when I had a little walk first thing this morning but by the time I'd finished breakfast it was looking brighter so we felt a bit more optimistic that we wouldn't get soaked.

We got the number 12 bus at 9.45am which took us all the way to Brixham in about 35 mins.  It cost £3.30 for Ann & 50p for me.

Fun in the woods

Our walk today took us exactly 3 hours and was an easy walk, at least it would have been if it hadn't been so wet.  As soon as we got past Brixham harbour I was allowed off my lead and I didn't have to go back on it until we got to Paignton.  The first part of the walk was lovely.  We were walking through woods and I had ever such a good time running about and sniffing all the new smells.  The only trouble was the path was really muddy so I got ever so dirty.  However there were lots of little coves and beaches on this walk so I was able to go swimming every so often to get clean. 

Even though it wasn't raining on the first part of our walk the views weren't that great.  It was quite misty so we couldn't really see Torquay that well.  The views would have been stunning if the sun had been shining.  This section of the SWCP is quite heavily populated and we met lots of other people who were walking their dogs - but I bet none of them were going as far as me.

Soggy doggie - on the way to Paignton

We were just thinking how lucky we were that it wasn't raining when guess what?  It started to absolutely pour down with rain.  Ann was quite cross because she knew there were lots of little cafes & pubs on Paignton sea front and she'd thought we could maybe stop at one for some lunch.  By the time we got to Paignton though we were both soaked through and no way did Ann want to take off all her wet clothes just to put them back on again.  So we decided we'd just keep walking as Paignton is only about 2 - 3 miles from Torquay and we knew it wouldn't take us very long.  Also when we got to Paignton I had to go back on my lead because the SWCP goes along the main road into Torquay.  I was a very good girl today, I walked sensibly on my lead and only barked at two buses even though we saw loads.

Soggy Doggie in Paignton

Todays walk was lovely and I really enjoyed it.  Ann was very pleased with my behaviour today so I'm a happy hound.

Starcross to Teignmouth - 8 miles

It was raining today when we got up today but Ann said we were on a walking holiday, so walk we would do!

We drove to Teignmouth and managed to park in a car park where it only cost us £1.10 for the whole day.  Then we had to have a wander around to find our bus stop.  We got the No. 2 bus to Starcross at 9.33am.  It cost us £4.30 - £3.80 for Ann and 50p for me.  It was a big double decker bus but there was hardly any one on it.  It took us about 30 mins to get to Starcross.

I have to say this was not one of my most favourite walks.  Firstly, it was raining for the whole walk so I ended up soaking wet.  Secondly, I had to stay on my lead for the whole walk.  A lot of the time I was walking along roads and when I wasn't walking along roads I was walking along the path by the railway and there were signs saying that doggies had to be kept on their leads.

If the weather had been better we're sure we would have had lovely views over to Exmouth and also down the coast towards Teignmouth.  But it rained constantly, it was quite misty at times, the sea was very choppy and no-one else was stupid enough to be walking about.  Also because it was so wet Ann couldn't get her camera out and take photos so we've only got one.

It took us 2 hours & 40 mins to do this walk.  If it had been a nice day we could have stopped for a coffee in Dawlish or had a wander around Teignmouth at the end of our walk.  It was an easy walk (or would have been if it hadn't been raining the whole time), the whole walk was pretty much on the flat.  I think we only walked up and down one hill in the whole of the walk.

Anyway, that's another 8 miles of the SWCP walked.  Let's hope my next two days of walking are better?!