HomeEnd
Your are fairly marching on Dave, the views are great and glad it has dried up for you.

Coasting Round Britain

30th March 2013 to 12th July 2014
Exmouth to Poole (50)
4448 out of 5630 miles completed

Log No 291. Mon 21st Apr 2014 - Exmouth to Beer, 18 miles (4448 miles walked)


Salterton
Todays forecast was for cloud and a few showers and when I left at 08.15 it was dry enough not to need any waterproofs on.

It was an easy walk along the clifftop going through the big holiday park then a steady climb up followed by a steady descent into Salterton with it's pebble beach.

Looking back to Salterton
After a small detour to get round the River Otter I was back on the rolling clifftop and the weather was improving.

I had been going for two hours and I was needing to find somewhere to sit for a food stop. The first bench I came to was at Brandy Head.

The coastline from Brandy Head
From here the red cliffs of Devon's Jurassic coast really stood out and I had a clear indication of the walk ahead of me.

Unlike the previous days the route was along the top of the cliffs rather than on the side of a slope and the climbs & falls, although high, were generally long steady gradients.

Ladram Bay
I dropped down to the next holiday park at Ladram Bay.

All the bays seemed to have pebble beaches and the beach here was at the bottom of the vertical cliff.

The coastline to Sidmouth from High Peak
I climbed up through grassy fields and a small wood to High Peak.

It had turned into a fine sunny day with no sign of the forecast rain and it was warm work going up the hills.

Looking to Sidmouth
It was along the top for a bit and then a steep descent through another small wood to the road into Sidmouth.

The sea front path at Sidmouth
The sea front promenade had to get round a rocky outcrop and the soft rock was full of inscriptions of one form or another.

I had some lunch on a sea front bench before starting the next climb up Salcombe Hill.

The coastline to Branscombe Mouth
It was down to Salcombe Mouth, up Dunscombe Cliff then a steep drop right down onto the pebble beach at Weston Mouth and right back up Weston Cliff.

For a change there was a good level section before the next drop down to Branscombe Mouth.

It was a sunny Easter Monday and there were a lot of people about and a surprising number prepared to climb up these hills.

Looking back from Beer Head
I was nearly done for the day with my campsite at Beer just over the next long steep hill.

For the first time today the Coast Path didn't go all the way up the hill but turned off to go through a static caravan park in the side of the sloping cliff.

The path continued along this slope eventually climbing up to rejoin the main path on the clifftop.

The campsite was just round the corner from this last headland, Beer Head, and I got there at 16.15.

18 miles in a relaxed 8 hours.