We’re not going to walk as far today. Probably not. From here the hills are less big and less frequent. It’s more of an ambling coast path for a while. Ilfracombe is next followed by Woolacombe and Croyde. We should be able to stop at any if we want to.
An early coffee stop on the way out of Combe Martin by Watermouth harbour was followed by gentle rises and dips to give Devonshire coast postcard views. Ambling along to Ilfracombe a hillside of houses soon appeared with a much nicer bay before its harbour. The climbs were hot but short.
Ilfracombe was busy and my power bank was throwing an error when I tried to charge anything so I needed a new one. We wasted time wandering around the tatty shops of the high street to no luck. Pasty and coke under local Damien Hirst’s anatomical pregnant Verity statue for lunch and we were off again past the we-don’t-recommend-swimming-here-because-the-water-quality-is-so-bad and coast path acorn signs.
Twelve more kilometres, maybe, we considered as we flicked our feet forwards to Woolacombe. After the climbs and gorges of the first two days the ups and downs were still up and down but less up and less down. A sit in a quiet bay with no-one around and later a stop to look at seals and seal pups with many people about. Bull point marked a turn as we had walked west up to here with South Wales and home just in view on the horizon but now we were turned to south and away.
Something about the trail around Morte point triggered a memory of little children needing to hold my hand and walk with me. I saw Jack’s blonde head and felt Annabel’s tiny hand holding onto my two fingers. The sense of loss staggered me. I could hear Annabel nattering away ten to the dozen as we wandered the coast or I picked her up from school to home. We used to camp and beach and walk together but they’ve grown up and become their own people as is the aim of raising children. I will never have that again.
At Woolacombe, where I once misspent a week of my youth and did not recognise we had a phone signal so checked out campsites. I rang one near Croyde but we could cut the head off the main path and get there in 4km. We will rejoin the path and walk Baggy Point tomorrow. The sun lowered but did not set as we walked above the huge beach. Walking all day has been giving us some lovely finishes.
You’re not the same person at the end of the path as you were at the start.
30km and 1130m of ascent.