Coleridge Way and South West Coast Path

Saturday 5th September 2020

During these few days that I had in the Exmoor National Park I had been walking along the coastal path that is part of the South West Coast Path and had completed about half the Exmoor coastline covering the distance from Combe Martin, in the west, to just after Foreland Point. This was my last day in Exmoor on this holiday and I thought I would go to the eastern end of the Exmoor coastline and walk along the coastal path from Minehead, but eventually I decided I would simply continue my trek along the South West Coast Path starting from my furthest point, just after Foreland Point. Leaving the Caffyns Farm campsite, where I had been staying while in Exmoor, I drove through the tortuous bends and steep roads of Lynmouth and up to the car park near Foreland Point, beside Barna Barrow. Crossing the road I took a bridlepath that gradually descends around Holden Head before plunging into the woodland at the bottom of the East Lyn valley. Three days before I had walked from Watersmeet, a short distance down the river from this point, along the course of the Coleridge Way, a long distance trail that runs from Lynmouth to Coleridge Cottage in the Quantock Hills. Now I resumed my trek along that trail following the East Lyn River upstream.

Initially it was rather overcast as I descended into the valley, but the sun soon came out with the woodland providing me with some speckled sunshine as I headed through the valley. After passing Rockford and Alderford I eventually reached Brendon where the path climbs the northern bank of the valley that had now widened and was no longer wooded. It wasn’t too long before the path started to descend again as I approached a sharp right turn in the valley where the valley narrows delectably through Ashton Cleave. Back down beside the river I was in awe of the surroundings but frustrated at not being able to take a good picture of it due to some cloud cover. The valley soon opened up again near Lorna Doone Farm and Malmsmead where the river splits into Badgeworthy Water and Oare Water. The Coleridge Way soon leaves the Oare Water and heads uphill, but I left the trail to follow a path through Derry Combe. Most of the way it seemed to be a good route, but before reaching the top I crossed a fence and found very boggy ground and no path so it was only by dragging myself through bogs, briar and steep slopes that I was able to reach the top of the combe.

Looking back I realised it would have been better to have climbed the ridge on the Coleridge Way and then branched off to the top of Derry Combe. From there the Coleridge Way heads over the main road and down the hill to the South West Coast Path, which is also what I was doing, but on a different path over Yenworthy Common. Soon I reached a path coming in from the right that is marked as being the South West Coast Path, but is an inland alternative and is not marked on my Harvey map of the route. As the skies cleared of the lingering cloud the path descended increasingly steeply through gorgeous woodland scenery to reach the official coast path. Turning left I proceeded along the wide track all the way back to my car but this was initially very dull with no views out to sea and on a tedious path. A steep climb up this dreary track exhausted and frustrated me as I toiled up the unrelenting slope until eventually the coast path came off the track after leaving me absolutely worn out. Not long after that the coastal path finally left the wide tracks behind to head off along fabulous, narrow paths that cling precipitously high above steep slopes that fall all the way down to the sea far below with stunning views across the Bristol Channel.

Unfortunately my view was often obscured by thick rhododendron groves that despite previous attempts to cut them back had returned as thick as ever. This fabulous path continued through gorgeous woodland above Glenthorne Cliffs until eventually I came out of the woodland beside the service road for Foreland Point lighthouse that I had climbed three days before. Once again, I left the coastal path, climbing up this road all the way to Barna Barrow where I had parked breaking one of the rules of circular walking. You shouldn’t park at the top of a hill because then you have to climb up to your car at the end of a long, tiring walk, but this is a rule that I break annoyingly frequently. This was an enjoyable walk with some lovely moments such as in the wooded valley and along the terraced path above Glenthorne Cliffs, but it was also very exhausting. I had finished the walk early, about two o’clock, because I had a long drive ahead of me, though it was disappointing that the weather was now good after poor weather had blighted most of my time in Exmoor. I had originally planned to spend more time in Exmoor, but that didn’t happen, so after just four days I had left plenty more to come back and see, which hopefully would not be too far in the future.