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Derek's Walking Home Page.com WALKING THE SOUTH WEST COASTAL PATH

In recent years Colin Middleton & I have been given permission by our better halves to go walking for a week each year. Aren't we lucky. This year, 2002, was the fourth year walking the South/West Coastal Path. We have now walked from Minehead to Cape Cornwall and cycled in the opposite direction. Last year we were not permitted to continue from Hartland Quay due to the Foot & Mouth disease, so we started from Padstow. This year we completed the gap and walked/cycled between Hartland Point and Padstow. A task we will never forget. Who said this section we undulating? Not to mention the weather. It must have been the coldest, wettest and windiest July week since the last ice age. Follow the walk by photos right here. For more information on each day's walk see "Lifetime of Walks by Derek Harwood"

If you have any queries about the pictures please e-mail me at: webmaster@harwoodonline.com
HARTLAND QUAY - CRACKINGTON ..... 131.5 Miles
29th June to 4th July 2002
Saturday 29th June -------- Hartland Quay to Luckey Hole
............................................. SWCP No: 10 ................................Walk No: 508
15oC. 98% Cloud. 2% Rain. Breazy. Good underfoot. Spectacular 200 metre cliffs. 85% Enjoyment.
Good parking for bus on green outside pub at Crosstown, tide is coming in. Started cycling from Luckey Hole 12:30 approx. 12 miles, only one steep hill walked. Started walking from carpark above Hartland Quay at 14:00. I realised at St Catherine's Tor that I had misplaced my map case because of all the photos I had taken with Tracey's digital camera. Seven steep declines and climbs into valleys and cliff tops. Approx 4000ft of climbing plus cycle ride. Excellent views of coastline and Isle of Lundy. Shower on Knap Head could be seen coming towards us across the sea. Finished walk at 18:45 at Crosstown. Not many seagulls but a variety of other birds, skylarks, crows. Large lumps of metal on edge of cliff at Knap Head, including long length of thick steel rope and pulley. A small section of railway, track could be seen at sea level.
.................................................12 miles cycling...................8 miles walking

Sunday 30th June ---------- Luckey Hole to Bude
............................................... SWCP No: 11 ................................Walk No: 509
15oC. 95% Cloud. Watery Sunshine. Good underfoot. Radio dishes huge. 85% Enjoyment.
Rained in the early hours. Biked from Lynstone Camp Site Bude to Crosstown via main road. Start 9:20, finish 10:20 1.5 hours, 7 miles. My chain came off Tracey's bike just before village shop. Struggled to find a level to free it. Chained bikes around pole guide at the end. Started walking at 11:00 down track from Crosstown to coastal path. Very steep drops and climbs of approx 400ft on numerous occasions. Good views of dishes in radio station grounds. Colin and I had to dodge the charging bullock around station perimeter fence. We armed ourselves with rocks but we didn't need them. Colin looked for his old canoe storage shed he had used years ago when he canoes in the sea. Route not obvious through Bude. No coastal path signs visible, crossed river by bridge and walked past huge candle monument to canal. We walked back and crossed at bridge, but we should have crossed at lock. Finished 15:15 4¼ hours walking.
.................................................13 miles cycling...................7 miles walking

Monday 1st July ------------ Bude to Crackington
............................................... SWCP No: 12 ................................Walk No: 510
16oC. 70% Cloud. 5% Rain. Very Windy. Muddy in places.
Campsite at Bude Start cycle 10:15, finish 11:15. Start walking 11:30, finish 16:00. Gale force wind and rain on our back via A39, 12.5 miles with top speed downhill with wind. 16ºC, windy chill dramatic with gale force winds, cloud 70ºC, rain 5%, 80% enjoy. Good underfoot but muddy in places after rain. Rain in early morning and during breakfast. Tent consistently shaking and sea roaring loud in background. Difficult to walk straight due to wind, especially from Bude to Widemouth Bay and the steep valleys from Dizzard to Crackington. I always thought it was a shame to miss the views when walking in or passing bushes on the seaward side of the path, today it was a delight to have some shelter from the consistent gusty wind. Overtook a man with his dog going from Penhalt cliff to Millook. The fast approaching storm visible across the sea finally hit us as we reach the bottom of the valley. Looked for a shelter and finally dashed to a fisherman's hut with a veranda, by the stony beach. We were not sure if it was occupied but nobody questioned us. The man with the dog soon joined us and we had a good natter waiting for the storm to pass. At times the rain was horizontal. The man was a school inspector from Dewsbury. He inspected Campion at Leamington 3 years ago. Arrived at Crackington to the parked bus just before another shower. The bus was parked down a steep slope to a lush field. We were the only vehicle parked in the field. Arrived back at Bude and enjoyed a welcome pint of 'Doom' real ale in the pub. Lots of white horses on the sea. Plenty of skylarks singing again. Colin disturbed approx a dozen grass birds just before Widemouth Bay, don't know what they were.
................................................12.5 miles cycling.................10 miles walking
29 June 02 SW Path - Hartland Quay - Colin at start of walk
29 June 02 SW Path - Lundy from Hartland Quay
29 June 02 SW Path - Lundy and Hartland Quay
29 June 02 SW Path - Photographer south of and near Hartland Quay
29 June 02 SW Path - Lundy and Hartland Quay Coast Line
29 June 02 SW Path - Knap Head
29 June 02 SW Path - Gull Rock
Midland Hillwalkers Home Page
29 June 02 SW Path - Colin above Welcome Mouth 29 June 02 SW Path - Derek at Hawker's Hut 30 June 02 SW Path - Derek and bikes at Crosstown 30 June 02 SW Path - Higher Sharpnose Point 30 June 02 SW Path - Lower Sharpnose Point
30 June 02 SW Path - Lucky Hole 30 June 02 SW Path - Radio Station & Harscott High Cliff 30 June 02 SW Path - Radio Dish from Rear 30 June 02 SW Path - Radio Dishes 30 June 02 SW Path - Radio Dish
30 June 02 SW Path - Lundy & Lower Sharpnose Point 30 June 02 SW Path - Warren Point & Bude Bay 30 June 02 SW Path - Radio Dish from Steeple Point 30 June 02 SW Path - Harscott High Cliff from Steeple Point 30 June 02 SW Path - Radio Dish above Harscott High Cliff
30 June 02 SW Path - Warren Point 30 June 02 SW Path - Derek & Bude 30 June 02 SW Path - Radio Station from Bude 1 July 02 SW Path - Widemouth Bay 1 July 02 SW Path - Millook Haven & Shelter
1 July 02 SW Path - Bude Bay from Millook 1 July 02 SW Path - Derek in Woods near Castle Point 1 July 02 SW Path - Bude Bay from Dizzard Point 1 July 02 SW Path - Chipman Point 1 July 02 SW Path - Crackington from Pencannow Pointh
CRACKINGTON - PADSTOW ..... 162.5 miles
29th June to 4th July 2002
Lifetime of Walks by Derek Harwood
The South/West Coastal Path is a 'linear' walk. The obvious problem with a linear walk compared with a circular walk is returning to your vehicle. Back-packing generally solves this problem, apart from the beginning and the end of the walk. Colin and I have back-packed previously on the West Highland Way and the Coast to Coast, so we have experienced the problems first hand. Few options of clean clothes, camp sites or watering holes. A vehicle solves these problems, so we have chosen to return to the vehicle using a bicycle. On the S/W Coastal Path this means alot of extra effort, and didn't we know it.

Tuesday 2nd July -------------- Crackington to Tintagel
............................................... SWCP No: 13 ................................Walk No: 511
12oC. 100% Cloud. 75% Rain. Very Windy & cold. Wonderful 200 metre cliffs. Goats & horses on hillside. 75% Enjoyment.
Changed campsite to Tintagel. Started cycling via A39 at 11:00, finished at 12:30, rain for the second half of the ride. Started walking at 12:45. Lunch 2:00 at High Cliff and started raining soon after for the rest of the walk (stopped raining at 21:30). Commented to Colin that grass was shorter on cliff side of the fence, we could not understand. Two peaks later I noticed two horses on the side of the cliff, grazing at an angle of 30ºC approx. Very windy white horses on sea. Boscastle extremely picturesque, no photos, too wet. Harbour and village interesting. Met a couple of groups walking in the opposite direction. Very dark rocks (shale/slate) with seams of quartz. Rocky valley very picturesque just before Tintagel. No photos too wet, an excellent walk for a sunny day. Finished walking at 17:45 collected bikes at 21:15, still raining.
.................................................16 miles cycling...................11 miles walking

Wednesday 3rd July ---------- Tintagel to Port Isaac
............................................... SWCP No: 14 ................................Walk No: 512
15oC 50% Cloud. 0% Rain but very threatening at times. Windy. Good underfoot.
Started cycling from Port Isaac at 10:00am Finished cycling at Tintagel at 11:15am. Started walking from campsite Tintagel at 11:30 Colin walked on and we met up at bus in Port Isaac car park. Very windy again, more difficult cycling, this time, but plenty of white horses on the sea yet again. Took plenty of photos around Tintagel Head and the castle. Passed youth hostel by old mines. Easy walking to Trebarwith Strand, then the big climbs down and up started again, just like Hartland to Bude a few days earlier. Gull Rock very steep sided and close at Dennis Point. Good views back to Tintagel Church and on to Port Isaac and Pentire Head. Talked with lots of couples on route, all having a relaxing break and a walk. Again nobody else walking the Way while we were walking. Some of the steps in and out of the deep valleys were full of water from the previous night and day's rain. Not many signs of the recent rains, one or two puddles and a little more slippery in the cows fields. The streams seemed to be flowing as normal with the stepping stones easy to navigate. Some of the way was far more overgrown than normal, especially in restricted places, such as between hedge and farmer's fence. No steps down from Disbole Point, extremely dangerous. Gorse bushes on left, barbed wire on right. Finished walk at Port Isaac at 4:15pm. 4¾ hours.
.................................................10 miles cycling...................9 miles walking

Thursday 4th July -------------- Port Isaac to Rock (Padstow)
............................................... SWCP No: 15 ................................Walk No: 513
16oC. 65% Cloud. 0% Rain. Sunny perids & Breezy. Good underfoot. Looked for seals without any luck. Plenty of wild foxgloves. 90% Enjoyment.
Started cycling 9:40 from Rock, finished cycling 10:30 at Port Isaac. Started walking at 10:30am, and finished walking at Rock 15:45pm. I took photos at Port Isaac fishing village while Colin walked on. No canon found at or near Green Gardens Cove. Fully obvious at entrance to Port Quin. Good walking conditions, not too sunny and not too warm.
.................................................8 miles cycling....................11 miles walking
2 July 02 SW Path - Colin & Bikes at Crackington
2 July 02 SW Path - Goats on Cambeak
2 July 02 SW Path - Colin at Little Strand
2 July 02 SW Path - Voter Run
4 July 02 SW Path - Rusey Cliff
2 July 02 SW Path - Derek - Lunch on High Cliff
3 July 02 SW Path - Willapark
3 July 02 SW Path - Derek & Tintagel Head
3 July 02 SW Path - Walkway on Tintagel Head
3 July 02 SW Path - Tintagel Hotel 3 July 02 SW Path - Tintagel_head 3 July 02 SW Path - Penhallic Point Mining 3 July 02 SW Path - Pillar of Stone, Gull Rock & Dennis Point 4 July 02 SW Path - Port Isaac from Lobber Point
4 July 02 SW Path - Lundy Hole 4 July 02 SW Path - Wild Foxgloves near The Rumps 4 July 02 SW Path - The Head at Pentire Point 4 July 02 SW Path - Third Class Cabin at Polzeath 4 July 02 SW Path - Derek by Padstow Ferry

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Derek Harwood: Copyright 2002
Devised: July 2002