SWCP: Porlock Weir to Lynmouth

Set off from Porlock Weir at 9.30, expecting a helluva day because my Paddy Dillon guidebook claimed there would be 4000 feet of ascent. Don’t know where he got that from!  It turned out to be a pretty standard SWCP day. 

Most of the first half was through woodland with not much of a view. We went past the smallest  parish church  in England, Culbone church.

Toll gate in the middle of the forest

There were a few tunnels along the path,
big enough to let carriages through

Culbone Church

There were quite a few fallen trees across the path 

…and lots of beautiful streams with little waterfalls

About halfway through the route Colin left us and went to County Gate, where some bus routes go. He ended up getting a taxi back to the car.

The entry to some long-ago country house?

Wilson and I passed through a long hillside full of rhododendrons - must be quite a spectacle in bloom.

Then we finally emerged from all the forest…

The sea was a soft green-grey

Lynmouth ahoy!

Colin met us in Lynmouth and after a cream tea, we came back to the holiday cottage. Failed to have a hot bath as the water was tepid, but (unlike yesterday) succeeded in lighting the stove. Wilson and Colin both snoring!

SWCP: Minehead to Porlock Weir

I looked at the weather forecast for Minehead earlier this week - ten degrees, not much wind, no rain expected. So I carped the diem and decided to escape from London for a couple of days’ walking the first two sections of the south west coast path. Col came with. Today’s route was pretty level and easy apart from a bit of a hill at the beginning. We got to Porlock Weir a quarter of an hour after the bus had gone. Two hours till the next one, so we had a coffee sitting outside a cafe, got a bit cold, went into a pub to warm up by the fire with a cup of tea. I checked the bus timetable, only to find that they’d changed them all two days ago and the bus was now at 2.45 rather than 3.30. This was at 3 o’clock! Next bus 5.55 pm. I asked the bar staff if they knew of a taxi firm and a couple in their 60s sitting just by us said “we’re going that way, we can drop you in Porlock, there are buses from there”. So off we went and, lo and behold, instead of dropping us at the bus stop they took us all the way back to our car in Minehead! Really bloody nice. Saved us loads of time. 

View from the “start of the coast path” monument in Minehead. The tent at the left hand side is Butlins!

Looking back towards Burnham-on-Sea

Going up the hill. 
Colin getting a sweat on with his new walking poles.

At the top!

On Porlock Marshes

Stripey cows

Camouflaged. Beach near Porlock Weir made of big stones.

Sedimentary, my dear Colin

Waiting for the bus at Porlock Weir, looking at the lovely view.