Synopsis: The walk that nearly wasn’t. Last minute change of plans due to propitious bus timetable. A nice stretch of coast, despite the ‘slight slopes' along the way.
As mentioned in the synopsis, this wasn’t the walk I thought I was doing today. On the previous night whilst musing on walk options for today, I did look to do this walk, but the bus timings were extremely difficult, so I swapped it for a Greenway walk, easier for buses. Then, setting out thinking it was the Greenway walk I was doing, I found that the buses were running really well, slightly ahead of schedule. I was approaching Paignton bus station and could see there was a chance of me catching the 9:30 120 to Kingswear, as I arrived at the bus station at 9:27. A quick bus hop here and I was back on the Coleton Fishacre to Kingswear walk.
The day started fine; dry, warm and sunny. I arrived at the end of the lane to Coleton Fishacre by around 9:50, leaving me a 30 minute trek to the National Trust property. I arrived ten minutes earlier than the opening time of 10:30, so I sat in the car park and had a snack whilst I waited for the place to open. I wasn’t the only one there; the place was surprisingly busy.
Coleton Fishacre (NT) - ReflectionsMy plan was to spend a little time around Coleton Fishacre garden, as it’s always a pleasant place to visit. The sun sparkled off the stream and the little pools of water. It was a litle too early for the daffodils, as there were only a few in bloom. The tree ferns seemed to have survived the harsh winter well, which I suppose is testament to the virtues of a coastal climate.
Amongst the primroses
I dropped out the bottom of the gardens of Coleton Fishacre, to pick up the coastal path in the direction of Kingswear. Because we’ve had so much rain of late, I found the going quite treacherous in places, being more like a ski slalom than a walk path. I came upon numerous people out on the coast path, I suppose all thankful for a little good weather.
Time for lunch
My target for lunch was Froward Point which was not so far along the path. As I surmounted the point I found I was hit by a cold blast of wind running along the coast, so dropped down slightly from the ridge to find a sheltered perch with dramatic views from where to eat my lunch. It was a perfect place to have a ham sandwich.
Brownstone Battery
I wasted no time and was soon on my way again. By now there were some dark clouds drifting by and it wasn’t long before I had my first shower of rain. I discovered that the National Trust had been busy clearing scrub around Brownstone Battery and therefore I dropped down along the coast path to find the old war lookout point and gun turret. The coast guard station here has been re-established and was in use.
Private beach
I faced one more drop into a cove before Kingswear. I recall this cove from a previous family walk we did along this way. There’s a private beach in the cove to which access is prohibited, I shall never forget Helen reaction to seeing this; she was so piqued that someone should be able to own a beach and restrict it from public access. I suppose we should be grateful that restricted access like this is very rare.
Paignton - A little Art Deco
I arrived in Kingswear quite early in the afternoon. I settled on catching the next bus out and spending a little time walking along the Goodgrinton to Paignton stretch of coast. I simply timed my walk such that I could catch the next bus for Exeter which would run along the sea front, a relaxed way to end my day’s walk.
So, a walk of little planning, but none the worse for that.
Walk Statistics:
Total Distance: 8.3 miles
Moving Time: 4hrs 50min
Stopped Time: 50min
Total Ascent: 573 metres
Maximum Elevation: 160 metres
Buses: 39, 12, 120 & X46
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