Synopsis: Hazy visibility from morning sea mists around Berry Head. Interesting to walk around the Napoleonic fortresses and discover a little about them. Brixham was very busy, but this is summer.
Less a walk, more a stroll. Or even less a stroll, more a trip to the beach. Plenty of time to wander, take in a little history, and sit on the beach. As the day was forecast to be hot, and I was feeling a little tired, this seemed like the perfect walk for today.
St Mary's Park - masses of poppiesI was dropped by bus just as I entered the top of Brixham, and from there I cut across the back of Brixham heading for the coast via the shortest route. I passed by St Mary the Virgin Church, and the nearby St Mary’s Park. There was a lovely patch of meadow in the park, full of flowers, most particularly poppies. I paused a while to take a few photos.
Looking towards Man Sands and Scabbacombe Beach
From here the path began to climb up past a number of holiday camps, all of which seemed very busy. A small track zigzags between the parks, and I followed this till the coast path came into sight. I was near Sharkham Point, which would be my first target destination. There was a patch mist all about, but it was not all-enveloping, so there were views of the coast to be had. I think there is a car park nearby, so that and the numerous campsite meant that there were plenty of people about.
South Fort, Berry Head. Sea mist rising
After circling around St Mary’s Bay I was then headed towards Berry Head. As I had time to spare, I took some time out to explore the forts. These were built back in Napoleonic times. The first of them I came across was the south fort, which appears to be slightly smaller than the north fort. There is supposed to be an audio guide that you can down load from their web site at this address: www.berryhead.org.uk I’ve yet to try it, so am unable to vouch for it.
South Fort, Berry Head. The magazine. Note the exceptionally thick walls to safeguard against the barrels of gunpowder.
The south fort has ‘magazine’ near the entrance, which was the store for barrels of gunpowder. The walls of this building are incredibly thick to protect inhabitants of the fort in the event that the gunpowder ignited. The forts were built to protect Torquay, but whether they served any use I feel is doubtful. Still, they now exist as an interesting curiosity, and one building at least seems to serve as a foundation for the local coast guard station.
Brixham Lido
After Berry Head the course I took was to follow the coast path around, which eventually results in me descending towards the sea. I come out near the Brixham Lido, which has recently been done up and now looks smart and inviting. There were a number of people swimming in it, but I didn’t have my swimming costume with me, so can’t vouch for the experience. Lidos have certainly had a resurgence in popularity, and to my mind rightly so.
Approaching Brixham village
I found a picnic bench close to the lido and sat there gazing out over Torbay whilst I ate my lunch. I then walked along a bit further and came out on a beach, at which I once again sat and gazed across the water.
Taken from Brixham Breakwater
From where I sat eating lunch I gazed out along the length of the Brixham Breakwater. I’d never before walked along the breakwater, and decided now was the time to do just that. From the breakwater I took this rather ambitious twelve photo stitch panoramic shot.
Lovely gardens
There are some lovely gardens along the length of the final stretch of the walk into Brixham. The colours were amazing. This demonstrates that gardens don’t have to be large to make a huge difference. Some other places could take note of that example.
The bus was packed for the journey from Torquay back to Exeter. I suppose that shouldn’t have come as such a surprise seeing as it was July. For that reason, I wasn’t able to type up my blog on the bus as I usually do, as there simply wasn’t room to. On top of which, it was announced there was a mechanical problem with the bus, therefore we were going to have to swap to another bus, which we did.
Familiar territory covered on this walk, but no less enjoyable for that. Nice to see the bustle of the holiday trade bringing Brixham to life. The coastal path remained largely quiet and peaceful. A stroll at best, but still 8.8 miles covered, so reasonably exercised by the end of the day.
Walk Statistics:
Total Distance: 8.8 miles
Moving Time: 3hrs 32min
Stopped Time: 1hr 59min
Total Ascent: 331 metres
Maximum Elevation: 77 metres
Buses: X64, 12 & X46
Walking around during Brixham holidays is one of the best way to spend some quality time in the place. It's a really beautiful place to see.
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