Synopsis: A tough walk along, down, and up the cliffs of East Devon. The wreck of the MSC Napoli stranded on the sand banks was often in view. Everywhere was bustling on this hot summer day.
Sidmouth, looking eastI stood on the beach at Sidmouth looking east along the coast, asking myself do I really want to do this? It looked arduous, and I knew that’s exactly how it would be. Still, the British Spirit got the better of me, and off I trudged up my first gruelling climb of the day, making my way along the streets of Sidmouth, then on through fields. At least the air was cool this early in the morning, and there was a little bit of shade from trees on this first climb. It was readily apparent that last winter had wreaked considerable erosion to the cliffs, as huge chunks of red clay lay on the beach, and the footpath has many redirections around bits of the coastal path that no longer exist.
MSC Napoli
The wreck of the MSC Napoli soon came into sight, and what seemed to be a tug boat tugging a half of the vessel first west, and then doing an about turn and heading east. A small squirt of a boat to be hauling such an mammoth cask, and yet it seemed to have the required muscle to make headway against wind and tide.
Salcombe Mouth
I dropped down to sea level again at Salcombe Mouth and am straight way heading back up to the cliff tops again. How typical this is of coastal path walking. I check the map and discover that I don’t have to do this too many times, and feel I might survive the day, and possibly even catch my bus home out of Seaton, which would be nice.
Branscombe
The day soon warmed up, there being no respite from the sun from this point on. At least the cliff tops afforded a reasonable cool breeze which was a welcome relief. I arrived at Branscombe by 1pm and decide to eat lunch here on the pebble beach. The only shade was the parasol at the cafe tables, but I didn’t think they’d take kindly to my helping myself to some of this with my packed lunch.
From Branscombe along the under cliffFrom Branscombe there are two possible routes. The one that I’d taken previously, on my walk of 7th September 2008 (see on Flickr), was to follow the cliff top towards Beer, but this time I wanted to walk the true coastal footpath, which starts off from a small camp site from where it then runs along the under cliff. This proved really worthwhile, as it took me through a strange landscape, with towering white cliffs looming above my head. Thick vegetation all around gave the place the look of the jungle. and listening to children as they passed me by, I could tell the place fired their imaginations. There was talk of treasure, pirate ships, and castles. Yes, I could believe all that. Perhaps my own imagination is running a little wild just now, as I’m currently reading the account of our local adventurer, Percy Fawcett, and his Indiana Jones like quest to discover ‘The Lost City of Z’. Trouble is, he disappeared without trace, along with many others who’ve set out on his trail. But for me today, well, I think there’s a reasonable chance I’ll catch the Stagecoach 52 back to Exeter!
Beer, dazzling in the sunlight
Beer was as dazzling as ever, a superb little haven, rather struggling to cope with the hordes of people that were there on this day. It was evident that ice cream sales were doing well and jacket potatoes shifting fast. I did at last find some shade and sat with a group of other old timers whilst I eat some nuts and took a long drink.
I made Seaton in very good time, as it’s really just around the corner from Beer. I was ready to catch the 4pm bus, one hour earlier to that which I’d planned, and was even able to fit in a brief grocery shop at the Seaton Co-op. Who said we men can’t be efficient?
Note: Sidmouth had a particular significance for Jane Austen, as it is thought that whilst holidaying there with her family she met the one person whom she might have considered a fitting suitor. Little is known with any certainty about this episode in Jane’s life, not even the name of the suitor, but there is a general consensus that some ‘brief encounter’ of note occurred in Sidmouth. This notion is expanded on in ‘Sidmouth: Where Jane Austen found love (?)’. But Jane’s heart is of course to be found not there but in her writing.
Walk Statistics:
Total Distance: 11.7 miles
Moving Time: 4hrs 41min
Stopped Time: 1hr 12min
Total Ascent: 783 metres
Maximum Elevation: 174 metres
Buses: 52
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