19/10/2020 - Ilfracombe to Woolacombe (8.53mls)

Today we were able to walk from the apartment and it was our first real chance to explore Ilfracombe. There is lots of interest around the harbour area where, with the tide being out, the high rise and fall of the water level in the Bristol Channel was very evident ...

Damien Hurst's "Verity", locally controversial at the time, can be seen in the background.

Walking around the base of Capstones Hill the town by the the Landmark Theatre, locally known as "Madonna's Bra", can be seen where there is also the Jonathan Edwards Triple Jump celebrating the achievements of this local celebrity. The town "beach" is particularly rugged with lots of jagged rocks typical of the coastline on the first part of this walk. The rocks are slate with quartz and it is easy to see why this area was well known for shipwrecks.

Leaving the town and looking back to Ilfracombe from the summit of the Torr's Walk ...

It was now very windy indeed with gusts up to 50mph. Eventually we descended steeply to arrive at Lee Bay. Although in the SWCP leaflet Lee Bay is described as "delightful" we did not think it was very attractive at all, particularly on this dull windy day. The view is not enhanced by the very large delapidated Lee Bay Hotel which closed in 2008 and is awaiting redevelopment.

Leaving Lee Bay there was the first of a number of steep climbs and descents, one of which into Bennet's Mouth is below ...

Shortly after Bull Point lighthouse, after yet another steep climb, is a grassy area with a bench and viewing point with a shear drop below. DavidL stood well back with a "NW" but first DavidA and then Justine posed on the bench ...

Reaching Morte Point we were rewarded with the sight of 2 seals although the wind was so gusty now that admiring the the "stunning rock formations" was not uppermost in DavidL's mind, particularly when rounding the corner of Morte Point the path disappeared as the route became a bit of a rock scramble in the high winds. From there on the way was clear. passing the aptly named "Windy Cove" to reach the road at the Watersmeet Hotel on the main road although in his haste to get out of the annoying wind DavidL failed to get anywhere near Jonathan Edwards's record when trying to leap a small stream! Due to coastal erosion there is now a 1.5 mile diversion via the Combsgate Valley but at this point we had had enough for the day and contacted Fiona, who was waiting further down the road in Woolacombe proper, and she came to pick us up from the Watersmeet Hotel and we all retired to a local hostelry for a well earned pint of Tribute. (8.53 miles)