Porlock Weir

After packing everything up we drove toe the small fishing village of Porlock Weir and had a wander around before having lunch sitting outside a hotel. Then, time for the journey home.

Porlock

The weather was again warm and very humid and set off for a short walk straight from a gate in the campsite a short distance from the tent. We started off walking through some woods above Hawk Combe and then near Bucket Hole Farm, a farm lane heading for Ley Hill and the open moor.
Unfortunately we were being pestered by flies if we attempted to stop so we pushed onwards. We reached a small bench and after a minute of waiting there weren't too many flies around so we had a sit down and a snack.
Soon we were joined by a small herd of young cows who followed along the same path as us. The problem was that each cow had a personal swarm of flies and the flies were beginning to show an interest in us as well!

So we packed up quickly and walked quickly off to leave the cows and their flies behind. Soon we were dropping down a wooded path on Halse Combe back to the camp site.

Porlock

After breakfast and packing up at the hotel, we drove to Porlock where we had a wander around and ate lunch in a small café before setting off for our respective homes.

Dunkery Beacon from Horner

Today involved a short drive for Karen, Keith and myself tot he village of Horner where we parked in the car park.
We followed a track through Horner Wood where we noticed a lot of the trees were damaged with broken, twisted boughs, or fallen over altogether. We couldn't work out whether this was due to strong winds or due to heavy snow and ice from last winter.
We reached a point where there was no obvious path so we continued in what we thought was the right direction and as we were following the side of a small valley, we spotted around a dozen Red Deer hinds watching us from above.
As we approached Lang Combe, there was a short shower and near the minor road which Lang Combe brought is to, we made use of a small hollow which was sheltered from the wind to eat the sandwiches which we had bought earlier in Lynmouth before setting off.
After our lunch stop we crossed the road and then followed a track passing the Bronze Age tumuli of Great and Little Rowbarrow.
There was quite a wind blowing as we continued on the track to reach the large stone cairn marking Dunkery Beacon. Here we sheltered in a small grassy hollow and checked the map to decide on our return route to Horner.
We chose a path heading north which soon brought us to the East Water valley and the path along the East Water which crossed alternately from one side of the river to the other side and back again.
We left the river side path at a sign marking Windsor Walk and then continued along this oath through the woods back to our starting point at Horner where we had coffee and some cake at a house which sold refreshments and had tables and seats in a large garden.
Later in the evening we returned to the Crown Hotel pub in Lynton for a meal.

The Cleaves

Luckily the weather was much better today, even if it was a bit cool. It was Karen;s 50^th birthday (we discovered that she shared the same birthday with the owner of the North Cliff Hotel, whose name is Kate) and she opened her birthday cards and presents after breakfast in the dining room. The three of us: Karen, Keith and myself, set off after breakfast and left the hotel to follow the road out of Lynton which heads for Barbrook and then crossed the river via a bridge beside a pub which is marked as “Lyn Bridge” on the O.S. Map.
On the far side of the bridge, there was a path and we turned left to follow a route which took us back along the river on a rising path which soon offered viewpoints across and down to Lynton and Lynmouth below.
The path followed above the Lyn basically following much the same as yesterday but at a much higher level with views across to the other side of the Lyn valley and also the large valley continuing on past Watersmeet.
Eventually we dropped down a zig-zag path and after passing the site of an Iron Age settlement, we arrived at the road near Hillsford Bridge.
We had a second visit to Watersmeet House by following the riverside path from Hillsford Bridge and had our lunch stop their. Karen took a fancy to a bronze hare on sale there and decided to come back while in the car and buy the bronze hare rather than buy it now and have to carry it in her rucksack.
Continuing back along the East Lyn river from Watersmeet as far as Rockford, we the followed a rising path which tool us to some fields with a few horses including one particular one which was very interested in us.
The path brought us past Wilsham Farm to join a bridleway continuing north and around he head of a small valley then upwards to arrive at the A39 road near Countisbury and the small car park of Barna Barrow.
We crossed the road and then walked through the small car park and followed a path through gorse bushes which skirted near the small church at Countisbury before dropping down some steps onto the South Coast Path which followed around the steep ground above the sea shore and after reaching the side of the A39 again in a layby, it followed behind a low wall and then left the road to zig-zag down to the seashore near Lynmouth.
We found Pat and Bob nearby chatting to a man in the refreshment kiosk at the crazy golf course who it turned out to be was the previous owner of the North Cliff Hotel when the Slatcher family used to have family holidays in the area years ago.
Later on we all drove from the hotel down a short way into Lynmouth, planning on a meal at the really nice Rising Sun pub but it turned out to be packed with people even though it was only 18:00.
So we went to another nearby hotel to eat instead.

A Few Days in Exmoor

Karen and I travelled down to Lynmouth from our home in Derbyshire while Keith left Rugby with their parents Pat and Bob.
We had arranged to meet in the car park in Lynmouth and funnily enough arrived within seven minutes of each other at 12:30!
It had been raining as we approached the end of the journey and in Lynmouth there was quite a lot of rain. We decided to have lunch first at a chip shop and afterwards dropped our stuff off at the North Hotel in nearby Lynton, where we were staying.
Returning to Lynmouth, Karen, Keith and myself walked along the East Lyn river to Watersmeet while Pat and Bob had a wander around the village.
We bought a snack and hot drinks at the National Trust property at Watersmeet House and sat on the surrounding verandah sheltering from the rain while we had our drinks and food.
We returned back to Lynmouth following the same route. Later in the evening we had a meal in the pub at the Crown Hotel.

Walk from Exford

It was the nicest day of our visit with no rain or drizzle and a bit warmer as we parked in the village of Exford by the village green and then followed the road out of the village passing the Youth Hostel.

This brought us to Court Farm, beyond which a track signposted for Road Hill continued through pastureland until we met a bridleway crossing the track near Room Hill.

We followed the bridleway across heathland looking across the valley of the River Exe and could see a herd of Red Deer on the opposite side in the distance. Our route brought us to another junction of bridleways and we chose the one following along the River Exe leading past Luncombe to arrive at a minor road after walking up a steep concrete surfaced vehicle track.

The minor road led northwards to a junction at Rocks Bungalow, with another road and this in turn led to the B3224 road back to Exford village.

My feet were feeling a bit sore, especially after the concrete track and minor roads, so I decided to walk back to Exford the direct way by following the B3224 for a kilometre or so while Karen continued on across the road to follow a track called Stone Lane for a kilometre and a half northwards to a junction with another bridleway leading back again to Exford.

I sat on a bench by the side of the village green in the sun and ate my lunch until Karen arrived not long afterwards.

After the last walk of our trip to Exmoor, we headed back to Derbyshire.

Walk From Lynmouth

This morning we left the car at the hotel and after picking up drinks and sandwiches in the supermarket nearby, we set off to walk along the road towards Barbrook as far as Lyn Bridge, where we crossed to the opposite side of the West Lyn River to reach a footpath.

The footpath was a bit muddy and gradually rose along one side of the Glen Lyn Gorge with views across and down into Lynton and Lynmouth.

The path continued along the top of the lovely wooded valley with the East Lyn River running at the bottom. The path followed around to the South and dropped down to Hillsford Bridge where we crossed the road and then followed the path heading North to Watersmeet, where we had a break for drinks and cake.

Afterwards, we continued along the East Lyn River as far as Rockford and then followed a rising sunken track past Wisham and paused to view some Red Deer in a field in the distance,

This led us across heathland to eventually arrive at the A39 road where we crossed to the other side and followed a vehicle track for a short distance passing a couple of cars parked up with the occupants sitting and enjoying the views across the open expanses of this part of Exmoor.

Next we followed a path through gorse bushes along a drystone wall overlooking Countisbury and passing below the top of Butter Hill where the map only showed a Trig. Point but omitted the largish communications tower and building.

The path joined the South-West Coast Path which followed along the side of Countisbury hill far above the sea. Th path wasn't on the side of a cliff or anything but was on the top of very steep grassy slopes leading to cliff-tops far below and the stony beach below these.

Soon the path dropped down to bring us to the sea-front at Lynton.

We took a short ride on the Cliff Railway and took advantage of a private path leading to the nearby North Cliff Hotel.