Combe Martin to Ilfracombe

My final day's walking was a short one at just over 5 miles. I parked in Ilfracombe and took the bus back to Combe Martin. It was the same bus I'd picked up to go to Lynmouth yesterday so my walking start time was much earlier.

I'd had chance to have a brief look round Ilfracombe before catching the bus, but wasn't impressed. It looks like a run-down seaside town with an abundance of cheap shops and takeaways, but little in the way of character. Not what I was expecting at all.

I started walking from Combe Martin by following a sea front path which quickly led on to the road. This is a main busy road and not particularly pleasant to walk along. After a while I was able to leave the road and get back on to proper paths. After walking round a bit of a harbour the path climbed and I was able to sit for a while at a wonderful viewpoint. It felt great not to have to be clock watching and instead to be able to sit and enjoy the view.

This part of the path is flooded at high tide

Honest! It's England!

The view from a well-placed bench

Soon it was back to road walking again. The final section of the path took me back to the coast where I again enjoyed good views from a well-placed bench before descending back into Ilfracombe.

Although this was only a short walk today, and it had some not so good bits along road, it still took me most of the day. This is because of the amount of time I spent sitting and admiring the view along the nice coastal parts of the path.