South West Coast Path Day 5 - 10 March 2020 Woolacombe to Barnstaple

Walking 7.30am to 5.30pm

Distance walked today 16 miles

Total distance walked 64 miles

Distance remaining 558 miles

Although I was sheltered behind a tree, it was still a very blustery night with some more rain. As I was getting ready for the day inside the tent there was a yapping of a small dog outside but, apart from that, all was peaceful. I put on all the wet clothes from yesterday, not pleasant but they soon warmed up. 

I didn’t go back into Woolacombe but had a brisk road walk towards Croyde. It rained and was very windy but I was sheltered from the wind much of the way by high walls and hedges. At the village of Georgeham I found the church open and, not only that, there was an available loo! Perfect. There was also a small village shop, a limited stock but I bought a couple of flapjack bars for two breakfasts and stuff for my meal tonight. On then to Croyde where I rejoined the coast path. 

I passed above the expanse of Saunton Sands, a little misty and one rider on a horse and a few other people. 

Then the path went through Saunton Golf Course which was almost deserted. Just past the golf course I encountered two stretches where the path was completely under water with no way to get around it. I’d packed sandals so put these on and waded through with boots tied together and around my neck. A bit of a palaver and I had to gets boots off and sandals on as I didn’t realise there were two waterlogged stretches. At its deepest, it came half way up to my knees so boots weren’t an option. 

On reaching Braunton Burrows car park I could see that my intended route was under water. As I had no idea of the state of the path around Horsey Island, I opted to avoid it and, instead, road walked to Velator, just outside Braunton. I’d looked online and seen that a campsite I’d been considering (Chivenor Caravan Park) is now permanently. I therefore phoned a friend, Phil, who I’d previously contacted via Facebook, as he did the SWCP in 2018 and suggested I get in touch when near to Barnstaple. I did just that which resulted in an offer of overnight accommodation. I just had getting on for six miles to walk along a hard surfaced trail, a former railway line alongside the tidal River Taw estuary. As it happens, there would have been many opportunities to wild camp on grass beside the trail and two grassed areas set back. There aren’t really any camp sites around Barnstaple. 

I made my way to Phil’s house and we’ve spent a great evening chatting about the coast path and other topics. He’s planning to walk with me tomorrow morning. 

If you look closely, you’ll see that the mileages above don’t quite tally. This is because I’ve happened to cut a couple of corners and not necessarily by choice. I think the miles remaining figure is correct.