Paignton to Teignmouth
Walked by Sally and Richard, Wednesday 30th May 2012
14 miles, almost all on the South West Coast Path
Click here for all our photos from this walk.
The breakfast at Merritt House was superb. Richard's 'kipper nest' was particularly good. All in all, I'm not keen on Paignton, but Meritt House is a real gem - nothing is too much trouble for Paul and Dianne, so if you need accommodation in the Paignton area, stay here!
We were walking soon after 9am, and the early section took us along the promenade at Paignton and then from Paignton to Torquay largely by way of the main road linking the two towns. We were on a pavement and the views were good, but the road was busy and I can't really see what people like so much about 'The English Riviera' - there are just too many other people for me! Every couple of minutes a number 12 bus went past, full, transporting people from Torquay to Brixham, and when we got to Torquay Harbour we saw a long queue for the ferry to Brixham (for the princely sum of £2 return) and realised that the massive queue we had seen in Brixham yesterday was simply people waiting for the ferry back. And when a number 12 bus wasn't passing us, a coach on a tour with a name like 'Glorious Torbay' probably was.
There had been an interesting book by Henry James Lethbridge entitled 'Torquay and Paignton : the making of a modern resort' in our room at Merritt House, and it appears that Torquay was developed as a resort for the upper classes, to enable them to benefit from the sea air, and Paignton was developed as a resort for ordinary people. Torquay is perhaps slightly classier than Paignton now, and there are some very 'nice' houses overlooking the sea, but the centre of Torquay is pretty touristy - even if there is a palm tree in every garden. We took a short diversion away from the coast path to find a sandwich bar to find provisions for lunch - we were served by a man with good knowledge of the coast path!
From Torquay Harbour we climbed Beacon Hill then took a tarmaced path and steps past London Bridge (a rocky arch) and up onto Daddyhole Plain. We passed the impressive Hesketh Crescent (built in 1846 and now a hotel) and the modern apartment block 'Kilmorie'. We followed Marine Drive, took a path around Thatcher Point, with good views to Thatcher Rock, then crossed the top of Hope's Nose (where earlier mining is obvious). The path to Black Head and above Anstey's Cove was wooded, though it was getting warm so the undulations were hard work. We climbed up to Walls Hill (also known as Babbacombe Downs) an open area, with lots of dogwalkers. We couldn't find anywhere to sit in the shade, but we did find a bench in a spot where the breeze was refreshing, and we stopped here for lunch.
There were good views ahead of us to lots of red rocks - and the white limestone of Petit Tor Point. We descended to the pretty hamlet of Babbacombe, with a good-looking pub called the Cary Arms. We followed the cliff edge (on wooden walkways and steps) above Oddicombe (the signposting was a bit suspect in places, and I think the route has been changed relatively recently) then climbed steps (definitely new for 2012) alongside Babbacombe Cliff Railway. After passing under the railway we followed an older diversion inland (and uphill ) to the main A379 at St Marychurch. However, least you think that diversions inland are always a bad thing, it should be pointed out that we climbed up a delightful little valley.
After a short walk along the main road, we followed Petitor Road back to the coast at Petit Tor, and resumed our undulations around Watcombe and the Valley Rocks, where the 'Goat Path' was nothing like as scary as I'd feared, presumably because the vegetation has grown to such an extent that the drop on your right-hand side is not too obvious.
There was a choice of paths to Maidencombe, and we didn't particularly want to go right down the cliff only to climb up again, so we took the upper option. Maidencombe is an attractive village, with lots of thatch - and we took the advice of Le Messurier and stopped for refreshment (a local ice cream at the cafe just above the beach) before the 'tiring three and a half mile switchback cliff-edge path to Shaldon'.
Several people had warned us about this roller-coaster section, and so we had expected to slow to our slowest rate of walking (which can be as low as a mile an hour in extreme circumstances). However we averaged 2 m.p.h. between here and Shaldon, so it can't have been that bad. There is just one particularly challenging section, for the kilometre or so before you meet the A379 above Shaldon - you descend slowly, then climb steeply, only to descend straight away and then climb to the road.
From here you descend past the golf course and around the Ness, an outcrop of the red chalk on which trees were planted to celebrate Queen Victoria's coronation . We just caught the ferry from Shaldon to Teignmouth, getting a place on it because there were only 5 spaces for the group of 6 women in front of us, so 3 of them chose to stay behind together.
Alison welcomed us to Thomas Luny House and gave us tea and cake in the garden. What an amazing B&B with which to end this section of the South West Coast Path. Thomas Luny was a marine artist who lived from 1757 to 1837 and he had Thomas Luny House built around 1808, with a garden which at that time ran down to the harbour. The rooms are well proportioned and beautifully decorated, and Alison and John looked after us superbly. Thomas Luny House is the most expensive B&B we have stayed in, but it has all the good points of a boutique hotel (for which you would pay more) with the friendliness of a B&B. It was great! [Note added later - sadly Thomas Luny House has since closed and the house itself has changed hands.] In the evening we had a lovely meal at The Colosseum, an Italian restaurant.
