Bigbury-on-Sea to Salcombe

Another lovely sunny day, with a strong wind, so it didn't feel as hot. However the wind caused its own problems... We slept well and Kim provided another lovely breakfast (scrambled egg and bacon), eaten in the dining room watching some amazing surfboarding antics. We met Tony for the first time; they are a friendly couple and we really couldn't fault Summer Winds at all. We left soon after 9am and after walking up to the Post Office, we headed up the road (with occasional short diversions off it) to Mount Folly Farm, with yet more excellent views back to Burgh Island.

The path goes through the yard of Mount Folly Farm (the signposting is not very clear) and descends to the open flat area of Cockleridge Ham. The ferry across the River Avon is supposed to start running at 10am and we arrived at the designated waiting place about 5 minutes early and patiently waited until 10am before starting to wave our arms about to hail the ferry - and we waited...and waited. At one point we thought we saw a boat coming towards us, but it turned and went back. Eventually (OK, it was probably only 10.10am or so) there was definitely a boat coming our way - it was indeed the ferry with three passengers; the ferryman indicated that we should meet him upstream, and rapid walking brought us to the right place just as he came ashore. The wind meant that, even given the protection of the estuary, we all got drenched by a wave. The ferryman explained that this is the first time this has happened this year, and also that the boat we had seen turning back was indeed him, but his hat had blown off so he had had to return for it. £2.50 each for such a short ferry crossing seems quite expensive, but the ferryman has to make a living and it was worth it for entertainment value!

The ferry brought us ashore at Bantham, now a tiny hamlet but once a more major port. The figurehead on one of the buildings was apparently from a missionary ship. We climbed up the slipway, followed a minor road for a little while and crossed a car park (lots of people were arriving, presumably for the surfing), then followed a path past the Long Stone and then past a string of sandy beaches. It was easy walking and quite busy.

We passed South Milton Ley (the second largest reed bed in Devon) then went inland around some modern apartment blocks and climbed up slightly then descended to Hope Cove. It was almost exactly 12 o'clock, so we stopped for lunch (paninis) at the Beachcomber Cafe in Outer Hope, then went off the path slightly to admire all the thatched cottages in Inner Hope.

We climbed up to Bolt Tail and admired the Iron Age Earthwork and the panoramic view, then climbed further to Bolberry Down. It was exhilarating high level walking, but extremely windy in places and we nearly lost the map - we put it away for safety. We noticed a number of runners coming towards us and eventually realised that it was a club event of some sort - runners of varying degrees of fitness continued to pass us for the next hour or so.

The path descends steeply to Soar Mill Cove, a pretty place, backed by an attractive valley in which sits the Soar Mill Cove Hotel, where Richard's parents have stayed. Then we climbed steeply again, past shiny outcrops of schist, to 'The Warren'. The walking was now more level until we reached Bolt Head, which you reach by descending down a grassy gully. We turned the corner and descended to the back of Starehole Bay and then, on a remarkable (but exposed and windy) path cut through the rock beneath Sharp Tor. There were good views of the Kingsbridge Estuary on which Salcombe sits (actually a drowned valley not a proper estuary).

We eventually reached woodland and descended to a road, past Overbecks and Salcombe Youth Hostel where I stayed in 1974. We descended further, on a narrow road, to South Sands, where we watched a sea tractor like the one used to link Burgh Island to the mainland at high tide. At South Sands, the sea tractor just takes people to a 'proper ferry' to Salcombe. We were hoping for an ice cream, but South Sands just had a posh-looking apartment block and a posh-looking hotel, so we had to follow the road up and down again to North Sands, where we purchased local Salcombe ice creams (very nice!) at a rather trendy beach cafe (the 'Winking Prawn').

We climbed up again to Salcombe itself and after passing lots of posh houses/hotels/apartment blocks, and more under construction, we reached the town centre and walked past the shops and past the passageway leading to tomorrow’s ferry. When I was walking this section of the path in 1974, I fell in love with Salcombe. Do I still like it as much? Well, the Estuary is lovely (but no more so than other similar estuaries on the south coast of Cornwall and Devon) and Salcombe grew up as a sailing and shipbuilding centre. It's a bustling town (especially on a sunny Saturday in late May) but If I'm honest, it has all become a bit too trendy for me - you couldn't buy a decent house for less than £1M and many of the shops in the town are trendy clothes shops.

Richard had had some difficulty finding accommodation for us in Salcombe (as I know other walkers have). Presumably people just don't want single night bookings, especially on a Saturday in late May. However, as a result of this, we 'discovered' Motherhill Farm. It has some disadvantages: it is a mile off the SW Coast Path; that mile is almost entirely uphill; it is a bit old fashioned and doesn't have en suite. However there are also advantages : it is very reasonably priced (£24 per person); we received a very warm welcome from Margaret Weymouth; we had a spacious room with a stunning view; and spending a night on a working beef/sheep/arable farm feels a million miles from Salcombe's trendiness.