Sidmouth to Branscombe
Walked by Sally and Richard, Thursday 25th April 2013.
About 6.5 miles progress on South West Coast Path (3.25 hours) plus 3 miles to and between stations and 0.5 miles from Branscombe Mouth to Branscombe village.
Click here for all our photos from this walk.
After a walk to our local station, train to London, underground, train to Exeter, walk across Exeter then Number 52B bus, at 3pm we were back on Sidmouth Promenade where we had left it in December, ready to resume our walk along the South West Coast Path. All the travel had gone extremely well, and this was the earliest we could possibly have reached Sidmouth - the only problem was that I'd managed to spill a cup of boiling hot tea over my hand at Exeter Bus Station. But that didn't stop me walking!
The weather had been fine for the journey, but as we walked down to the seafront in Sidmouth we realised that it was quite misty. The mist lingered all afternoon. It spoilt the photography a bit, but it was wonderfully atmospheric and it meant it wasn't too hot. This leg is described as 'severe' in the South West Coast Path guide. There are some tough stretches, where river valleys have cut into the cliffs, but the section around Weston Mouth is the only one I'd describe as severe, and there is a lot of exhilarating and fairly flat cliff-top walking in between. In terms of geology, the cliffs at the Sidmouth end of the walk are red sandstone overlain with greensand, but by the time you reach Branscombe the predominant rock is chalk.
The other feature of the walk was the pretty woods (in particular in descending and ascending those 'severe' slopes) with masses of primulas (and other wildflowers including wild garlic and bluebells just coming into flower).
From Sidmouth, we crossed the River Sid by Alma Bridge (in the throws of repair) then climbed uphill and followed minor roads for a while before returning to the coast. We continued to climb up Salcombe Hill, where there is a viewpoint showing the direction of various places including some in France. If only! There were quite a few people about, a sure sign of a car park just inland.
We walked on the level for a while then descended towards Salcombe Mouth. There are steps down most of the way which was helpful because I was holding a bottle of water to cool my scalded hand, so couldn't use my walking poles. We went slightly inland through a field of excitable cows to a bridge over the stream, then back to the coast through a field of cows who didn't seem bothered by us at all. More steps brought us back to the cliff top.
From here the walking was easy for a kilometre or so, first on top of Higher Dunscombe Cliff and then inland around the Lincombe Valley, then we descended through woodland towards Weston Mouth. Definitely time for the walking poles; thankfully my hand was beginning to feel better. We reached a sign to 'Weston Plats'; the plats were little market gardens - amazing in this remote spot. We could see the path crossing a field on the other side of the valley and thought we were nearly as far down as we were going but oh no, the path took us right down onto the shingle beach. Actually it was worth it - it was lovely down there, with just another couple of people and an old look-out hut.
We climbed up the other side, and up and up...Partway, there was a sign telling us it was two and two thirds miles to Branscombe Mouth, though later signs gave the total distance from Weston Mouth to Branscombe Mouth as 3 miles. We stopped for a rest and an apple at a well-placed bench at the top of the climb, and then noticed a field with masses of cowslips - cue photo opportunity!
Weston Cliff is about 160 metres (there is a trig point at 162 metres just inland) and we walked on the level, for a while, then up and down across a small hanging valley, amazed for the second time today by people coming towards us through a field of livestock (sheep on this occasion) with a dog not on a lead. To be fair, there was no problem on either occasion, so perhaps these are locals who know what they are doing.
A mile or so before Branscombe Mouth, the path goes inland through some old chalk pits, with lovely views (irritatingly impossible to photograph because of the trees) down to Branscombe Church and Village. We could have descended here, but kept straight ahead, back towards the coast and then down to the shingle beach at Branscombe Mouth, where a huge anchor is all that remains following the wrecking of the container ship Napoli here in 2007.
We left the coast path and turned inland along the very minor road towards Branscombe Village, first climbing then descending steeply to the area marked as 'Vicarage' on the map. We passed a nice-looking B&B at Great Seaside but we were heading for The Masons Arms, dating back to 1360 when it was a one-room cider house in the middle of a row of cottages. We were actually staying in a room in one of those cottages ('Cottage 3'), pleasantly away from the main activity of the pub, in a thatched building a short distance away.
We reached The Masons Arms around 6.45am and the bar was heaving. Things had quietened down a little when we went back for our meal (Sausages and Mash followed by Devon Burnt Cream and washed down with Copper Press Cider - lovely!). We were tucked up in bed by 9.45pm, after a long but very enjoyable day. Dorset tomorrow!