Coastwalk , South West Coast Path

Mortehoe → Saunton

Distance: 9.56 miles
Ascent: 173 metres
Duration: 3 hours 42 minutes

Bright and early
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Fog report: it appears to be lifting, with visibility now measured in miles. However, since it's not entirely gone we decided this morning to do a low-level walk rather than the remaining high-level one from which we hope to be able to see across to South Wales.

Walking from the cottage meant we could start early. As we passed through Woolacombe, it was clear the surfers weren't following a similar strategy: the waves on the two mile long beach broke with nobody riding their backs, and half a dozen vans were parked and shuttered up in lay-bys.

(Incidentally, a sign in one lay-by forbade camping, cooking and "personnel ablutions". The locals must wash their staff elsewhere.)

After the beach, the headland. Baggy Point guards the southern end of Woolacombe Bay, and was a popular place for a stroll today. As we reached its extremity, an excited birdwatching couple pointed out a peregrine falcon perched on its cliff top lookout. (Sadly we'd not taken a long lens with us so the photograph isn't exactly spectacular.)

Although it was still early by the time we reached Saunton, neither of us was in the mood to walk any further so we abandoned the walk and took a bus back to the cottage.

Waiting for the bus, we got chatting about walking with a couple of locals. "You know, some people who come by here are trying to do the whole coast," the man said, rolling his eyes at the stupidity of such an endeavour. We kept quiet at that point.