Wed 23rd May - Kinver Edge

Yesterday I went walking on Kinver Edge with my friend Virginia from Almost Athletes. It was a hot sunny day and I was glad of my large-brimmed sunhat and my Platypus drink system inside my rucksack. We followed a route mapped out by Julie Royle in her "Worcestershire Walks" book. I had mapped out the route on OS Maps and sent the details to my Garmin eTrex - there were a few times during the walk when it was useful having this gadget as a back-up to aid with our map-reading.

I'd already sussed out the free parking in Kinver and we were lucky enough to get the last space. We weren't sure if anyone else from Virginia's walking group would be joining us - in the event no-one else appeared at the suggested meeting place so the two of us headed off in a north-westerly direction.

Along roads and between houses to begin with, but very soon we found ourselves walking through woodland and along field edges and green lanes. One of the best aspects of the walk turned out to be the way the scenery changed every 30 minutes or so. After a short walk along a lane we entered an area called "The Sheepwalks". We walked up a steep grassy slope and met a group of walkers including one man with a bleeding leg - he had decided to wear shorts and managed to collide with a metal post (as well as having been stung with nettles). We were glad we'd both decided to wear trousers (and would be even more glad of the extra coverage a couple of miles further on).

Reaching the top of the Sheepwalks we descended steeply to a large pond with a footbridge over the outlet stream on the left-hand side then made our way around a couple of large fields before heading south-east back towards where we had entered the area. This entailed negotiating our way through an overgrown path with waist-high nettles .. you see what I mean about being glad of the extra coverage of our long trousers. Not only did we have to contend with the nettles - at the end was a stile and a series of fences. It took a minute or two to work out the route around and over these fences to get to the stile we could see which we needed to climb over to continue our walk. The farmer nearby, working in his tractor, was either oblivious to our confusion or didn't care (b****y ramblers!) :-)

After leaving the Sheepwalks area we walked south along a series of lanes for around 3 miles and stopped for lunch along the way at the edge of a field with some nice views and more importantly, some shade. Reaching Kingsford, we turned east then north and entered Kingsford Country Park. The woods here were shady, peaceful and very pretty. Along the way we met a 'birder' who was out and about trying to record a rare warbler. As we chatted he pointed out some nearby birds he could hear (blackcap, chiff-chaff, willow warbler) but he was more interested in locating the elusive rare warbler he was searching for.

We were heading north by now and finally nearing Kinver Edge itself. The path became a wider track, and more people began to appear - a sure sign we were getting nearer to Kinver. The views from Kinver Edge were worth the walk.

At the far end of Kinver Edge we descended to Holy Austin Rock and the Rock Houses (NT) ..

.. before making our way into Kinver and back to the car.

Julie's description of the route was pretty much spot-on but her distance (11.25miles) was a bit out as Virginia and I both recorded 13 miles on our Garmin watches. Julie devised this route a few years ago so maybe she had to work out the mileage using a paper map and a piece of string?

Mon 7th May - stop, go, stop, go (and repeat ad nauseum)

Yep, travelling home on a Bank Holiday Monday wasn't my greatest idea. And even though we made a reasonably early start, we hit queues of traffic soon after leaving Woolacombe (and long before we'd reached the M5) and from then on it was stop, go for most of the rest of the journey. Travelling down took us around 3 hours - the journey back took 6! The traffic only really cleared once we had driven past Bristol (presumably as they all headed off down the M4)

'nuff said :-(

Sun 6th May - more ups than downs

It was misty at breakfast time but the sun soon burned away the mist and once again we had wall-to-wall sunshine. We'd originally thought we might walk from Mortehoe around Morte Point to Bull Point lighthouse. In the event we decided we didn't have the energy for that so instead we headed to Marwell Hill Gardens.

The clue is in the name - the gardens are spread around both slopes of a steep-sided area with a series of ponds in the bottom of the valley. I'm sure it's my imagination but there seemed to be more 'up' bits than the 'downs'. Anyway, I took some photos of the shrubs and views of the gardens and ponds.

We headed back to Woolacombe after a few hours at the gardens and took a break at the hotel before heading to the beach. We walked and paddled for a while then headed back to the hotel and sat and had our ice-creams in the grounds.

BTW, every time the lift at the hotel announces 'Ground Floor' I find myself singing in my head .. "perfumery, stationery and leather goods, wigs & haberdashery, kitchenware and food .. going up!"

Sat 5th May - where is everything?

Today's plan was to do the coast walk from Putsborough to Croyde via Baggy Point. It was another sunny day as we drove to Putsborough and the narrow lanes were quiet which is always a good sign. From the car park at Putsborough we could see the sea mist rolling up and over the cliffs at the far end of Baggy Point.

Once on the coast path itself, there were lots more people coming from Croyde than heading in our direction. The violets, gorse and thrift were already in flower but the bluebells were not out but on the verge of blossoming and there were fabulous views back towards Woolacombe. But as we approached Baggy Point we began to encounter the mists blowing off the sea and the views disappeared. After passing Baggy Point and as we made our way down the path to Croyde the mists cleared and we were back into the warm sunshine.

A coffee and cake at the NT café in Croyde and feeling suitably refreshed, we began to make our way back to Putsborough. As before, it was clear and sunny as we began our return walk but ahead we could see the mists still rolling in over the headland. Having done this walk several times we knew the paths to follow - it would be disorienting if you were new to this area. Of course, we expected the mists to clear as we approached Putsborough but the mist stayed firmly in place even when we were back at the car. However, even without the sunshine it was still ice-cream time!

On the journey back to Woolacombe the narrow lanes were much busier. There were a few 'convoy' moments as lines of cars had to negotiate their way around each other. And when we got back to Woolacombe it was unrecognizable from earlier in the day - there were cars and people everywhere - that's a bank holiday weekend for you!

With hindsight, it had been very good planning to book a table at the Brasserie this evening and a table at Doyle's restaurant tomorrow.

Fri 4th May - Lynton & Lynmouth

It was misty, drizzly day so we grabbed some leaflets after breakfast and eventually decided to head for Lynton. The weather cleared up on the way and I managed to find my way to the car-park I had remembered from a previous visit. The cliff railway was nearby so we used that to make our way down to Lynmouth from where we walked along the riverside path (sometimes near the river - often 20-30 metres above) to the National Trust café at Watersmeet.

The wildlife know when they're onto a good thing and there are some very tame (or fearless) robins, chaffinches and blue-tits who hang around nearby on the lookout for crumbs and other goodies. It's a waste of time trying to shoo them away - they move just out of reach and chirrup at you (presumably telling you to hurry up so they can hoover up any crumbs you have left on your plate).

After walking back to Lynmouth (and after a restorative ice-cream) we caught the cliff railway back to Lynton and made our way back to the car. I don't imagine Lynton is that big a place but I managed to lose my bearings as I left the car-park so resorted to following the instructions from the sat-nav - bad move! I found myself driving up a very steep narrow lane which eventually joined up with the main road I had used on the way there. I had to chuckle at the sign at the top of the lane - "Unsuitable for motor vehicles" - they weren't kidding!

We headed back to the hotel without any further incidents and later on headed to Georgeham for a meal with Tina & Sid.

Thu 3rd May - A walk to Putsborough

We'd already decided to walk down the beach to Putsborough when Margaret's friend Tina phoned. They were staying in Putsborough and invited us for coffee in the flat they were renting overlooking the beach. We said we would see them 'later' ie. whenever we got there but probably around midday.

It was a beautiful sunny day as we set off but with a stiff onshore breeze. There were a handful of surfers in the sea and a number of paragliders up in the shy - the onshore breeze meaning they could just hang motionless in the air above the hill behind the beach.

When we got to Tina and Sid's we chatted for a while and watched the surfers from their apartment window. A school party arrived as we watched and you could tell by their body language that the children were getting very excited about trying surfing and body-boarding. I didn't envy the teachers and other adult helpers trying to keep them under control

We headed back towards Woolacombe accompanied by Tina and Sid - they walked with us for a mile or so (around halfway) before they turned back.

We decided to treat ourselves to a cream tea at one of the beachfront cafés then headed back to the hotel and read for a bit before heading to the Brasserie for dinner.

Wed 2nd May - the journey down to Woolacombe

It could have been a lot worse. Pretty soon after joining the M5 at Cheltenham we started seeing signs telling us the motorway was closed between J25 & J26. A quick check of the road atlas, an announcement on the traffic news and the satnav updating meant we left at J23 instead. That meant we had to use the A39 which wouldn't be so bad if it didn't include Porlock Hill and the road between Lynmouth & Lynton, both of which are narrow in places and steep (1 in 4). Anyway, I managed it although I had to drop down to 1st gear a few times. What with those hills, a pony running out in front of me, an idiot with a horsebox with no indicators working, I was a gibbering wreck by the time we arrived in Woolacombe. I certainly earned my beer! :) A quick walk on the beach after checking in to the hotel and unloading the car - then a meal in the hotel brasserie and we're both feeling a bit zonked now.