Last summer I spent a few days in north Devon. It's a wonderful place, and this is what I did there...
Children and dogs are splashing in the clear waters of the pool at Watersmeet as I cross the bridge over the two rivers that join at this tranquil north Devon spot. It's taken me over an hour of hard walking in the hot August sun to get down into the wooded Lyn Valley from my campsite perched on the hill above Lynton and Lynmouth and I'm glad of the opportunity to fill my water bottle at the National Trust tearoom at Watersmeet House. Families are already lunching in the garden outside the 19th-century property, but I resist the delicious-looking cream teas and push onwards, following the East Lyn upstream.
Children and dogs are splashing in the clear waters of the pool at Watersmeet as I cross the bridge over the two rivers that join at this tranquil north Devon spot. It's taken me over an hour of hard walking in the hot August sun to get down into the wooded Lyn Valley from my campsite perched on the hill above Lynton and Lynmouth and I'm glad of the opportunity to fill my water bottle at the National Trust tearoom at Watersmeet House. Families are already lunching in the garden outside the 19th-century property, but I resist the delicious-looking cream teas and push onwards, following the East Lyn upstream.
After
only a few minutes, silence reigns, the sociable chatter of
Watersmeet a distant memory. The water here moves slowly and the
handful of walkers I meet coming in the opposite direction speak in
hushed tones suitable to their surroundings. I make good progress on the well maintained riverside path.
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| The East Lyn River |
Another
hour of walking through the densely wooded valley brings me to the
scattering of whitewashed houses that make up the tiny village of
Brendon, whose ancient pub, The Rockford Inn, is a favourite with
walkers. I eat my sandwiches on a bench overlooking a small tumbling
waterfall, but do not linger in this peaceful, isolated spot. It may
be a warm day, but down in the valley the air is damp and cool and
it's not long before the sweat on my back turns cold in this sunless
place.
My
decision to make north Devon the destination for this late summer
break was a largely pragmatic one. Only an hour's drive from the
Wiltshire town where some friends were getting married last weekend,
Exmoor National Park boasts an enviable diversity of landscape for
walking. Between rolling heather moorland, rich woodland and the
park's extraordinary coastline, there are enough options to keep even
the most fickle walker occupied. It's also a place where no one will
judge you for eating a cream tea every day.
I
am still short of breath from the fiendishly steep hike up out of the
Brendon Valley when I am stopped in my tracks by the sight of a herd
of Exmoor ponies. I caught a glimpse of these punky-maned, semi-feral
horses on the drive in, but seeing them close up – so close I can
smell them in fact – is a thrilling, visceral experience. This
unique breed has lived on Exmoor longer than people have, and
although the animals you see here are all either privately owned or
the property of the National Park Authority, they roam free as they
have always done.
As
I take the path across the fields, walking straight towards the
iridescent blue of the late summer sea, the ponies keep their deep
black eyes on me. The herd is calm and still and several foals are
sprawled lazily on the tightly cropped grass, but I get the sense
that were I to step off the path towards them, the whole lot would be away in a thunder of tiny
hooves.
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| Gorse and heather on Exmoor |
Further
on – I'm walking across the moor proper now – the heather and
gorse are in flower, their nectar attracting what seems like hundreds
of thousands of black flying insects. Their buzzing is loud in my
ears and I have to cover my face with my sleeve to stop them flying
into my mouth and nose. Exmoor's many bird species don't share my
pickiness and feast on this insect bounty, swooping and diving low
over the flowers.
A
vertiginous, zig-zagging descent on a narrow paved road through the
moorland brings me to Foreland Point, Devon's most northerly point.
Lynmouth Foreland Lighthouse has been automated since 1994, but the
turn of the century lighthouse keepers' cottage which perches
perilously on the cliffside next to it is a working holiday home (run
by the National Trust). The sun is shining in a cloudless sky as I
clamber up onto the coastal path above the lighthouse, but this
remote spot must feel brutally exposed in winter.
The
walk up to this point has been tiring in places, but never
particularly challenging. Here is where that changes, as for the next
quarter of an hour I pick my way along the treacherously narrow
footpath that runs around Foreland Point. Loose scree bounces down
towards the Bristol Channel with each step and the wind buffets me as
I go, the rich scent of the heather rising through the air. It is
completely exhilarating and when I regain the safety of the main
route of the South West Coast Path I find my legs are shaking and
my heart pumping hard.
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| Walking the other direction around Foreland Point, I only saw this sign after having done the tricky bit |
The
remainder of the walk is a fairly gentle 4km ramble around Lynmouth
Bay and down into the pretty village of Lynmouth. This patch of
coastline is so ruggedly beautiful – reminiscent of the cliffs of
Sardinia – that it's hard not to dawdle through the heather and
gorse, especially when I spot another herd of ponies cropping the
grass on a worryingly steep bit of bluff. I could stay here and gaze
all day, but it's late afternoon and the call of the cream tea is too
much to resist.
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| Lynmouth Bay, with Lynmouth in the distance (spot the ponies) |
I
drag my weary frame into Lynmouth, gorge myself on scones and
fall asleep in the sunshine on the village's tiny grey-pebbled beach.
Travel details
North Devon & Exmoor official visitor information: www.northdevon.com
Where to stay
Channel View Camping and Caravan Park (Manor
Farm, Lynton; 01598 753349)
is a 20-minute walk up a steep hill from Lynton, but the views of the
bay and the peace and quiet are worth the climb.
Where to eat
The
Oak Room (Lee Road, Lynton; 01598
753838) serves classy Spanish-inspired food, including some excellent
fish dishes and original desserts, in an elegant setting.
Where to drink
The Rising Sun (Harbourside,
Lynmouth; 01598 753223) dates back to the 14th
century and has a good range of ales and ciders on tap.
