Day 14: Hartland Quay to Clovelly

Now at the end of Day 14, in total, I have walked 210 miles from Penzance to Clovelly! The red line on the map below shows my route so far:

Today, Friday 28th March, I left the Hotel at 9:40am after a lovely cooked breakfast to fuel the 7 valleys to negotiate today. You will notice I enjoy the countdown - helps my motivation and focus more than mileage certainly in this kind of terrain. So here goes:

✓ 1 Out of Hartland Quay 9:50am

✓ 2 up to Dyer’s lookout 10:20am

And just in case I thought the big valleys were behind me! This was where I had planned to camp the night before with nowhere sheltered from the wind or flat. A good decision made last night.

A kestrel goes up as I descend the valley Lundy Island in the background and a ship going past.

✓ 3  Blegberry beach 10:37am

Glorious strata at this beach with the shadows accentuating them. Once I pass Hartland Point the landscape and geology will soften so I want to drink up this gloriously rugged scenery. Next a beautiful peaceful valley - appropriately called Smoothlands, with kestrels hovering overhead.

✓ 4 Smoothlands 11:00am

✓ 5 Upright Cliff 11:20am

Approaching Hartland Point I notice a red murky streak extending out westward to sea north of the point - I imagine this reflects coastal erosion of the softer material on the other side of the fault that I am approaching - hard highly contorted and folded slates of the carboniferous this side, and soft friable Devonian sand and siltstones on the other.

✓ 6 Hartland Point 11:30am

At East Titchberry, I arrive at more sessile oak woodland and meet 3 people interested in what I’m up to and take QR code for the blog. I’ve stopped at my bench above Shipload Bay- I stopped for lunch here on my 2022 SWCP walk. Paul stopped for a chat - also doing LEJOG but hoping to take in 3 peaks so a bit of a zigzag route totalling around 1500 miles for British Heart Coundation having lost his father and Nana over recent years unexpectedly. A couple of peregrines hover above us as we are talking.

A beautiful stonechat posed for me with his classic stone clack - a change from the song I heard early in the trek where they seemed to be singing more rather than using their alarm call. I wonder whether they are now setting their territory and establishing nests now. 

As an aside and something I’ve been asked, songs I find myself humming or singing as I walk or climb the many steps of the South West Coastal Path are:

- Miss Independent - Ne-Yo

- Field of Gold and Over the Rainbow - Eva Cassidy

- An upbeat Habenera from Bizet’s Carmen (I sang this at Shere Cabaret)

- We will rock you - Queen from Tudor Medley I complied for the Cabaret - sung by John Mathews and     the 6 wives

Back to the walk:

✓ 7 Beckland Bay completed 14:15pm

✓ Oops another one 8 🤣 Wembury Point 15:15pm

I come across the Wembury Iron age fort and am enchanted by the wild primroses growing profusely here. I am drawn to linger over a late lunch overlooking the primroses and gorse to the impressive Blackchurch Rock, enjoying the sunshine and shelter from the wind, but reluctantly set off again.

I descend through the Wembury Point woods and the very first bluebells emerging in late March!! I recall there being a glorious mass of bluebells here when I passed by in mid-April of 2022.

✓ Oh no - another one: 9! Mouth Mill

How did I miss this on the map. I’ll need to be more careful in future. 

I’ve been trying to work out how to describe the gulls’ call - maybe a rather raucous plaintive cry and sometimes like a wind up toy dog yapping - but no scores out of 10 for effort please! And on similar vein I now hear the crackling of the pebbles down on the beach as they are dragged by the wash of the surging waves in front of Black Burch Rock. Hearing a gentle twinkling call, I’m delighted to see Long tailed tits feeding high up in the pine trees in the woodlands coming up from Mouth Mill

✓ Counting in as the ascent from Mouth Mill the bizarrely named Gallantry Boys is completed by 16:05

Looks like I should comfortably get to Clovelly by 5pm. The pub wanted me at the table for dinner by 6pm.I meet a couple with 3 gorgeous golden whippets - the mother and two of her 7 one year old pups. They are very elegant and gentle - really well behaved.

At the top of the slope, the path opens out to fields and I get a first sight of Clovelly Court and the village car park. I’m nearly there and it’s still a beautiful sunny late afternoon although the wind is gusting strongly - enough to knock me off my tracks.

I arrive at Clovelly village entrance at 16:40. Plenty of time to get to Harbour View B&B, have a good soak in the - yes! - a bath again!!! - and get down to the pub for 6pm for something to eat. And what a superb evening I’ve just had. Such a lovely local pub. The staff, Phil and Jo, made me welcome and so supported with what I am doing. And I met some very supportive local people and visitors. An evening like this is such a boost to my confidence and determination to go on. This combined with a lovely couple based in Barnstaple who continue to offer help as well as an old colleague who lives in Devon. I’m grateful to all of you. Even if I don’t call on your help, knowing that you are there if I need you is amazing moral support.