South West Coast Path Sec 6: Braunton to Westward Ho! 13th September 2022

GPX File Here

On Tuesday 13th September 2022 I left home at 230am and drove the 4 and a half hours to Westward Ho! where I parked up in the free Seafield car park. I walked up the road to the bus stop as I saw the 21 bus pull away. I had another half hour wait for the next one. Its a drizzly morning and I was hoping the weather would improve.

The 21 bus eventually arrives and we set off, but unfortunately there is very heavy and unusual traffic going into Barnstaple and the bus is full of school children.

I eventually arrive in Braunton where I alight and start my walk still in the damp and wet weather.

I join the South West Coast Path here that is following the Tarka Trail.

I follow a tarmac cycleway and there are plenty of signs around showing that the cycleway used to be a railway.

The Barnstaple to Ilfracombe Railway was built in 1874 by the London and South Western Railway as an extension of a rail network that stretched right back to Waterloo Station in London but closed in 1970. The line between Braunton and Barnstaple was subsequently bought by North Devon District Council and made into a footpath and in the late 1980s was upgraded to a cycleway .

I am now passing RMB Chivenor. Royal Marines Barracks Chivenor is a British military base used primarily by 3 Commando Brigade.

Originally a civil airfield opened in the 1930s, the site was taken over by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and was operational between May 1940 and 1995 when it was transferred to the Royal Marines.

The airfield is still an operational airfield used by the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and RAF Search and Rescue Force (No. 22 Squadron RAF) as well as No. 624 Volunteer Gliding Squadron RAF (624 VGS) operating Grob Vigilant T1 motor gliders, providing flights for the Air Training Corps and Combined Cadet Force.

The path follows the River Taw as it makes its way inland.

The River Taw rises at Taw Head, a spring on the central northern flanks of Dartmoor, crosses north Devon and close to the sea at the town of Barnstaple, formerly a significant port, empties into Bideford Bay in the Bristol Channel having formed a large estuary of wide meanders which at its western extreme is joined by the estuary of the Torridge.

I pass Heanton Court a very fancy pub, still way too early for a drink and I suspect its closed anyway.

The Heanton Court was an ancient manor house for distinguished families descended from King Edward IV. During the 19th Century, the great house began to be let out to farmers, its castellated towers making it one of the grandest farmhouses in North Devon. In the 1930's, pleasure flights to Lundy Island would land in the grounds.

I follow the path on through the on and off rain.

I pass under the Taw Bridge that carries the A361 over.

I cross over the Metal Yeo Bridge crossing the River Yeo and into Barnstaple.

I didn't stop to look about Barnstaple having spent the day here earlier in the year on a family holiday, I continue on.

From the 14th century, Barnstaple was licensed to export wool and won great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, but its harbour silted up and other trades developed such as shipbuilding, foundries and sawmills. A Victorian market building survives, with a high glass and timber roof on iron columns.

Up ahead I cross The River Taw by the medieval Long Bridge.

The date of the first bridge as Barnstaple's main bridge across the River Taw is unclear. A will of 1274 left money for its upkeep and it underwent construction work around 1280 with further work being undertaken in 1333, and the bridge was partially destroyed in 1437 and 1646. It is unclear whether all of the arches were originally built of stone or whether three were wooden (known as "maiden Arches") until replacement in the 16th century.

In 1796, the bridge was widened again. The footpath was added in the 1830s and cast iron used to strengthen the bridge under the direction of James Green. In the 1960s some of the original stonework of the deck was replaced with concrete faced with masonry, above the original stone arches, removing the Victorian ironworks to give the bridge an image identical to how it would have looked between 1796 and 1832.

I now walk up along a busy road to a large roundabout under the A361 an onto Sticklepath. I eventually re-join the Taw along the path on the opposite side of the bank and thankful to be away from the busy urban landscape.

I've still a very long way to go yet and the weather isn't helping!

A look back to the Taw Bridge.

I see numerous waders in the river, Curlews ,Dunlins, Oystercatchers and Shelduck.

I take the opportunity to stop in this metal structure to have lunch and brew myself a cup of tea out of the rain.

After lunch I continue on and pass another shelter, but this one didn't look as clean inside.

The path just seems to stretch on  forever.

After much walking I reach Fremington.

The path moves away from the river and goes through an old cutting to reach the old Fremington station which now houses the Fremington Quay Cafe and the Fremington Quay Heritage Centre.

Fremington Quay was formerly a port on the River Taw, half a mile north of the village centre. Fremington was formerly a borough which sent members to Parliament in the reign of King Edward III (1327–77). The parish includes the neighbouring former hamlets (greatly expanded in the 20th century) of Bickington to the east and Yelland to the west.

Fremington railway station served the village of Fremington, Devon, England, from 1855 to 1965 on the Bideford Extension Railway. Located at Fremington Quay, about a mile from the centre of the village.

View back across to RMB Chevinor.

I cross a bridge over the Fremington Pill.

I continue on my walk through Fremington Quay.

The path runs over the old track bed and there are  reminders of the railway such as the buildings at Fremington Quay. The  railway crossed this estuary and the railway bridge is still in place, now carrying the path.

I cross the bridge and next to the bridge is this memorial with an inscription which reads "Memorial to John 'Dinger' Bell drowned 13 Sept 1986 aged 55. Local fisherman and character."

I follow the path on still following The Tarka Trail.

I walk by an area known as Yelland Stone Row.

The Yelland Stone Rows is a prehistoric monument of two parallel rows of small standing stones located on the tidal mudflats of the River Taw estuary, in Devon, England. Since the 1990s, the ancient stone alignment has disappeared from view into the silt and tidal debris. The site is within the nature reserve of Isley Marsh, and is owned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

The South West Coast Path leaves the tarmac path and follows the banks of the Taw and the Isley Marsh.

The tide is going out and I see some fisherman standing in the river.

I walk by a jetty by Paige's Pill.

I can see Appledore across the water from me, unfortunately the tide times are not on my side today to catch the ferry across and that means a extra 6 mile walk into Bideford and back put for me!

I pass North Devon Cricket Club with its Thatched Pavilion. The thatched pavilion is a grade 2 listed building dating back to the late 1700s.

Across from the Cricket Club is 11 Amphibious Trials and training unit - Royal Marines.

I walk on and reach Instow.

I stop at the Instow Arms for a drink and a packet of crisps for a short rest.

A nice Dark Mild beer!

I continue my walk alongside the beach.

I leave Instow behind as I walk out along the estuary and pass the old Instow Railway Station.

The line opened from Barnstaple to Fremington in 1848, and then passenger trains ran from Barnstaple to Bideford from 2 November 1855 after the Bideford Extension Railway. The line was further extended to Torrington in 1872. Passenger services ceased on 2 October 1965 although ball clay traffic continued until 1982. The track was finally removed in 1985.

Instow has a famous railway signal box, which is over 130 years old and was the UK's first Grade II listed signal box. It used to control the signals at Instow Station and also the operation of the level crossing. You can see the wheel that operated the gates, pull the signal levers, one of which still operates a signal, and generally learn how the box worked. In 2003 the box was nationally recognised for its restoration and educational value by receiving the Carillion Rail Award at the National Railway Heritage Awards. The signal box is now managed and run by volunteers of the Bideford Railway Heritage Centre and is open to the public on occasional Sundays and Bank Holidays.

I trudge on, the rain has started again and my coat is back on. I'm fed up and hair soaking wet I walk on towards Bideford.

I walk under Torridge Bridge that carries the A39 overhead and on onwards the next bridge.

I walk under old railway arches and out into East the Water where I cross the Bideford Long Bridge.

It is one of the longest mediaeval bridges in England, being 677 feet (222 yards) long with 24 arches. In 1790 the bridge was the longest in Devon. It remained the furthest downstream bridge on the river until 1987, when the Torridge A39 Road Bridge was built a mile or so further downstream at Northam. The river is still tidal at Bideford (and as far upstream as Weare Giffard) and a very large fluctuation in water levels occurs twice daily under the bridge. An ancient New Year's Eve tradition was to try to run across the Long Bridge during the time taken for the bells of St. Mary's parish church, near the west end, to chime midnight. A sight enjoyed by many in the winter months is of the starlings at dusk, as they come in large flocks to roost underneath the bridge.

In ancient records Bideford is recorded as Bedeford, Byddyfrod, Bedyford, Bydeford, Bytheford and Biddeford. The etymology of the name means "by the ford", and records show that before there was a bridge there was a ford at Bideford where River Torridge is estuarine, and at low tide, it is possible, but not advisable, to cross the river by wading on foot. The Welsh bydd y ffordd means "this is the way" or "this is the road" owing to the Celtic legacy of the Dumnonians and their common ancestry with the Welsh.

Hubba the Dane was said to have attacked Devon in the area around Bideford near Northam or near Kenwith Castle, and was repelled by either Alfred the Great (849–899) or by the Saxon Earl of Devon.

The manor of Bideford was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as held at some time in chief from William the Conqueror by the great Saxon nobleman Brictric, but later held by the king's wife Matilda of Flanders (c. 1031 – 1083).

I pass the Tarka the Otter Statue.

Tarka the Otter, the main character of Henry Williamson's book of the same name, he has inspired the name of many areas within town including our long distance footpath and cycle path, the Tarka Trail.

I walk on down The Quay following the River Torridge.

I pass the statue of Charles Kingsley.

.Bideford was home to the author Charles Kingsley, and is where he based his novel Westward Ho!. A small seaside town, named after the book, was built after the book's publication. Westward Ho!, which is the only town in the United Kingdom that officially contains an exclamation mark in its name, is approximately 5 kilometres (3 miles) from Bideford. A statue has been erected in honour of Charles Kingsley by the town park's car park.

I walk back under the Torridge Bridge and follow the path through a built up area before meeting the river and through a wooded area alongside.

The river describes a long loop through Devon farming country where its tributaries the Lew and Okement join before meeting the Taw at Appledore and flowing into the Bristol Channel. The river is spate dependent and often flows between wooded banks which can be steep. The Torridge local government district is named after the river.

It was the home of Tarka the Otter in Henry Williamson's book.

The path leaves the river and climbs uphill behind a shipbuilding yard in Appledore before joining Wooda Road which I follow downhill into Appledore.

I get chatting to a man from Edgware in London who was walking the Bideford to Westward Ho! section without his backpack as he's staying in Bideford and thought he'd get the last part unburdened. He said he was walking on to Clovelly tomorrow. I said goodbye wondering if I'd bump into him tomorrow on the path.

A historic fishing village with winding narrow streets and colourful houses, Appledore is full of maritime history and cute pastel houses.

Characterised by its winding narrow streets and the colourful houses, the charming village of Appledore sits at the confluence of the Taw and Torridge rivers with lovely views across to Instow.

I walk on through the rain, maybe looking for somewhere to have dinner. Tired, wet and hungry now!

I stop in The Beaver Inn and have a Hicks Cornish Bitter, I look at the meu. £18 for fish n Chips! I thought I'll get something cheaper in Westward Ho! and I leave to walk on.

I reach Appledore Lifeboat Station where I take stairs up to the path.

Ahead in the distance I can see multiple blue lights flashing near the golf course and marsh.

The path follows the edge of the marsh and Golf Course. I miss where the path turns off for this. Tired and wet I decide to walk on along the roads into Westward Ho!

Westward Ho! is noted for its unusual place name. The village name comes from the title of Charles Kingsley's novel Westward Ho! (1855), which was set in nearby Bideford. The book was a bestseller, and entrepreneurs saw the opportunity to develop tourism in the area.

I have a look about as I walk through, everywhere was closed up. I could see nowhere to get some dinner.

Westward Ho! is known for its surfing seas and the long expanse of clean sand backed by a pebble ridge and grasslands which extends for about three miles.

Rudyard Kipling spent several of his childhood years at Westward Ho!, where he attended the United Services College (later absorbed by Haileybury College, which is now in Hertfordshire). His collection of stories, Stalky & Co, published in 1899, was based on his experiences at the College. To commemorate his living there, the first stanza of his poem "If—" is set into the pavement on the promenade in granite setts.

I reach the car at about 7pm. I pull off my wet coat and boots. I then drive hoping to find some food. I gave up bought a Ginsters pasty from Tesco and retired back to the car park to sleep. I slept in my car in the Seafield car park. It does say no overnight sleeping but there were two campervans here doing the exact same thing. I was too tired to do anything else. I get some sleep and get ready to walk the next section tomorrow before driving home.