My destination today, the fishing village of Beer, was 9 miles walking but with some steep climbs. There were plenty of people out on this beautiful Saturday morning as I walked along the Sidmouth esplanade. Reaching the end of it, the sheer unstable cliffs necessitated heading inland before the path broke out onto the grassy slope of Salcombe Hill which summits at around 500 ft. Dad, on his way from Budleigh Salterton to Beer, ate lunch here on a bench (still there) with views back to Sidmouth and his morning’s route. He was in for a tough afternoon.
On the summit there is a view marker that includes Guernsey and the Normandy beaches, the latter at least surely cannot ever be visible from this distance. The path levels out for a short distance across fields before plunging down towards Salcombe Mouth, initially by a long flight of steps, but doesn’t reach sea level, crossing a narrow attractive valley before ascending again.
Several well-sited benches along the way offered time to rest and reflect on the stunning surroundings. Arriving at one such bench at the end of Higher Dunscombe Cliff, it looked like the path would again head down a difficult-looking slope but the map reassured that the descent to Weston Mouth was yet some distance and the walking for a while would remain high level if undulating.
The descent when it came was initially through woods and then on steps, the path dipping out right onto the extensive, peaceful, pebbly beach. Three women doing the same walk as me stopped for a dip and momentarily I regretted not having packed a costume. Two kayakers passed as I enjoyed my break (I saw them again at Branscombe Mouth) and I contemplated what it would be like to be kayaking along this spectacular shoreline. I could have lingered longer but having planned to buy lunch at Branscombe Mouth nearly 3 miles distant I had to press on.
The climb back up was steep, mainly via steps and thankfully often pleasantly shaded. Dad described it as gruelling. Having caught my breath, the onward path was reasonably easy; sometimes the sea was obscured by high vegetation, other times a shimmering presence far below and periodically the panorama of the cliffs back to Sidmouth opened up behind me. After about a mile, the path turned away from the sea reaching woodland above the Branscombe valley. Here, Dad’s and my paths deviated. Leaving the official path, he descended to the village hoping for a drink at the pub, only to find it had shut down. His onward route to Beer YHA was via inland lanes and tracks, so not only did he miss out on his drink but also the spectacular scenery beyond Branscombe Mouth.
Having enjoyed lunch at the popular cafe at Branscombe Mouth, I headed uphill to the Hooken Undercliff, an extraordinary wooded slope formed by a landslip more than 200 years ago with huge limestone cliffs towering above the path. It was warm and I was grateful for the luxuriant, tangled canopy of vegetation that shades much of the tortuous path before it finally starts to zigzag up the cliff. From Beer Head, with Beer, Seaton and the coastline further east ahead, it was an easy walk into the fishing village of Beer, to end a fabulous day’s walking, and with my B&B on the outskirts of the village having a small garden I could continue to enjoy the sunshine until the sun dipped over the hills behind me.
Walking in my Dad’s footsteps: the South West Coastal Path 