Heddon Valley to Ilfracombe

We were both awake before the alarm this morning, as the tent had been buffeted all night by the wind. We had managed to get some sleep, but it was far from peaceful.

We set off, along the shrub headland covered in browning, autumnal ferns. We wouldn’t see another person until a few hours later. We dropped off the headland into the “combe”, a word I’d been seeing in the place names and looked up, which means a small valley.

From here we headed up to Great Hangman, which is the highest point on the South West Coast Path at 318m. Not very tall, but the frequent ups and downs means a great deal more ascent and descent is covered with most days covering more than 1000m of ascent.

From here we descended in Combe Martin, and stopped at one of the open cafes (many of the others closed for the winter) for a coffee and sausage roll.

Next we headed towards Ilfracombe, where we had a hostel booked for the night. Here the footpath showcased some small, picturesque coves; but was hemmed in by human settlement, either between roads, houses or field boundaries.

After an unexpected climb over Hillsborough, just outside the town, we arrived at the harbour side. We treated ourselves to a coffee and cake, while waiting for the hostel to open.

Once checked in we made good use of the shower (our first in the three days) and washing machine. We then headed out for a fish and chip supper, before turning into bed.