Clovelly to Bude

Thurs 9th July 2015

Had to force another full English breakfast down a wonderful nights sleep IN A PROPER BED! Said goodbye to more people we had met here and walked up the cobbled road back onto the Coast Path. Bright day today and started off in woods again before coming out onto cliff tops where we seemed to walk for most of the day. Then through field after field of farmland with so many gates and stiles to negotiate. If we look to our right we saw the blue sea and to the left the patchwork quilt of green fields of every shade. The walk was fairly easy until Hartland Point. We stopped here for a cream tea. One between 2 was plenty. After that we had some severe ups and downs until we hit to Stoke Barton where we found a great campsite for £14. Had showers and coffee and said hello to the calves in the barn. David had a look around the Norman Church. A lot of this area is also owned by The Stucley Family as is Clovelly & Hartland Abbey which was all given to this family by Henry VIII in 1539 when he dissolved the monastery and gave it to the sergeant of his  wine cellar. The owners of this campsite must feel like they still live back in these times as their rent has just been put up 3 times! 

Fri

Up early and spoke to a lovely young couple in the tent next to us - Stuart & Rach. If they are reading this they are doing the same system as many we have met having their luggage transported between stops which is really the way to go. If they are not reading this they are a pair of soft wimps! Who need to harden up and carry it all like us!! Walked down to Hartland Quay just for a look and everything was shut so no coffee! Headed then off on The Path and according to our book the most severe section of the whole walk. This coastline is quite unique with massive dark layers of rock sandwiched together- they look like blackened skeletal fingers reaching out into the sea. Was surprised when the first 5 miles wasn't too bad until we hit Welcombe Bay. OMG! After that we encountered the hardest walk we have ever done. We had to walk up and down 5 very deep valleys. Our heads were down just keep going on the ups and careful we don't go arse over tit on the downs! Passed the landlord of The Bush Inn at Morwensco walking his dog who gave us directions to his pub and said we could put our tent up in his pub garden. Happy Days! Tent up and into the pub by 4pm-knackered! But the pints were flowing and great food too so this makes the climbs all worthwhile. 

Sat

Another sleep in and into the pub where we had our first Full Cornish Breakfast as we are now in North Cornwall. Didn't set off until 10am this morning and was cooler than yesterday which was a bit too hot for the difficult section we did. The blustery wind off the sea was a bit of a worry as some of the walk was very close to the cliff edge. Two paces in spots! We still had to do another 5 steep valleys today but they didn't feel as bad as yesterday. Stopped at Sandymouth for our first ice cream. We then strolled into Bude about 3pm-looks like a great holiday place lots of surfers and beachuts- took a photo of one family having a ball. They were pleased they were going to be on our blog back in Australia. Went into Boots the chemist for bits we needed then a camp shop for a dry sac ft our toiletries as the IKEA zip lock bag had failed the test. Headed back out of Bude and found a campsite in Upper Lynstone for £17. Tent up and backpacks off we walked down the road to The Brendon Arms for a couple of pints and pulled pork rolls before much needed showers and bed. 

Can u spot David?

It was a long way down!

Can u believe this is the first one!

Happy family holidays in Bude