David and Jo's Adventures: Exmouth to Seaton

Fri 18th Sept 2015

Said a sad goodbye to Ali but I am sure we will see her again before we go home. Took the bus to Exeter then the train to Exmouth to resume the walk from where the ferry from Starcross would have dropped us. Arrived at 5pm and started off on a bit of a downer for some reason but once we had got out of Exmouth and into the countryside we began to appreciate the path again and it was a great evenings walk. Finished getting further than we thought and arrived in Budleigh Salterton by 7pm. Found a great wild camp next to the path in woods on the Otter Estuary. Funny as people walked past and didn't even notice us!

Sat

A great nights sleep. Good weather today and immersed into the life on the path again. Walking was along red clay cliffs with a lot of erosion happening. Had breakfast at Ladram Bay before some steep climbs into lovely Sidmouth, where, by 12.30 we met up with our friends from Somerset, Paul & Alison. We spent a great day catching up and enjoying a lovely day in Sidmouth. Sure they will visit us in Australia one day. Finally set off again by 6pm with the intention of getting an early wild camp. A big climb out of Sidmouth and by the time we got to the top of Salcombe Hill we both had the runs! Luckily plenty of bushes and not many people about. We think it must have been the mackerel lunch as that was the only food we both ate! Huge flat common allowed an easy wild camp for the night.

Sun

Foggy morning but clear by the time we packed away. We both said that last night was the quietest we had experienced since gold prospecting out of Kalgoorlie! Unbelievable. Set off for some very steep hills where we met a couple from Tasmania, so plenty of chatting took our minds of the steep undulations. Walked with them until Branscombe Mouth where we stopped for a tasty lunch and they carried on. The cliffs are now limestone and are also very susceptible to erosion. The next few days are going to be interesting as quite a few diversions from cliff collapses. It's a bit daunting when you are walking on cracks close to the edge! Met a lovely 95year old lady today who was walking down an incline with her walking stick-she had had a knee op at age 92! She told us to keep walking as it's the best medicine. We had I rented to camp in Beer tonight (lovely little village) but the rain is coming so decided to walk into Seaton and got a B&B for £60 about 5pm. Hot showers-heaven.