View to the sea - the path rose and fell through endless wooded coombs like this.
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Day 2 - Porlock - Lynmouth
Author: Dave
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The first 'proper' day of the walk
Porlock Wier harbour.
Yesterday was just a short stroll as a warm up and to kill a few miles before the first B&B. Today was the first day with a little more substantial time on the hoof. It was still a very short day in the grand scheme of things though. Only 15 miles but over 3000 feet of climbing.
The first couple of miles were a trudge along the road past the many pubs we managed to frequent last night, and then along the sea front to the pebble harbour at Porlock Wier. The path then goes up a very small and hard to find track up behind the Ship Inn pub. The pub is worth a visit if you're passing - 5 or 6 decent beers on and nice pub grub. (Un)fortunately as it was just after 9:00 it was closed and thus we passed temptation by.
This was the first climb of the day, an easy gradient; not one of the biggest but enough to warm the legs up. Near the top was an odd curved house set into the slope stuck out of the way all on it's own. The path went through the attached archway following the cliff line and down mile after mile of grassy sunken lanes and fields lined with coconut smelling gorse which was in full bloom.
As we rounded Foreland Point we got our first glimpse of Lynmouth. Actually, more accurately, we saw Lynton on top of the hill. Lynmouth is the bit at the bottom of the hill. It's a town of two halves.The final wander down to the town was fairly uneventful other than it started to rain just as we got there. Not too heavily as luck would have it as Lynmouth is the place that suffered the devastating flash flood in August 1952 after an exceptional summer thunderstorm on Exmoor drained into the river Lyn. If you're one for conspiracy theories (everyone likes a conspiracy theory) the storey goes that it was caused by a military sponsored cloud seeding experiment that had a much bigger effect than they expected. Either way, 34 people died that afternoon and there is an exhibition come memorial half way along the main street that's worth a look around.
The first couple of miles were a trudge along the road past the many pubs we managed to frequent last night, and then along the sea front to the pebble harbour at Porlock Wier. The path then goes up a very small and hard to find track up behind the Ship Inn pub. The pub is worth a visit if you're passing - 5 or 6 decent beers on and nice pub grub. (Un)fortunately as it was just after 9:00 it was closed and thus we passed temptation by.
This was the first climb of the day, an easy gradient; not one of the biggest but enough to warm the legs up. Near the top was an odd curved house set into the slope stuck out of the way all on it's own. The path went through the attached archway following the cliff line and down mile after mile of grassy sunken lanes and fields lined with coconut smelling gorse which was in full bloom.
As we rounded Foreland Point we got our first glimpse of Lynmouth. Actually, more accurately, we saw Lynton on top of the hill. Lynmouth is the bit at the bottom of the hill. It's a town of two halves.The final wander down to the town was fairly uneventful other than it started to rain just as we got there. Not too heavily as luck would have it as Lynmouth is the place that suffered the devastating flash flood in August 1952 after an exceptional summer thunderstorm on Exmoor drained into the river Lyn. If you're one for conspiracy theories (everyone likes a conspiracy theory) the storey goes that it was caused by a military sponsored cloud seeding experiment that had a much bigger effect than they expected. Either way, 34 people died that afternoon and there is an exhibition come memorial half way along the main street that's worth a look around.
Our first veiw of Lynmouth / Lynton.
Dinner was a Romanian pizza courtesy of a pub/hotel run by purely by eastern Europeans. I wouldn't rush back. Afterwards, we discovered the Village Inn which, as well as some fine ale and cider, seemed to be serving what looked like pretty decent pub grub. The Rising Sun down near the pier also looked good for something a bit more special (and slightly pricier). Still, the cloudy cider in the Village Inn went down pretty well and I seem to remember came out with equal enthusiasm the following morning !
