Minehead to Trentishoe

Day 1 – Sunday 5th September 2021

Start Time	6:19am
Total Distance	29.59 miles
Elevation	6041 feet
Total Time	14 hours 16 minutes
Moving Time	8 hours 57 minutes (18:11 minutes/mile)
Steps	63150

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Sunday, 6:19am, Minehead. My friend Chris and I were about to head off on a little wander.

Painted on the ground of the seafront in Minehead is a subtle guide for helping people with no navigation skills (like me) get going on the South West Coast Path. 630 miles away, over many lumps and bumps, lies Poole.

Within 30 minutes, we’d gone the wrong way and had to puff our way up a cheeky little hill, popping out the top from a bunch of ferns to get back on the path.

The moorland landscape here was open with lots of knee level ferns either side of the grassy and stony path.

The sky was hazy, keeping the temperature down and leading to some decent looking skies at points through the morning.

Near to Bossington we climbed to the top of the hill, with views to the sea along shale-lined valleys.

Over the brow of the hill, we got a great view of Bossington Beach and Porlock Weir in the distance.

Once at the bottom of the hill, towards the sea are salt marshes, formed when the sea breached an 8,000 year old shingle barrier. The trees didn’t survive the change to salt water, and stand like skeletons rising out the ground.

We wandered on from Bossington, stopping at Porlock Weir for a coffee and then heading on towards Lynmouth.

On the route, there were quite a few interesting things to see. As I write this now, I realise I really should have taken more photos!

One of those points of interest was St Beuno’s church, which is famous for being the smallest church in England.

Things stayed hilly on the route, with plenty of puff-inducing climbs to do, but the rewards were amazing views in all directions.

We reached the valley looking down towards the sea at Foreland Point, with Foreland Bothy just visible in the photo below.

And looking east, the road we approached on, part of the South West Coast Path.

Round the top of the headland you get impressive views of Lynmouth Bay, down to Sillery Sands Beach closer and Blacksands Beach in the distance

And here’s one from Contisbury Hill, looking back towards Sillery Sands Beach.

Lynmouth! The first real bit of civilisation since Minehead, and where we stopped for some sausage &chips and an ice cream.

Heading out of Lynmouth, you climb the path that zig-zags up the world’s steepest and longest water powered cliff railway. And it certainly felt like it!

Looking back down from half way up, the views of the beach and headland are very impressive… as is the drop down the bottom station!

Here’s the view from right up the top, on the outskirts of Lynton.

Leave Lynton, wander along some paths and 15 minutes later you’re on the edge of the Valley of Rocks, which is… well, quite rocky. The boffin’s are not entirely agreed on the way it was formed, but however it came about the rocks and the valley are incredibly imposing and beautiful.

This view shows the valley, looking back to the rock formations on the coastal side.

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An hour and a half after leaving the Valley of Rocks, we turned inland at Heddon’s Mouth and headed down to the Hunter’s Inn for some dinner.

What we hadn’t counted on was that – due to Covid – they were short staffed and therefore fully booked, so we sat in the outside area, and got over the disappointment by drinking a couple of pints, chatting about the day and making the most of some WiFi.

Around about the time the sun was setting, we wandered back to the South West Coast Path and headed up the considerable hill on the western side of Heddon’s Mouth. It was getting dark, the sun had set, but the sky was absolutely beautiful.

Now to find somewhere to camp… We found a good potential spot but it was already a bit busy. We found a less-perfect area which we pondered on for a bit before aborting to continue… and then stumbled into a pop-up campsite!

Tents all set up, we settled down for the night under the stars.