Log No 287. Thu 17th Apr 2014 - Dartmouth to Kingswear, 21 miles (4375 miles walked)

It was another fine day as I left the campsite at 07.10 with a light pack and it made a change to start walking with a descent instead of the usual climb.

The Dart valley was full of low mist as I followed the minor road down round the head of Old Mill Creek and then took a bridleway shortly after starting up the other side of the hill.

Reaching the top of the hill I got back on the roads and dropped down to the next valley where I picked up a footpath to take me to the village of Cornworthy.

The footpath was part of the John Musgrave Heritage Trail (I've no idea who he is) and from the village it continued up and round Corkscrew Hill before descending to Tuckenhay on Bow Creek.

It was back on the road again going over the bridge at Bow and onwards and upwards to Ashprington.

I continued following the signs for the Heritage Trail and back on the footpath it dropped down to the River Dart.

Most of my detours round the rivers have been fairly boring but I was really enjoying this one, even on the roads it was all so peaceful with just the birds singing. The village settings by the creeks were very attractive and life seemed as slow as the river was moving.

A chap standing on his Paddle Board was coming upstream and a rowing club had boats out practicing.

Coming into Totnes at 10.35 I crossed the bridge over the River Dart then walked through the streets towards Weston House where I was able to get back on the Trail again which followed a bridleway to Aish.

Now it was all road walking, Using minor roads to go by Stoke Gabriel and through Waddeton and Galmpton to get on to the main road A379.

This wasn't a nice road to walk on as it had no verges but I was only on it for a mile to Hillhead where I took the B3205 down to Kingswear.

A car stopped and the driver, who was wearing a suit, asked me if this was the road to Dartmouth, he was taken aback when I told him it was but only via a ferry, he said his SatNav had brought him this way, then he asked me how much it was to take the car on the ferry. Do I look remotely like a Ticket Collector?

I arrived at the harbour at 14.30, all in all it was a good days walk of 21 miles.

There were a lot of people about with the Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway bringing carriages full of day trippers to the ferry across to Dartmouth.

Both the passenger and car ferries run non stop so there was no real waiting to get across and get a bus back to the campsite.