Log No 288. Fri 18th Apr 2014 - Kingswear to Paignton, 17 miles (4392 miles walked)

I had intended catching the bus from the campsite down to the ferry but with it being Good Friday there was no bus, at least it was all downhill.

Yesterday afternoon I took the passenger ferry from Kingswear so this morning I took the car ferry back across. This ferry is unusual in that it is just an open deck/barge that is tied alongside a boat which takes it across the river.

From Kingswear it was straight uphill and onto a private road round the edge of the cliff for a bit before I got onto the footpath with a steep descent to Mill Bay Cove with a steep climb back up.

It was good path through a wood to the Coastguard Lookout Station on Froward Point, the door of which was open with sign saying "Come in and see what we do", so I did.

I spoke to the two volunteers on watch for a while but they never offered me a drink of tea even though their kettle was boiling!

The bit of cloud that there was to start with had all cleared away giving another Blue Sky day, I don't know for how much longer though as rain is forecast for Sunday.

The path did a lot of zig-zagging as it went up and down along the slope of the clifftop going round Pudcombe Cove and on to Scabbacombe Head.

I had another big drop & climb after the headland then the path became easier as it followed the top of the slopes.

I met Derek on the path, he lives in Brixham and is a keen promoter of the SWCP, a couple of times a year he comes out with his strimmer to trim the parts of the path that the council workers fail to reach.

I took a break just before St Mary's Bay and got chatting to Tracy & Gary who were down for the weekend for a bit of walking and sightseeing and we walked together for a bit.

A section of the path was closed and a notice board showed the diversion. There was a short wooden fence across the path but no notice on it, someone had just come over it and he said the path was okay so we climbed over and onto the path. Tracy hadn't realised we were on the closed off section and when we were climbing over the bit of fence at the other end she said she was surprised there was no stiles on the fences.

We were coming up to Berry Head when I heard a "Hello" and here were Pat & Pam and James & Chris (who Mick & I met three days ago on Tuesday) sat down on the grass, unfortunately they had finished their coffee on this occasion.

I stopped to speak to them for a bit, having taken a rest day and then spent the next day walking round the River Dart I hadn't expected to see them again. It looked like I was heading for the same campsite they were tonight so I would likely see them later too.

I stopped in Brixham to get some food for tonight and then looked at the Golden Hind in the harbour. It looks such a small ship for 71 people, Francis Drake, 10 officers & 60 crew, to have lived on it for 3 years while he circumnavigated the world in 1577.

Back on the coast path I missed a marker post in the woods and ended up on the landward side of the golf course. I decided to stay on the road and take a direct route to the campsite in Paignton, only to find there was no access and I had to take a long way round to it.

It was a big holiday park with prices to match and it cost £24.80 for my pitch. It was nearly 4 o'clock I didn't have any other options so I stayed here, PP & JC turned up while I was eating my tea.

Another good days walk and I did take time out to admire the views, taking nearly 8 hours for the 17 miles.