Weather: relatively warn, overcast, still.
Distance: 27km, (16.8 miles)
Total Distance: 1561
miles
It was reported as being the mildest
November since records began some three hundred years ago. I thought the coast was now in
reach of a days outing from Coventry which would be especially useful in the
Winter when the roads were clear. I had
been keeping an eye out for a good weather forecast for a couple of weeks and
here it was, a mild and windless day. I
got up at 6.00 and was on the road at just after 6.30am. The journey presented no problems and I was
in Shaldon at just after 9.40. I parked the car in a narrow street next to the
church and made a short trek into Shaldon to the place I had stopped
walking previously. I then strolled back to the
car and then over the bridge and onto a footpath that ran alongside the railway
line and the Teignmouth rugby ground.
The next part of the walk, south onto
the little peninsular, led to houses, holiday cottages and shacks that opened
out directly onto the beach. Although
they pointed west there was still evidence that sandbags were needed in stormy
conditions. Once around the tip of the
headland I headed North, along the Teignmouth promenade. There was still
some evidence of holiday makers being here here even in November.
At the end of the promenade the path
followed the railway line on the seaward side, on a raised platform over the
beach. There were signs stating that it was not passible at high tide, echoing
the message in my guide book, but it looked OK to me even though it was less than 30
minutes to high tide. Fortunately it was OK.
At the far end, the path went down steps and through a tunnel under the
railway line; this was also jjust about passible.
I concluded it must have been a low high tide that day helped by a
windless day.
There then followed the only climb of
the day, initially up a lane onto the main road past a couple of side streets
that led nowhere so were not worth following and then out again towards the
coast into fields. The grass was lush
and the birds in full song. I spotted
what I think was a wren.
Down through some lanes led to a view
overlooking Dawlish, not nearly as nice a Teignmouth and lots of evidence of
closed up hotels and amusement arcades.
I pressed on, crossing the railway again to the seaward side and along
the front all the way to Dawlish Warren, once again the tide was kind and the
route passable.
The first place I came to on the Dawlish Warren nature reserve was an amusement arcade!
I stopped for lunch - a cup of tea and five doughnuts for £1. The doughnuts were surprisingly nice but
large and I only managed four! I had
decided to walk as far down the warren that was easily passible. There was an RSPB HQ in the middle and close
to that the amusing sight of some thirty twitchers looking into a bush. I later learnt that a rare bird had been
spotted. The Warren got more and more
sandy and hard going though I made it quite a long way to the end to where it
was apparent I had to retrace my steps because the northern side led just to
the golf course and bird hide. Once back in the village I stopped at a shop
with virtually bare shelves - running on winter stock I guess.
Next was a long section on roads,
initially quiet, then busy through Starcross and then on minor ones again up towards
Powerham. Near Starcross, I was walking along the road when I saw some large
fish in a stream next to the road. I was
unintentionally chasing them. Further
down the stream, an oil slick appeared but by this time the fish had turned
back. Wise fish.
The one thing that dominated this walk
were the trains on this busy section of track.
The path followed the track for long periods of time. At Powerham, the path left the road and
passed along the estuary front. I
thought this would be deserted but it was crowded with locals out for an autumn
walk or cycle. The Turf Inn at the start
of the canal was closed for the Winter.
I made the mistake of crossing the canal and taking the path on the
seaward side up towards Exeter. Although this is a footpath on the map it was
very poor underfoot and anyone with any sense was using the path on the other
side of the canal. I crossed back over
at the fist bridge onto the better side.
It was here that I began to realise that if I hurried I had a chance of
catching the bus at 3.10 which stopped at Shaldon rather than the one at 3.40
that stopped on the Teignmouth side of the bridge and then went onto Newton Abbott. It was a very fast walk and I only just made
it - fortunately the bus was a bit late.
When I got on the bus and sat down the window next to me began to steam up. This effect then began to work its way down
the bus. I have steamed up a car before
now but never a whole bus.
I got back to the car at just gone 4.00
pm and then drove back to Coventry in time to see the boys at 7.30 pm before they went to bed. It had been an
excellent days walking. I had walked
almost 17 miles and only stopped once.
It had been a very good years walking,
my second best in terms of overall distance, helped by the fact that I had made
a good few trips down.
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