Date: 20180518
Time: 9:35 – 18:20
Distance: 27.7 km
Stay: Blair Lodge, Combe Martin
Walk
Today starts well, I save myself the first climb by going up the Clif Railway (from Lynmouth to Lynton). For that I have to wait a bit, the Clif Railway is only open at 10:00 am I hear from the people who work there. I chat with the employees / volunteers for a while and learn that the Clif Railway does not use any electricity. Everything is done with water from the river that flows on top of the hill. There are two trains and they are connected. If one train has to go up, then its water tank is emptied, the water tank of the other train has already been filled by then. Simple, effective and very green!
The remaining fifteen minutes I have a look around in the harbor of Lynmouth.
Since there is still enough to climb today, I do not even feel guilty about skipping this climb 🙂
After that the path goes along the hills and along the sea. There are a lot of walkers here. But the crowd is getting less after a while. I arrive at the Valley of Rocks. Here I go up to enjoy the view. Then the path continues past Lee Abbey. The path now runs along a road, but there is an alternative route more closely to the coast and through the meadows. Of course I choose this.
Just before I switch to the alternative route, I meet three other hikers. We chat for a while and then they continue via the road and I follow the alternative route. The alternative route is much more fun (and much heavier) than the route via the road. I walk through grassland with sheep and through small paths along the coast. After some time I return to the road again. I keep following this for a while until I go back into a path that eventually goes down.
At the bottom, there is a sign indicating the directions to America, Russia, Iceland and New Zealand. Here I meet the three hikers again and we have a chat and the some jokes about the signpost. Then I continue, they have a slightly slower pace. Later I will meet the three musketeers again.
After quite some time I arrive at Heddon Valley. Here I first walk to Heddon Beach. There is an ancient lime kiln on the beach. When I am back on the path, I meet the three musketeers again, they are resting on a bench. We have another chat and then I continue to the Hunter’s Inn. I follow the river, the Heddon, and after a small detour (the path to the inn is closed because a big tree has fallen down or is cut down) I arrive at my resting place.
Here I take a pint and a well-deserved half-hour of rest. At another table there is a hiker who I met several times yesterday and today. When she leaves, she comes over to have a chat. She does circular walks every day because she wants to get back to her car again. She now goes back to Lynmouth, via a different route.
After my rest, the walk continues. I walk back to the path via a different route. Then it goes up steeply, around Peter Rock. This is a reasonably dangerous part, the cliff goes down steeply and the path is very narrow. I continue walking along the hill on a narrow path with shrubs to the left and the hill that goes uphill and to the right the hill going down. After the path goes inland, I walk past meadows on a somewhat wider grass path. Occasionally I walk through the meadow because the path is no longer passable. Here, too, diversions are arranged.
Eventually it goes all the way down again. I cross a stream and after that it goes up steeply, as usual, to Great Hangman this time. Fortunately, the steep stretch does not last too long and the rest of the climb to Great Hangman goes much more gradually. Great Hangman is the highest sea cliff in England and thus also the highest point on the South West Coast Path (318m).
Just before I reach the top, I meet the three musketeers again. We chat again and I continue to the top. At the top, I find a cairn, a large stack of stones, but unfortunately no bench (you do find everywhere else). So I sit and rest on the pile of stones. I think I deserved a rest after this climb. The three musketeers pass by and during the descent of Great Hangman we walk more or less together. More or less, because everyone does everything at his own pace.
The descent is pretty heavy. I feel my left knee protesting. In the end, however, we all end up in Combe Martin. Now quickly to the B & B for a shower and then into the village for something to eat.
The route today was pretty tough. I have done a number of extras, but not everything. All in all, I walked a good 27 kilometers again.
In the evening I meet the three musketeers again at the Dolphin Inn, where I’m going to eat. Here we have more time to chat and that is what we do.
Weather
Today it was again great weather, sunny and sometimes even a bit too hot. I had put on my thin jacket again and again I took it off pretty quickly and put it in my backpack. Later on, however, I put it on again to avoid sun burn.
Lyric of the day
In honor of the highest point of the South West Coast Path, the Great Hangman, today the lyrics are Gallows Pole by Led Zeppelin:
Hangman, hangman, hold it a little while,
I think I see my friends coming, Riding many a mile.
Friends, did you get some silver?
Did you get a little gold?
What did you bring me, my dear friends, To keep me from the Gallows Pole?
What did you bring me to keep me from the Gallows Pole?
I couldn’t get no silver, I couldn’t get no gold,
You know that we’re too damn poor to keep you from the Gallows Pole.
Hangman, hangman, hold it a little while,
I think I see my brother coming, riding many a mile.
Brother, did you get me some silver?
Did you get a little gold?
What did you bring me, my brother, to keep me from the Gallows Pole?
Brother, I brought you some silver, yah
I brought a little gold, I brought a little of everything
To keep you from the Gallows Pole.
Yes, I brought you to keep you from the Gallows Pole.
Hangman, hangman, turn your head awhile,
I think I see my sister coming, riding many a mile, mile, mile, mile.
Sister, I implore you, take him by the hand,
Take him to some shady bower, save me from the wrath of this man,
Please take him, save me from the wrath of this mad man.
Hangman, hangman, upon your face a smile,
Tell me that I’m free to ride,
Ride for many a mile, mile, mile.
Oh, yes, you got a fine sister, She warmed my blood from cold,
She brought my blood to boiling hot, To keep you from the Gallows Pole, Pole, Pole, Pole, yeah, yeah
Your brother brought me silver, Your sister warmed my soul,
But now I laugh and pull so hard And see you swinging on the Gallows Pole, yah
But now I laugh and pull so hard And see you swinging on the Gallows Pole, Pole, Pole
Swingin’ on the Gallows Pole! [x3]
Swingin’ on the Gallows Pole, Pole, Pole, Pole, Pole, Pole, Pole, yeah
