Date: 20180707
Time: 9:40 – 14:30
Distance: 17.4 km
Stay: Anchor Inn, Beer
Walk
I start on a relaxing route today. Along the beach in Sidmouth. However, that is short-lived, after the beach it quickly goes up to Salcombe Hill. That is the first of three big climbs that I have to deal with today. Fortunately they are all three in the beginning of the route.
When I arrive at the top, it quickly goes down again and almost immediately up again. Then I am good for a while. Nice walk over the cliffs. At Lincombe I do not go down and up again for a change, but I walk around the cove at about the same level. That helps.
But at Weston Mouth it goes down again, completely this time, down to the beach. And immediately up again. This is the last big climb today. What follows is a lot of cliff top walking where I slowly walk down. It goes through meadows and there are quite a lot of people. That is probably because it is Saturday.
Just before Branscombe Mouth it goes down steeply again, to the beach.
When I arrive at Branscombe Mouth, it’s time for a break. Fill-up the water supply and a can of juice. Because I did the worst of today and because today is a short route, I decide to walk to Branscombe village. There are some nice cottages and there is a pub somewhere.
By way of exception, this extra trip does not mean extra climbing. It goes via a well-maintained walkway, along a stream to the village. The village actually consists of a number of smaller hamlets. In the first hamlet I find indeed some nice cottages with a smithy and a tearoom in them.
When I walk to the second hamlet via the road, I find the Masons Arms there. That is good, a pint on the terrace in the shade seems nice to me.
After this welcome break I find my way back to the Coast Path. That is not very difficult and once arrived at the coast, I follow the lower cliff path along Hooken Cliff. That does not mean that I do not have to walk up, but only that I first walk underneath and only then climb up. However, it is not such a big climb (relatively speaking).
I now walk around Beer Head. At the beginning I can look back completely to Start Point (I was there a week ago). When I walk around Beer Head, I can look all the way ahead and see the largest part of the Coast Path that I still have to walk, all the way to Portland.
From Beer Head it goes quietly down to Beer. Fantastic name for a village in England 🙂 Here I go straight to the Anchor Inn, my address for the night. That’s good, because here they have a Beer Garden and life music. After my pint I check in and I take a shower. In the meantime, England starts the match. When I’m done and want another pint, I have to find my way between football fans who are all staring at a (rather small) screen (and all in front of the bar of course). I sit outside in the Beer Garden again and start this report. In the end, I think England won …
Weather
Another sunny day, dry and warm. A nice breeze on the cliffs.
Lyric of the day
Well, if you stay in a village with the name Beer, then you have to do something with that. The lyrics of today are by ZZ Top, Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers:
If you see me walkin’ down the line
with my fav’rite honky tonk in mind,
well, I’ll be here around suppertime
with my can of dinner and a bunch of fine.
Beer drinkers and hell raisers, yeah.
Uh-huh-huh, baby, don’t you wanna come with me?
The crowd gets loud when the band gets right,
steel guitar cryin’ through the night.
Yeah, try’n to cover up the corner fight
but ev’rything’s cool ’cause they’s just tight.
Beer drinkers and hell raisers, yeah.
Huh, baby, don’t you wanna come with me?
Ah, play it boy.
The joint was jumpin’ like a cat on hot tin.
Lord, I thought the floor was gonna give in.
Soundin’ a lot like a House Congressional
’cause we’re experimental and professional.
Beer drinkers, hell raisers, yeah.
Well, baby, don’t you wanna come with me?
Beer Garden, hoe kóm je erop …. 😉