Week 3 Day 1 - Hartland Quay to Morwenstow

We are up and about early, before anyone else, at 0630 so that we can be off to Hartland Quay as soon as possible. We are hoping to walk all the way to Bude - 15 strenuous miles according to the guidebook. We get away by 0745 and park up in Hartland Quay at around 0845.

We are the first to park in the upper car park and set off in glorious sunshine along the coast.

The first 4 miles are not too bad - a gentle climb up to 150m and then a fairly flat plateau thereafter. The waterfall at Speke's Mouth is spectacular. At about 5 miles, the going gets tough with several steep-sided valleys to cross, each 150m deep, and the sun beating down relentlessly. We both get tired and dehydrated even though we have brought plenty of water.

We stop for lunch at Welcombe Mouth and talk to a National Trust warden who is putting up notices to say that the car park is closed overnight - it is hoped that this will deter campers and revellers who have caused some vandalism recently, including setting fire to a large patch of gorse on the hillside. They are also worrying about some rare wildlife that they have in the area - particularly a creature called an 'oil beetle' which is apparently parasitic on lone bees.

At Marsland Mouth we leave Devon and cross into Cornwall.

Because of the oppresive heat and our obvious tiredness and slow progress, we decide to stop at Morwenstow and leave the stretch to Bude for tomorrow. We have a refreshing pot of tea in The Rectory tea rooms followed by a pint of ale in The Bush. We catch the 1621 bus to Bude followed by the 1730 from Bude to Hartland. One unfortunate couple on the same bus are hoping to catch the connecting service from Hartland to Clovelly but we are late and can just see the back of the Bideford bus disappearing as we drive into Hartland. We learn later that they have to take a taxi.


We have a 3 mile hike from Hartland to Hartland Quay back to the car and we have an evening meal in the hotel. We stop at Morrisons in Bude for some shopping for tomorrow and get back to Camelford after sunset at around 2130. After a quick shower and brush up we turn in for an early night.

Distance walked today 7.75 miles on the coast path plus another 0.6 miles into Morwenstow.

Total distance completed: 116.75 miles (18.5%).