The South West Coastal Path Chronicles: Maidencombe to Starcross

Date: 10th July 2021

Distance: 11.68 miles
Time: 4:38:08
Ascent: 1509 feet

Total SWCP so far: 536.8 miles

Route

Progress

Profile

Martin and Marina's Bit

Day 2 and this time we did get rained on, so much so that we started the day with waterproofs on. But it didn't stay wet forever and became a sunny, warm day later on.

En route we crossed a field which was home to a young bull. A toddler bull in fact. Young, curious and frisky. Said bull did generate a bit of excitement/alarm in the team though. Did you know that more people die from being trampled by cattle than from shark attack? This may or may not be true! But it's what we've heard, so being a little wary of the cattle on the path probably makes sense. No harm befell the intrepid four this time though and we evaded the evil hooves of the young bull, crossing the field to safety.

We crossed from Shaldon to Teignmouth by ferry, always a fun way to travel. We passed through the seaside resort of Dawlish and were enthralled by Derek's tales of how he lost various items of clothing when holidaying there as a child. In fact Derek did a full guided tour down that particular Memory Lane for us, which was great to hear.

Further on, we walked alongside the South Devon railway which was designed and built by none other than Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a man most famous for his love of enormous top hats.

Another jolly nice day.

Derek and Lesley's Bit

This was a special section for me as I spent my childhood holidays at Dawlish, Teingmouth and Shaldon.

The walk started with very wet rain & some sea mist but it soon cleared and the sun shone which was good and I was able to recite stories of my childhood. I think I was annoying although they said how much they enjoyed them!