Westward Ho! to Clovelly
(Our overall day number 31 - Part of The KC3 ECP Leg 4b - Braunton to Hartland Quay)Westward Ho! to Clovelly
21st May 2023 | Miles 11.5 | Elevation gain 3394ft
An 11.5 mile walk, leaving Westward Ho! in quite a sedate manner for a mile or so, but then the real climbing started. A combination of cliff top walking, with regular descents to traverse valleys, and sometimes all the way back to the beach, then up again. The path runs past Peppercombe, and reaches Buck's Mills around the 7 mile mark, in time for lunch. After another mile or so of steep sided valley up and down, the path emerges onto the Hobby Drive, which is a tarmac track that runs all the way to Clovelly. Great views at times, but the Hobby Drive is mostly under tree canopy and there's not much to see - however by the time we got there we were pleased with the slightly easier walking.
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Getting there and back
It is possible to travel by bus between Westward Ho! and Clovelly via a combination of the 319 bus between Bideford and Clovelly and the 21 bus between Bideford and Westward Ho!, however sadly the 319 does not run on a Sunday, which is when we wanted to do this stretch, so we had to resort to two cars. There is plenty of parking in Westward Ho!, with the best choice for path access being the Seafield car park on the west side of the town. In Clovelly, the best place to park is at the Visitor Centre – this was free when we parked there. It seems to cost £7.50 a person to pass through the Visitor Centre and down into the village of Clovelly, however the village is also accessible, without paying, from the coast path which runs just below the visitor centre. That said, a £7.50 ticket does entitle you to a shuttle back up the steep hill – we walked up this slope after the end of day 5 and can confirm it is very steep!
Weather conditions
Lovely sunny day, making for warm walking conditions!
Walking difficulty
From Westward Ho! to Clovelly, there are a lot of sharp ups and downs, the trail was overgrown in parts, and while the ground had dried quite significantly in the two weeks prior to our walk (late May 2023), it was clear that there had been a lot of muddy sections earlier in the month, and this was confirmed by other walkers comments. The last section into Clovelly is on the Hobby Drive which is much easier walking.
The story of our day in photos
.jpg "Starting out - not many people at Westward Ho!")
Starting out - not many people at Westward Ho!
.jpg "Walking through Westward Ho! on a fine, very quiet, Sunday morning")
Walking through Westward Ho! on a fine, very quiet, Sunday morning
.jpg "It's a well defined path with a shallow gradient - at first!")
It's a well defined path with a shallow gradient - at first!
.jpg "The upping and downing starts")
The upping and downing starts
.jpg "That's Clovelly in the distance, our destination for the day, but still some 10 miles distant")
That's Clovelly in the distance, our destination for the day, but still some 10 miles distant
.jpg "Looks tiring!")
Looks tiring!
.jpg "Local wildlife")
Local wildlife
.jpg "Ani The Dog - must seem like a tall jungle from that height")
Ani The Dog - must seem like a tall jungle from that height
.jpg "Or even our height")
Or even our height
.jpg "All the way down to the beach, and that's another steep climb ahead")
All the way down to the beach, and that's another steep climb ahead
.jpg "Tricky walking on the big pebbles, or are they boulders?")
Tricky walking on the big pebbles, or are they boulders?
.jpg "More upping!")
More upping!
.jpg "In the woods above Peppercombe - most of the mud had receded, but this would have been nasty a couple of weeks before our visit")
In the woods above Peppercombe - most of the mud had receded, but this would have been nasty a couple of weeks before our visit
.jpg "Heading towards Buck's Mills - six miles done and still looking for a lunch stop")
Heading towards Buck's Mills - six miles done and still looking for a lunch stop
.jpg "Not the most comfortable lunch stop, at Buck's Mills - but certainly among the most welcome")
Not the most comfortable lunch stop, at Buck's Mills - but certainly among the most welcome
.jpg "First glimpses of Clovelly")
First glimpses of Clovelly
.jpg "Looking past Clovelly towards a headland we'll need to climb tomorrow")
Looking past Clovelly towards a headland we'll need to climb tomorrow
.jpg "The infamous Hobby Drive, not great views but we quite enjoyed this fairly easy walking downwards towards Clovelly")
The infamous Hobby Drive, not great views but we quite enjoyed this fairly easy walking downwards towards Clovelly
.jpg "Back home and looking from our accommodation across the River Taw towards the Braunton Burrows")
Back home and looking from our accommodation across the River Taw towards the Braunton Burrows
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