Day 9 Westacott to Clovelly

Whilst I only walked 10 miles of the official path, I found today’s stage to be the toughest so far! 

I awoke to the sound of rain hammering on the side of my tent. It had been forecast, so I was expecting it. I checked the weather forecast and it appeared that the rain was here to stay until mid afternoon. I therefore decided to crack on and get back on the path. I packed away a soggy tent, donned my waterproof trousers and jacket and off I set! 

There was a strong wind, but luckily it was blowing me inland rather than over the cliffs! 

Straight away the path reverted to norm and there were lots of hills to climb up and then straight back down. The main problem was that the rain had made the path very slippery, whether it be squelchy mud or wet rock!

The rain stopped around 11am but I continued to get soaked from all the sodden vegetation. 

In places, the path was barely six inches wide and you couldn’t see where you were putting your feet because of all the overhanging grass etc. 

There were very few views today, mostly due to the fact the path ran through woods or with high hedges. At one point, we did drop down to sea level (well I did, because I slipped on some wet wooden steps and slid down the last half dozen on my back with my pack luckily breaking my fall)! 

Up and down we continued, slipping and sliding! It was really hard work both physically and mentally, trying to remain upright. I also ended up a right muddy mess! 

Because you had no visual references, it seemed to take forever. I’m convinced a Devonian mile is twice as long as a standard mile! 

Eventually, Clovelly came into view, as the sun

broke through the clouds. 

However, it took another 40 minutes of walking on a steep slippery rocky road before reaching the village. By that time I’d just about had enough and couldn’t bear the thought of walking all the way down the steep cobbled street and all the way back up again, with a heavy pack on. I therefore decided to break my journey by checking into the New Inn which was near the top of the street. 

That way, I was able to drop my kit, have a soak, before wandering down to the harbour after most of the tourists had gone home!

Whilst having a meal, I bumped into Peter from Germany who I first met on Day 2, Eva from Switzerland and Nicky from Horsham. We had a good chat as all of us were walking various stages of the path. Peter and we started on the same day and are both doing the whole thing, so no doubt we will meet again. 

Tomorrow, I hope to get to Hartland Quay.