Day 10 - Clovelly to Hartland Quay - 9 Miles

I woke up early wanting the toilet. Got out of bed and stood up… YOUCH!!! I was in real trouble it seemed!!!! I managed to half hop to the toilet. I resigned myself to having to give up today and just have a holiday down here instead. I was really upset and frustrated with myself. I am soooo useless at walking for someone who loves it so much and does so much of it!! I looked at my ankle when I came back to bed. The area on the outside of my left foot, below my ankle bone, was red and swollen with small bruises near the sole. Sigh!!! Definitely time to give up!!! I had travelled so far to get down here and had only managed 20 miles of the walk.. very annoying. When I woke up again for breakfast I showered (OUCH) and hobbled across the street for breakfast served in the Hamlyn room of the main hotel. I was the only guest it seemed, so the bloke I'd been talking to yesterday and recommended the New Inn to obviously hadn't got this far. The breakfast was nice and the Hamlyn room was lovely.. all beamy and dominated by a huge portrait of one of the ladies of the Hamlyn family of Clovelly Court. The sun was shining and I was pretty miserable, but resigned to making my way to the next B&B by other means than on foot. I spent breakfast texting all the people who'd been encouraging me along my way to let them know the bad news.

On my hobble back to my room I asked at reception about taxis. The only number they had was for a firm in Bideford. The lady rang them for me to see how much Clovelly to Hartland Quay would be. £22!!!! Uhm maybe not then!!! Next option… Busses. There was apparently one from Clovelly to Hartland village, but only one at 12 and one at 2pm and I'd still have a 4 mile walk from the village to the Hartland Quay Hotel!!! Good grief!!!

The painkiller I'd taken with breakfast had started to kick in and so I was feeling a little more confident. If I had to walk 5 miles anyway, then I'd walk the whole 10 miles as planned and forget the bus!!! I decided to wear my trainers rather than my boots in case it was those that had been the cause of my swollen ankle/foot. So, rather cautiously I set off – down the hill first to the tiny post office for 2 litres of Lemon Fanta, with some of which I took another tablet and then trudged up the cobbled street and out of the village!

The route took to the edges of fields/woodlands on the Clovelly Court Estate, with the house off ot the left and the wooded cliffs off to the right. At a ridiculous kissing gate designed only for very thin walkers with no ruck sack, I was caught up by a fellow walker, just as I was swearing and cussing at the makers of such a gate!! We walked along together for a short while, but he was a 'power' walker – having started between Westward Ho! and Clovelly that morning having camped last night, and planning to get considerably beyond Hartland Quay by nightfall tonight!! He soon left me and I hobbled onwards – the painkillers masking the pain a fair bit. After a cleared bit of woodland I plunged down steeply through the woods to emerge at a wonderful little valley with a stream and stepping stones over it. I met a man from Bideford on a daily stroll and had a quick few words. It was then a steep climb out the other side of the valley.

The lovely and recently restored Angel Wings shelter on the Clovelly Court Estate.	The beautiful cliffs ahead as I hobble onwards, just before the first big decent of the day.
The lovely beach and headland at the bottom of the first little valley.	Looking back beyond the beach to a natural arch (Blackchurch Rock), after the steep climb back out.

At the top I emerged in fields and met a couple of locals coming the other way on a local walk again. I stopped to chinwag with them for a while and then set off on my way again. As I reached the next steep down the 'super' walker who'd passed me earlier near Clovelly Court came up behind me!!?? He'd taken a wrong turn apparently – whoops!! We walked together for a few steps again and then on the zig zag down the valley side I stopped at a handy bench and watched him zig zag down and then up the other side again. When he'd gone out of sight I set off again. It was a steep climb out, but I was actually feeling fitter today. If it hadn't been for my agonising foot I'd have been ok!! As I neared the top I passed an american couple and at the very top 'super' walker again, who'd stopped to chinwag with the americans and to have a drink and nibble break. I passed him and carried on my way.

From my perch on the bench on the decent into the next valley. Lundy visible out to see if you know where you're looking!	And looking back at the first little valley and natural arch from the top of the climb out the other side.
The last look back at the way I had hobbled from Clovelly.	The lovely way ahead with yet more bluebells. The next section was to be lost to view though.. just pastureland with no beach views.

The next few miles were fairly boring – flat pastureland with the waves, out of view, crashing below on my right. With the lack of inspiration and distraction of views my foot started to REALLY hurt on this section!!! I hobbled onwards though, through the occasional field of cows. Just after I'd passed a trig point I had to sit down for a while and took another tablet. From this point onwards I wouldn't be able to go far without stopping!!! Super walker passed me for the final time as I was sitting there.

Somewhere around Gawlish cliff I finally caught a glimpse of Hartland Point, which inspired me for a little while. I had to sit down for a while though on a bank overlooking the 'golf ball on a stick' radar tower sitting on the point in the distance. An older couple passed me while I sat here admiring the view and worrying about making it to Hartland Quay!!

I eventually got up and followed them after they'd got ahead a good distance. The bay at Titchberry was the first beautiful bit of cliff scenery for a while so that reinspired me somewhat. I had yet another rest overlooking the bay when I had got to its far side. From here it was a shortish walk around the radar tower and down to the café at Hartland Point carpark. I decided to treat myself to a local Devon clotted cream ice cream tub and, once I'd got the taste for food, a bacon sarnie too!!! With a can of diet coke.

The golf ball on a stick of the Radar station just before Hartland Point comes into view at last!	The first glimpse of the lovely Shipload Bay.. first beach glimpsed for a while!
And again, looking back, after having struggled all the way around its perimeter.	And at last, after the radar station Hartland Point comes into view!

A sign across the car park taunted me with the words 3 miles to Hartland Quay!! Still an awful long way to go!!! And the map promised several ups and downs into the bargain!!

I hobbled off again!!! After heading over the point I could look back and see the lighthouse. From here on, the scenery was so awe inspiringly breathtaking my mind was distracted a tad from the constant searing pain! The ups were very up and very steep, but as throughout the day, when everything else was hurting somewhat, the pain in the ankle seemed to ease a little!!!

After climbing over the Point you can look back and see the lighthouse properly.	The way ahead is spectacular! End on layers of rock jutting out to sea defiantly.
Fantastically folded headlands.	Wonderful!
And again!	And of course wonderful flowers around everywhere too!
Damehole Point! Not tooo much further!	At last! That white smudge on the rocks in the distance is The Hartland Quay Hotel!! My B&B for the night!

At last, as I crested Dame Hole Point, my ultimate destination came into view. I sat for a while on a bench there – stunned at the beauty of it all and knowing that I would actually make it by dark now that I could actually see the hotel.

It was truly fantastic – even the valleys between the amazing headlands were wonderful, peaceful, flower ladened havens of tranquility with trickling streams gurgling their way to the sea.

After this last rest stop I trudged all the way up and down to the hotel and checked in. I asked the girl who showed me to my room about local taxi companies and she said that the hotel did a luggage transfer service, so they would probably take me on to Bude in the morning!!! YAY!!! I read the hotel information pack and found out this would cost me £20!!! It also said there was a bus service from Hartland village to Bude, so when I went down to the bar to install myself for the evening I asked the woman who'd checked me in and was also running the bar. She told me that the bus was unlikely to run though… Hmm… were they just after the £20 I wondered??

Looking back from the final cliff above the Hotel.	And looking down at the hotel.. just behind the headland, the lane leading down to it.
A last look northwards up the spectacular coastline since Hartland Point!

Ah well, it would be worth it for no hassles!!! I sat in the bar til about 8.30pm and had three pints of Stella and wrote up some of the diary. I had a fish medley for my tea with chips and a side order of garlic bread with cheese.

Tea finished with, I hobbled up to my room to watch TV and then early to bed!! It's a real shame that I had to give up so soon on this section of the walk, though I was really pleased that I'd managed to make the extra 10 miles on this day from Clovelly. 30 miles certainly sounds a lot better than 20!!! I managed to get a lift from Hartland Quay Hotel to Bude for nothing the next day, as one of the staff was going that way anyway and wouldn't accept any money so that was really good of him. I spent the rest of the week hobbling painfully around the places I'd planned to reach on the walk, but got busses or taxis between these pre booked B&Bs. It was actually a wonderful break, and I was forced to do very little with the state of my ankle, so totally relaxing and unwinding!!

I will return to Hartland Quay for another attempt maybe later in the year!!!

Map of the day's walk:(click to enlarge)