Rain, rain, rain. For goodness sake, Clerk of the Weather, give it a rest, will you? Ah, here we go … half a day of respite, tentatively forecast. Right, where’s the boots? Quick, now – down to the east Devon coast, to the steep green valleys around beautiful, tucked-away Branscombe. First published in: The Times Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window
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There was scarcely another soul out on the South West Coast Path as we climbed west away from the pebbly beach at Branscombe Mouth. At the top of West Cliff we stopped and stared back at the majestic eastward view – the long grey skirt of the beach with its lace hem of surf, the towers and spires of Hooken Cliffs, and the giant landslips that had exposed white chalk faces above jungly undercliff ledges of fallen rock, tier upon tier, poised to crumble in their turn onto the foreshore 400 feet below. The cliffs of this dynamic coast seem massively weighty and immobile, yet they are forever slipping and sliding seaward.
Wild flowers grow here in generous variety – pyramidal orchids, yellow rockrose with crumpled petals, royal blue spikes of viper’s bugloss, the weird-looking bell flowers of psychoactive henbane with petals varicosely veined in purple. Out on Berry Cliff the forward view showed great red cliffs of sandstone, Sidmouth a huddle of houses shining white in a rare shaft of sun, and the Devon coast trending south and west in a sweep of rain-washed blues and pinks.
From the grassy ramparts of Berry Camp hill fort we turned inland past Berry Barton where peacocks stepped fastidiously through the farmyard muck. Steeply down to Cotte Barton, steeply up again and over the ridge; rollercoaster country where the path swung through wet woods past houses ancient and modest, modern and brash. The sky lowered and spat every so often, the flowery hillsides wept streamlets and sprouted rain-pearled yellow flags and intense blue trails of brooklime. A soaking wet walk, and a sensationally beautiful one.
Back at the Old Bakery in Branscombe, home-made leek and potato soup was on the bubble. Treacle tart, too? Sure. Clotted cream with that? As Brian Ferry said – you can guess the rest …
Start & finish: Branscombe Mouth car park, Branscombe, Devon EX12 3DP (OS ref SY 207882)
Getting there: Bus – 899 Coasthopper (Seaton-Sidmouth, jurassiccoast.com). Road – Branscombe is signposted off A3052 Exeter-Lyme Regis
Walk (5 miles, moderate/hard grade, OS Explorer 115): From car park go to sea front; fork right up track past Sea Shanty Café. Through kissing gate (‘Coast Path/CP, Weston Mouth’); on across 2 fields; steeply up to your left to go through kissing gate (205882); up steps, and follow CP through woods for ¾ mile. By a gate, left (192883; fingerpost); follow CP along Berry Cliff. In ⅓ mile, pass through kissing gate (187882; yellow arrow/YA) at western end of Berry Camp rampart; in another 300m, at 4-finger post (184883; ‘Berry Barton’), hairpin back to right across field. In 300m, left at stone-walled kissing gate (187884; fingerpost) up farm lane to road at Berry Barton (184887). Left for 150m; right through gate (183888; no YA); immediately right through adjacent gate (no YA); on above Berry Barton farmhouse. In 150m, left at YA; follow hedge and YAs over ridge and down at edge of trees (NB very steep and slippy!) to road near Cotte Barton (186890).
Left for 100m; right past fingerpost, through wicket gate at left side of house, and up path through scrub and long grass (beware nettles!) to edge of field (185892). Right to fence; left along it, soon crossing through and continuing up fence/hedge to cross airstrip (186893; warning signs, take care!) and then Northern Lane (186894). Go through gate opposite (‘Bridleway, Hole House’); follow green lane for ⅓ mile down to Hole House (191894). Bear left past front of house and down lane; in 50m, right over stile (fingerpost). Follow contour of hillside ahead, then steeply down to cross brook by footbridge (193894). Right (YA) along hillside path for ¼ mile, rising to gate into road (196891). Right; in ¼ mile, right at staggered crossroads (198882) to Branscombe Forge and Old Bakery. Back to crossroads; right along lane (‘Branscombe Mouth, Coast Path’). Follow path through fields to Branscombe Mouth and car park.
Branscombe Mouth car park – Coast Path west for 1⅔ miles. 300m past west rampart of Berry Camp, right (184883) across fields; up farm lane (187884) to Berry Barton (184887). Left along road for 150m; right over fields past house; left (YA) over ridge, steeply down to road at Cotte Barton (186890). Left for 100m; right past house, up hillside; over airstrip (186893) and Northern Lane (186894). Green lane opposite for ⅓ mile to Hole House (191894). Left down lane; in 50m, right over stile (fingerpost); along hillside, down to cross brook (193894); right along hillside for ¼ mile to road (196891). Right to crossroads in Branscombe (198882); right to Forge and Old Bakery. Back to crossroads; right (‘Branscombe Mouth’) to car park.
Conditions: Some paths very steep, slippery, narrow. Walking stick/pole, shoes with good grip advised.
Lunch: Old Bakery, Branscombe (01297-680333) – excellent home-made food
Accommodation: Mason’s Arms (01297-680300; masonsarms.co.uk) or Great Seaside B&B (01297-680470; greatseaside.co.uk), Branscombe
Info: nationaltrust.org.uk/branscombe-bakery-mill-and-forge/
Sidmouth TIC (01395-519333); visitdevon.co.uk
Subscriber Walks: Enjoy a walk with Christopher Somerville in the Mourne Mountains, Co. Down, N. Ireland, 8 July. Email timespluspartners@newsint.co.uk to book. Tickets £10.
www.ramblers.org.uk www.satmap.com www.LogMyTrip.co.uk