A Walk along the Cliffs to Budleigh-Salterton
Friday, November 20th, 2009
With a rare Friday off work I headed down to Devon to help David and Yvonne move from Budleigh Salterton to their new house in Honiton. First stop was Exeter where I refamiliarised myself with the city centre and quayside. My next move took me down to the town of Exmouth where I began walking along the cliffs and over to Budleigh Salterton. The walk took about an hour and a half, due in part to the fact that I headed down on to Budleigh beach to check out the dragons cave before meeting David and Yvonne. In the evening we ate out at the pub in Budleigh Salterton, taking on energy for the job ahead of us.
This Weekend I headed home to Dorset for yet another weekend with my family. Molly and I set out early on Saturday morning in search of Cannington Viaduct. We walked for approximately two hours before reaching the grade two listed structure that was part of the old Axminster to Lyme Regis branch railway. The Viaduct was one of the first structures of its kind to be made entirely out of concrete and dates back to 1903. From the viaduct we continued on down in to Lyme Regis and along the beach to Charmouth, pausing for approximately half an hour to allow the tide to drop. Despite waiting for the tide to fall, Molly still managed to get swept in to the sea by a large waves as we made our way along the sea defences. Further tribulations were to follow as we got half way across the cow field, only to be stampeded by forty cows who took exception to Molly’s presence. I had to stand our ground while backing slowly towards the gate, before throwing a terrified Molly over to safety. I quickly followed, aided by an immense rush of adrenaline – a close shave indeed. In total we walked 25Km. On returning to Fishpond we relaxed in the garden for the rest of the afternoon, making the most of the late winter sun. I returned to Swindon on Sunday evening expecting another busy week at the office.
This week I headed down to the Naval port of Plymouth where I spent a few days exploring the impressive history of the port and surrounding area. Plymouth is famous for many things and is well worth a few days visit. I was lucky enough to enjoy some great Spring weather during my three day stay. Although much of the city was bombed out during the ‘Plymouth Blitz’ some of the old harbour remains – there are some great places to grab a bite to eat or enjoy a beer. Plymouth Hoe is definitely worth a visit and affords spectacular views out across Plymouth sound. Mount Batten is either a short ferry ride or a long walk – if you do walk be sure to take some binoculars and check out the estuary bird life.