- Difficulty
- Challenging
- Start
- Westward Ho! - EX39 1LQ
- Finish
- Clovelly
- Length
- 11.1 miles (17.9 km)
- Summary
Follow the easy route along the old railway track up on to the cliffs above Westward Ho! The Coast Path then begins to zigzag and rollercoaster making for some strenuous walking. Woodland paths along the second half of the route contrast with the open cliff tops at the beginning of the day.
The path continues above the village of Clovelly, but if you have had enough walking, Clovelly is a truly beautiful and fascinating place to end the day. A historic fishing village with its links to smuggling and wrecking, it is here that Charles Kingsley found inspiration for his children’s classic The Water Babies and the village has featured in many T.V. programmes and films such as the 1990 version of the classic Treasure Island, starring Charlton Heston as Long John Silver and Oliver Reed as Captain Billy Bones.
- Public Transport
National Express coach number 502 runs from Taunton to Barnstaple and First Great Western trains run regularly from Exeter to Barnstaple, where you can take the First North Devon bus number 1 to Westward Ho! via Bideford (running throughout the day every
30 minutes or so). For details visit Traveline or phone 0870 6082608.
- Nearest car park
Westward Ho! (Postcode for Sat Navs: EX39 1LQ), Bucks Mills and Clovelly. Note: The parking charge at Clovelly includes the entrance fee to their Visitor Centre so can appear expensive if you are just going for a walk along the Coast Path.
- Nearest toilets
Westward Ho! and Clovelly.
- Nearest refreshments
Westward Ho! has a number of pubs, shops and cafes and more are to be found at the end of the walk in Clovelly. There are a couple of possibilities of finding refreshments off the path at Buck’s Mill and Buck’s Cross.
