Coast challenge week 9 (part a)

Another short section of the path completed- after Sunday's problematic run I decided to get the next bit of the Coast Path over and done with in a shorter run, so that it wouldn't be such an issue if each mile took three times as long as it should because of the terrain. Thursday's planned 8 miler thus found me returning to the muddy territories around Buck's Mills and inching a bit further along the coast. I ran to the quaint fishing village/tourist trap Clovelly and back along the good old A39 to my car. It was a pleasant run, but still pretty muddy and I was glad I'd made the decision to do it in a short stretch. Like the last couple of miles before Buck's Mills the path mostly went through woodland and across fields and almost made me forget I was right by the sea, but the now-familiar Coast Path signposts kept reminding me where I was and made the zig-zaggy tracks up and down the wooded combes easy to follow. I can't help thinking wouldn't it be great if life was always directed by little yellow arrows telling you which way to go!

At Clovelly I was slightly disappointed to discover the donkey's had gone to bed for the evening and I couldn't see them trundling up and down what is probably the steepest village main street in the World. People who live there must have very strong thighs... Emerging from the Coast Path meant I snuck in under the radar of the domineering Visitor Center which requires anyone entering Clovelly from the road to pay £5.95 just for the privilege of parking and walking through the hangar-like Center to get down to the village. Unless you have come quite a way along the path there is no other way to get there as it's quite remote and there is only the one road open to the public, so I guess they do quite well out of it.

The amazing news is that I am now less than 20 miles away from Cornwall (hurrah!) so the end of my challenge is well and truly in sight. What this also means is that something went a little bit wrong with my maths when I first calculated the distance I had to run to cross Devon on the Coast Path. Those who know me will agree that maths was never my strong point, but I think on this occasion I am not to blame, that the reason the coastline now seems to have shrunk is because my original figure came from the South West Coast Path website's description of the path and perhaps they had included overlapping trails and all miles of the path through Devon even if they are dead-end tracks to viewpoints or alternative routes. You see occasionally I have been faced with the option of 'cliff route' or 'valley route' for example (always choosing the one nearest the sea), and I have not always gone the extra steps to prescribed viewpoints, so I hope this explains why I appear to be arriving at my destination sooner than expected. Anyway, I am nearly there now and won't let disappearing miles dent my excitement!

Route:

Buck's Cross- Buck's Mills- Hobby Drive- Clovelly- Higher Clovelly- Downland Cross (Milky Way adventure park!)- Buck's Cross

Distance on Coast Path:

84 miles to date

Map: