9km along the coastal path and 9.2 km inland
The remainder of section 60 in the SWCPA handbook and a little of section 59
From our campsite at Salcombe Regis there is a path that leads back to the South West path at Lincolmbe and so we re-joined the coastal path and followed it down almost to the sea at Salcombe Mouth, we decided that it would be better to continue to Sidmouth rather than descend to the almost deserted beach.
Another steep assent and then decent towards Sidmouth, where an old diversion took us through the suburbs into this elegant seaside town. We had had our first holiday here with our new-born son 39 years ago and also walked with friends from here to Beer for Wateraid some years ago.
So we stopped for a swim just beyond Jacobs Ladder and then walked out of town up a grassy slope with benches giving good views of the coast to anyone who took the trouble to walk a little way up.
From here the coastal path takes you up to Peak Hill and the High Peak, much lower that Peak Hill! And to Ladram Bay, The massive holiday Park here is actually fairly walked friendly and doesn’t detract from a rather unique sandy beach with impressive red sandstone stacks. So, we swan in the cool sea, though thought that we are slowly getting used to the English sae temperatures and enjoyed an ice cream on the beach.
We knew that we needed to walk back almost as far and took a slightly easier route to start and got back to Sidmouth where a brass and were performing in Conault Gardens – probably the first live music that we had heard for 18 months.
We walked through the town centre – past bowls and croquet pitches and noticed the Cinema, an Aunt on Annabel’s father had run a cinema in Sidmouth at the beginning of the last century.
From here it was a steep and rather tedious walk up the road and then through forest paths to the tiny village of Salcombe Regis and then a footpath directly to the campsite,
