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Exmoor & North Devon Coast Path (South-West Coast Path Part 1)

by: Henry Stedman & Joel Newton

UPDATES

Updated information

Thank you to the readers who sent in updated information including Helen Older, Jeff Handley, Tony Maynard-Smith, Bryan Gray, Keri and Pauline, Morten Planer, Gabi Blauer, Elissa Klapper, Morten Planer, Isabel Heycock, Chris Ellingham, Nicola Haynes and Andy Riddle, Chris Layton, Geoff Gafford

 

The information has not yet been checked by Trailblazer but it will be for the next edition.

For 3rd edition

July 2022

p42,The Backpackers' Club. Please note that the Club no longer sells maps to its members.Also the Club provides members with long distance path and farm pitch directories. 

 

For 2nd edition

June 2021

Map 27, Braunton Burrows. The car park at the entrance / exit has a small kiosk selling hot and cold drinks and snacks daily during the summer months.

Map 28, Horsey Ridge and Braunton Marsh. You have to walk at the side of the toll road between Horsey Ridge and Braunton Marsh as the path shown in the guide  is now closed due to erosion and no longer passable 

Map 29, Chivenor.  Campsite is closed and for sale.

 

 

2020

July 

p144 Map 28 - Diversion round Horsey Island  The diversion inland to avoid eroded sections of the path is still in place but not well marked. On Map 27 (p143) take the track to the left where we currently say 'Turn right'. Rejoin the main trail on Map 28 (p144) just near where we mark ' River Caen'. It looks as if this diversion may become the permanent route.

 

 

2019

July

p91 Porlock Weir.  Millers at The Anchor Hotel, Exmoor National Park, Porlock, TA24 8PB, looks to have changed its name to the Porlock Weir Hotel, and has recently been refurbished, appears to have rooms and to do food. 

p91 Porlock Weir. The Café now appears to be called Locanda on the Weir, Somerset, TA24 8PB. Tel: 01643 863300.

p118 Hele. Hele Billy’s bar and restaurant is recommended by a walker as a great place to stop for food and 'they do really good value early bird deals'. 26 Watermouth Road, Ilfracombe EX34 9QY. Tel: 01271 866488.
 
p124 Ilfracombe. The Towers Guest House, Chambercombe Park Rd, Ilfracombe EX34 9QN. Recommended by a walker 'for great accommodation in Ilfracombe: it’s only 10 minutes off the path and a lot of the rooms have stunning views down over the harbour. There’s also a lovely lounge and honesty bar. ' Tel: 1271 862809.

 

June

p110 Map 14 and p114 Heddon's Mouth. Heddon's Gate Hotel, Martinhoe, Parracombe, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 4PZ. www.heddonsgatehotel.co.uk. Tel: 01598 763481

 

p166 Bideford. The Green Goose has closed.  Italian Kitchen and Mariners are recommended as alternatives by a walker for bistro style meals.
p172 Westward Ho!. There is now a Tesco Express in Gold Links Road (2 minutes walk from the Waterfront Inn). It also offers a 24h ATM.
p184 Map 44. A walker writes: "A number of the signposts in the woods are missing or on their side - though we followed the SWCP without any problems. Hopefully they will be restored. If redrawing the map you might want to add that there is a signpost at SS 302 263, currently with only one finger pointing to  "Permissive Path , viewpoint 1/2m"; the SWCP finger is missing. This is the junction where your map notes "Junction with wider track; turn left then a few metres later follow the path as it hairpins right". So long as it stays there, the signpost unambiguously marks the junction."
 

For 1st edition

April 2017

p145 Braunton. Thistledene B&B, Exeter Road, Braunton, Devon  EX33 2BN. Tel: 01271 816260,  07736809406.   www.thistledene.com

 

September 2016

p130 Woolacombe  Woolacombe is a village not a town; it also has never been a fishing village and there was virtually nothing there before the railway came to Mortehoe station in the 1870s.

p148 Braunton to Instow  The railway line from Barnstaple to Ilfracombe was run by London and South Western Railway (LSWR) not North Devon Railway.

 

July 2016

p159 Instow.  Wayfarer Inn single now £55.

p172 Westward Ho! Brockenhurst B&B has shut.
p172 Penkenna House no longer operates a website. The reader didn’t check whether they’re actually still in business, but the house was put up for sale in 2012.
p172  Village Inn now £55 single / £45 double.
p172 Waterfront Inn: double rooms start at £65, family rooms at £90.
p186 Hartland Quay.  Hartland Quay Hotel: rooms start at £65.
p194 Morwenstow. Cornakey Farm website has been taken down, according to another website rooms now range between £80 and £90.
p194 Bush Inn website has moved, it is now www.thebuishinnmorwenstow.com; rooms £65 / £90.

 

September 2015

Page 91, Porlock Weir to Lynton.  A reader wrote in to say she disagreed with the book's distance listed ‎as 4.5 hours for 12.5 miles; this was not her experience and she estimated the time should have said more like 5.5 hours.  

 

July 2015

p88, Porlock.  The Butterflies B&B has shut.
p104, Lynton.  Waterloo House Hotel.   Prices now range from £70-80 per night.
p104, Lynton.  Fernleigh Guest House is under new ownership. Their new website is yet to be put online, but it does state that rooms start at £50 per night.

p116, Combe Martin. Pack O'Cards does not have single rooms; double rooms are £75.
p123, Ilfracombe.  The Harbour Lights. Prices start at £40pp.
p123, Ilfracombe. Rocky Cove.  Prices start at £75 according to their website.
p130, Woolacombe. Fairhaven. Currently doesn’t operate as a B&B.


p170/171, Map 39, Westward Ho! Braddicks Holiday Centre does not take tents and campers.

p 176, Map 42, Steart Farm Touring Park - closed.  In Bucks Mills there were signs to find the way to the campsite - but on the hill on the entrance gate there was a notice: "Closed for this season... sorry".

p179, Map 43, Clovelly. Dyke Green Farm Campsite has closed.

 

April 2015

Combe Martin

At the harbour end of Combe Martin there is an Indian restaurant open in the evenings (the premises are a café during the day), it's been in business for 9 months, the service was friendly and my meal was very good.
Indian Kitchen, Borough Road, Combe Martin, EX34 0DQ (on the other side of the road from The Galleon Tearoom).  01271 882918, restaurant & take away, open 7 days a week 5.30pm to 11.30pm.

 

Clovelly

Although the guide left me with low expectations of the shop in Clovelly, which thankfully meant I'd stocked up in Westward Ho!, I wasn't expecting it to be shut at 4pm on Friday afternoon with no indication of when it may open again.  When I mentioned this to the B&B owners they just rolled their eyes.

 

9 September 2014

p117 Watermouth.  Mill Park campsite.   The  tent cocoons have electricity, lights and heating but that's all so you need a sleeping mat as well as a sleeping bag.

The Olde Globe Inn in Berrynarbor is only 10 min walk from Mill Park and does a cracking curry according to a reader's feedback.  

 

21 May 2014

p 164 Bideford. Old Keepers Cottage B&B, Tennacott Lane, Bideford, EX39 4QD.  www.oldkeeperscottage.net. They are very happy to provide a free collection/drop off service for walkers and/or their luggage.

 

8 May 2014

p137 Croyde. There is a National Trust café, shop and toilets adjacent to the car park.
p145 Braunton. A new Tesco, with toilets, is open about 200m from the Path.
p158 There is a sign at the cricket pitch saying no right of way (the map shows the path going round the pitch). There is an alternative route slightly inland but you need to look out for it as it's not clear.
p159 Instow. Springfield House B&B. Very positive feedback from one walker who wrote in to us.

 

October 2013

p178 Clovelly. Red Lion Hotel. B&B rates are from £37.50 pppn - £45 pppn based on two people sharing.

 

 

1 July 2013

p182 Map 44. Feedback from a walker suggests there should be double chevrons at the western end of the map,  and single chevons where it's less steep however it is difficult to make this accurate for all levels of walkers. 

p183 Map 45.   The memorial to a crashed Wellington Bomber is at the black dot on the map.
p 184 Map 46.  Travelling west one passes a stile, a chevron, another stile, a sharp right turn by a signpost before a sharp left turn. There is no gate. 

p201. Bude. Map 55. There is a road shown running southwest from the Hotel number 18, which then does a left turn to the sub post office.  Though beyond the turn, items 19, 20, Library and the Bude Light are are to the northwest. of the line of the first section of this road.

 

June 2013

p82 The Rugged Alternative route, map 4. Dogs are now allowed on this route but they have to be on leads.

p84  Bossington is in North Somerset.

 

 

Exmoor & North Devon Coast Path (South-West Coast Path Part 1)