Day 5 BRIXHAM TO PAIGNTON

Despite staying close to a church whose bells tolled throughout the night, we both had a good night’s sleep [not surprising, considering the previous day’s exertions].  But our feet had taken a bashing,  so needed a little repair work first thing.  I have something of an aversion to (other people’s) feet, but although we can each reach our own toes, it’s much easier for someone else to apply the Compeed and zinc oxide tape.  Paul did one of my toes, and I did two of his – needs must!  After breakfast, we headed for the harbour, where we came across a replica of the Golden Hind, [any other history nerds out there? Just me?] the ship in which Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe.  Sorry, my photo doesn’t give a sense of the size, but it was not as big as you might expect!

We continued east, past fishing vessels, before ascending out of town into woodlands, so once more, we were just catching glimpses of the sea below, now and again.  This Devonian section of the Coast Path has featured much more woody terrain than the open cliff tops of the Jurassic Coast.  We emerged into Elberry Cove, followed by a nice grassy headland leading us to Broadsands Bay, where we had a forty-five minute lunch break at the Venus Cafe.  Great to pass on a packed lunch today!

There was the inevitable ascent following a stretch along the beach, but nothing too strenuous.  It was perfect walking weather, warm but overcast, and with a much shorter distance to cover, the whole vibe was more relaxed and enjoyable.  We were soon rewarded with our first sight of seals, one sunbathing on a rocky outcrop, and another swimming just below the surface of the sea.  But we were never too far from civilisation, firstly walking alongside train tracks, [and having a good view of a steam train passing by] then stopping for an ice cream at Goodrington Sands.  The feel was reminiscent of childhood seaside holidays, old-fashioned in a genteel and charming way, and it continued on into Paignton.  Here, we had a coffee, before finishing the day with a walk along the esplanade.

The stats tell the story of a pleasant day:-

Walking time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Distance: 6.15 miles

Pace: 2.6 mph (we kept it relaxed today)

Ascent: 450 feet

Descent: 475 feet

DAY 6 PAIGNTON TO BABBACOMBE

Today’s section was a welcome respite for the legs, passing almost entirely through built up areas, along roads, and ascending regular steps made of concrete-what a treat!  My voice memos usually feature background noises of wind and birds – on this day they had traffic and construction as its backdrop!  Of course, there was a lot less of the stunning scenery that had kept us enthralled up to now, but look down at the stats; we achieved our top speed of 2.9 miles per hour!  Weather wise, it was the greyest day so far, but still very pleasantly warm considering it was October.

The walk began alongside the rest of Paignton beach, before heading inland along a road, which took us to the outskirts of Torquay.  Its grandeur is somewhat faded now, but there was plenty of construction going on, so perhaps a revival is on the cards?  The official Path close to the coast was blocked off for renovation, so we had to follow the main road into town.  After a short coffee break, we crossed the moving bridge over the harbour and continued on proper paths, which meant a good pace, until it was time for lunch at Meadfoot Beach Cafe.  

After reaching the headland, despite the relatively easy walking conditions, we had to stop so that I could apply tape to a new suffering toe of Paul’s [up to now he has been Mr Smug, boasting about how marvellous his boots are] so I had to touch his feet again!  The expert section the other day had inflicted some damage, subsequent days niggling away at it.  Suitably repaired, we headed into woodland, where fallen leaves were obscuring tree stumps, resulting in a bit of stumbling and slipping, but it wasn’t long before we were back on tarmac, heading into Babbacombe.  I was still wearing my knee strap – I wasn’t in too much trouble, but I think I strained a muscle behind my right knee on the tough day, so just had to take care descending.  The walk may have taken a toll on our bodies, but nothing that a little spiritual nourishment (in the form of actual spirits) couldn’t improve!  Hello, gin and tonic!  The perfect end to another relatively easy going day. The final day and a half will be covered in the next post – coming soon, as we are off on Leg 9 in just over three weeks!

Stats

Walking time: 2 hours 52 minutes 

Distance: 8.21 miles

Pace: 2.9 mph

Ascent: 975 feet 

Descent: 725 feet