Porlock to Lynmouth

Porlock to Lynmouth - Saturday 7th August 2010

Path Facts - Length: Approx 13.5 miles, Ascent: >3000 feet

A small packed lunch was obtained today due to the longer path and absence of obvious stopping point. Packet sandwiches from local supermarket but good enough. We left about 9.30am. There is a parallel footpath from Porlock to Porlock Weir which saves walking the mile+ down the road. From Porlock Weir there is a pretty steep ascent up through the woods then things level off near Culbone.





Culbone - Prepare Yourself for a Local Interesting Fact!

Culbone woods were once the site of a major charcoal burning industry. The original burners were reputed to be a colony of lepers. Culbone Church is said to be the smallest parish church in England. Samuel Taylor Coleridge was staying nearby and in the process of writing Kubla Khan was disturbed by a man he referred to in a letter as the "Person from Porlock". He lost his concentration and the poem which allegedly came to him in a dream (or opium induced state) was never finished to his satisfaction.

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Flies were a problem again today, probably worse. Luckily we had purchased hi-tech, lightweight, semi-breathable fly resistant veils. To the uninitiated they look a bit like J-cloths as here modelled by the ...er... enigmatic Mr Tebbutt.

There was a long wooded section for the next few miles. I quite like the woods. Andy less so, open space man. But flies were a pain. Drying off helps.


We stopped near Sister Fountain for lunch. We didn’t see the nearby County Gate but the deduction from the map was that we had stopped at about this point - at the border of Somerset and Devon. The path opens out from the trees beyond this point. There is one quite extended down/up section before rounding to Countisbury and the long descent along the road to Lynmouth.

(There are loads more photos on Picasa. See the link on the right.)

There was a welcome pub stop at Countisbury (pint of orange juice and lemonade) here at the Blue Ball Inn before the descent. This could have been a good place to eat if not for the remaining down hill stretch. The descent just below the road (which if you've ever driven to Lynton/Lynmouth you'll know the road I mean) is a quite a prolonged descent but not as big a knee killer as envisaged. The path exits onto the beach at the bottom which is quite a nice end point. I think arrival in Lynmouth was about 5.30pm.

Lynmouth - Local Interesting Facts!

On 15 and 16 August 1952, a storm of tropical intensity broke over south-west England, depositing 229 millimetres (9.0 in) of rain within 24 hours on an already waterlogged Exmoor. Overnight, over 100 buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged along with 28 of the 31 bridges, and 38 cars were washed out to sea. In total, 34 people died, with a further 420 made homeless.

The funicular railway is water powered. Water feeds through 5-inch pipes from the West Lyn River— over a mile away — into tanks under the floor of the upper car. Water is discharged from the lower car, until the heavier top car begins to descend, with the speed controlled by a brakeman travelling on each car.

[Info from Wikipedia]

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We had a brief wander round the shops for various items including plasters for Andy’s formative blisters then found the B&B. A very nice location on Tors Road which runs along the river towards Watersmeet. The house was really quirky and interesting with some bits and bobs that the proprietor had bought at auction allegedly from the Chinese Embassy.

The location + quirky house were plus points but the shower was cold, there were no free soap/toiletries (which was a downer for those travelling ultra-light!) + the breakfast wasn’t great including instant coffee. But despite this - overall, not a bad place to stay.

Info: Accommodation – Captain’s House Inn
 
Location ***** Tors Road on the path to Watersmeet
Room ****
Facilities ** cold shower, no soap
Noise *****
Food ** instant coffee!
Ambience *****
Price **** £60 for the room

http://www.thecaptainshouseinlynmouth.co.uk/

Food – Hotel Restaurant (didn’t check the name)
Quality *** pasta + mounds of garlic bread
Price ****

Beer

Exmoor Ale *****