Walk to Ladram Bay

I am now able to walk further across the local countryside due to the arrival of the free Sidmouth Hopper bus again, which takes passengers up Peak Hill and Salcombe Hill free of charge. What a marvellous service. This means that instead of wearing myself out on the first hill out of town I can now wear myself out on further hills, giving me more wandering scope and pottering possibilities.

My first walk this year using the hopper service was a nice easy walk to Ladram Bay which is a walk that I do anyway but is made easier with the bus service. This walk is on the South West Coast Path so it is a main walking route for people walking around the coast and so is busier than places that I usually walk to.

With the weather being unpredictable in England I was glad that I took a hat with me as I was soon walking in a very strong cold wind across the appropriately named Windgate from where you can see a large portion of Devon. There are lots of charmingly named villages and hamlets around here such as North Star which is just down the road to Otterton and a place that would be lovely to have as an address.

As I love meandering I sidetrack myself down this old route between Otterton and Sidmouth which was walked daily by the Otterton monks until the dissolution of the monasteries.

Higher Peak is the site of an ancient hill fort and its top was uncovered by trees until about seventy years ago. I think it would be better without trees here as the view would be fantastic and the trees that are planted here are just bog standard conifers that seem to be there just to spoil the view. Higher Peak is an odd place. Usually I feel very comfortable in all the woods around here but Higher Peak always gives me a slightly sinister atmosphere , as if those trees are hiding something unpleasant. It could just be the strange sensation of walking through a quiet wood and suddenly being confronted with a 500 foot drop. It certainly gives me the willies.

Ladram Bay has some nice stacks of Jurassic rock though the walk ends in a large caravan park which though is lovely for holiday makers is a bit of a let down for me as the shop there sells almost no vegetarian food at all. Really I should make my own sandwiches but I like to treat myself with a nice pasty if I can find one. Ladram Bay has none to offer unfortuneatly and I am again left wondering why the UK hates vegetarians so much. In pubs here you get the traditional Sunday roast, most of which is actually vegetarian but pubs will almost never let you have a vegetarian Sunday roast as cooking you a vege burger or nut roast is too difficult for them, insisting instead that you must have a lasagne. The trouble is that I wanted to give up eating meat, not become an Italian, however lovely they are.