Coastwalk , South West Coast Path

Bude → Crackington Haven

Distance: 10.3 miles
Ascent: 650 metres
Duration: 4 hours 12 minutes

A popular path
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The weather forecast for this week doesn't look good: rain every day. At least the visibility is good, unlike in March when thick sea mist all but obscured the path before our feet. Today for example we could actually see the island of Lundy, something we had been hoping to see from north Devon.

Between Bude and Widemouth Bay the walking was easy: the path runs along low cliff tops covered in wide, springy grass. Once we'd passed the popular beach it was a different story altogether. The cliffs were higher, the paths rougher and narrower, and the descents steep and slippery.

None of this deterred holidaymakers from hitting the path. It proved to be a very popular stretch, with numerous groups of people out enjoying the bank holiday weekend.

We felt the first few drops of rain as we stopped for a bite to eat and to enjoy the expansive view from Castle Point. As we reached Crackington Haven the weather was feeling more assertive, so we stumbled into the Cabin Café and called it a day. (We highly recommend their cakes and tea as a companion to drying off.)