Alastair and I shared breakfast but he set off before me , and as he was walking faster than me we agreed to meet in Clovelly . My 19kg backpack and the previous 3700 miles have slowed me down. Also I keep stopping to take photographs.
The wind was blowing quite strongly as I set off and when I came to cross the Abbey river the wind in the cove gave me a worrying buffeting as I climbed down the cliff.
In the river valley the wind did its best to push me into the pretty little river nestling there but luckily the path turned inland for a little while and by the time I re-emerged to start the climb to Hartland point the wind had dropped.
It then started hailing, but that wasn’t too bad as the hail bounced off before it got me wet and there was little wind.
After Hartland point the walk became less interesting as I walked through a mix of wood and farmland with little or no sight of the sea.
You approach Clovelly through the Clovelly estate, a large traditional wooded estate full of noisy pheasants.
Clovelly was a cobble street village owned by the Clovelly estate. No one can own their houses in the village and you have to live there with it as your main address so no second homes or AirBNBs. If you want to drive there and visit it will cost you £8.25 a head . Not per car but per head!
It is very busy in the summer but in the winter not so much and some locals were suggesting the charge could be waived in the winter when it was quiet.
Luckily walkers don’t pay so Alastair and I had a pie and a pint at the local pub where we stayed.