Hartland to Morwenstow, 12.8km, +627, -558
Our taxi driver arrives just as I watch the other guests devour toast, cereal and then a full English breakfast. I say Taxi driver, but its really just a bloke named Shane with a car. It takes about 10 minutes to Hartland Quay through the narrowest of narrow English country roads.
Gentle, yes cloudy start for the day
We pick up the trail from the car park above the hotel, and I feel a bit disappointed that I did not get to sleep there last night. Such a unique location. Nothing wrong with the place we stayed in, but Hartland itself has no charm, and it feels as if this trip has its fair share of charming places to sample. Next time.
Speke's Mill Waterfall
The wind is blowing heavily this morning, and the sky's all cloudy. The scenery is dramatic, and I half expect to find a windswept Aiden Turner to be seen walking up the hill (yes, that was a reference to Poldark. And yes, I know, we are not yet in Cornwall)
Very quickly we arrive at Speke’s Mill, the location of the highest waterfall on the trail. What is it about waters falling that moves us?
It’s here that the trail changes its character. We are still constantly above the sea, but now the coastline is much more jagged, much more dissected by small bays, and the trail takes them all in stride. That is, in a never ending series of ascents and descents. These are deceptive - they look like a short hike up a hill, but in most of them, the trail is made of stairs, as to prevent it from sliding and completely disappearing. Not only are the stairs not even is height, some of them seem to have been designed for giants. If you’ve read any of my other posts, you’ve probably realised I have a chip on my shoulder when it comes to trail design and short people - short people hike too!
It seems though that we are not alone in our dislike for the stairs, as most ascents have the official staircase, with an unofficial "desire path" right next to it.
Looking back to where we came from, yesterday's giant golf ball at the Hartly Point is visible across the bays. It's dramatic coastline on the one side, and then peaceful, pastoral views on the other, farm land dotted with farm buildings and tiny villages and lots and lots of green.
A tiny hut stands halfway down the hill. Built by Ronald Duncan, an author I’ve never heard of, it is now a National Trust building, an open door inviting you to step in and soak in its atmosphere. Just below us is the stream presenting the border between Devon and Conrwall.
Not a bad place to sit and write, no?
The last ascent is a killer. It's not made of steps, nor is it a flat surface. Rather it's a series of prints in the grass. Reaching the top, the view is somewhat ruined by the huge GCHQ base, with its giant transmitters protruding.
Today’s end point is the town of Bude, but we decide to cut it short and end in Morwenstow. Leaving the trail, we take a left just before the stream, walking in the fields above it, then a right through the forest, over a bridge, and directly behind a building announced as The Old Vicarage. At the back of the surprisingly large church, through the graveyard where we stop to read the inscriptions, and onto the Old Rectory Tea rooms. This, and a few more buildings, are what amounts to the village of Morwenstow. As we arrive, a cow comes out running through a nearby gate, a farmer in Wellington boots changing after her. A reminder that this is an active farm.
Having missed the afternoon bus into Bude by about 5 minutes, we settled in the Tea Rooms and ordered what is now Cornish Cream Tea. The entire village seems to have no cell reception, so the lovely lady at the tea rooms calls a taxi for us from their landline.
The trees in the Tea Rooms sprout tea cups
Bude is a modern seaside holiday town in the off season, and by the time we are showered and ready to go out again, it's past 5 and the shops are closed, as are most of the restaurants. I’m sure it has its charm, but like Westward Ho!, it’s lost on me.
THE IMPORTANT STUFF:
Accommodation: The Bude Haven B&B. Lovely place, lovely people. A bit out of the centre of town, just across from the golf course. No dinner, just breakfast.
Highlight of the day: the whole day, really.
Supply: Bude has a Sainbsbury’s, just off the golf course.
Food along the trail: the Morwenstow tea rooms.
Route map: https://www.outdooractive.com/en/route/hiking-route/united-kingdom/hartland-quay-to-morwenstow/23412552/
Public Transport: the 319 bus connects Morwenstow to Bude. Bude is connected to Barnstaple with the same bus. There are several taxi companies operating out of Bude.
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