We’ll kick start our senses (and our body) with a warm up in the car park before beginning our walk along the lane and cross the stile into a field. After crossing a second field we will venture along a country lane down the hill and up the other side before taking the lane down towards the sea. At the end of the lane there is a gate to lean on, perfectly positioned to enjoy the magnificent view. We will then continue along the lane to Abbotsham Court where we pick up a paved lane towards the beach before entering a gate and following the path towards the sea passing by the Welsh poets bench. By now we will feel the sea breeze (or howling wind) on our faces accompanied by the cry of the seabirds and hear the waves crashing on the rocks at the bottom of the cliff. As we come over the brow of the hill Lundy island can be seen to our front with Clovelly and Hartland Point to the left and Baggy Point to the right. Quite a sight! In the 1920’s, the valley below was home to Shebberton racecourse which claimed to be ‘the most beautifully situated racecourse in England’. At the bottom of the hill we cross another stile to Abbotsham Cliff beach. The gullies and crevices of the beach are home to lobsters, shrimp and Conger eels (no time to fish I’m afraid). If extremely lucky we might just spot a porpoise or seal among the kelp. We will continue along what was once the Bideford to Westward Ho! railway constructed in 1901. This stretch is long and straight and the walking is easy. The village of Westward Ho! soon comes into view. On our right is Kipling Tor, which is named after The Jungle Book author, Rudyard Kipling, whose schooldays here in the 1870’s inspired his novel Stalky and Co. Kipling Tors is a separate walk to look forward to. We will leave the path on the outskirts of the village and climb up through the wood, crossing the main road and back down the lane to our meeting point where well-earned refreshments await us after our cooldown.
