30/4/11 - Hopes Nose

Distance - 4 Miles
Number of Caches - 3
Walk from - Walking World
Number of men in the Nip - 2

Hopes Nose

Wasn't going all the way to Devon without a Coastal Walk to blow away the cobwebs.  This one had some nice surprises, and one disappointment, in store for Sonia.

Nice surprise number 1 was free parking at Anstey's Cove.  How nice is that.  We pull up next to Surfer dudes - more of which later.

Need raincoats today, as it threatens rain all day and occasionally provides.  We head up to the SWC Path and hear and smell the sea (over the top of the wild garlic) but not see it as we are in woodland.  This takes us around Black Head and the first geocache behind a bench.

After a path along a road we come to Hope's Nose.  This requires a steep drop down and return up the same path, but it is worth it, as we get close to the sea.  There are lots of fishermen here and an EarthGeo which is a geology lesson with fossils under our feet.  We were also interested in the trees that looked more at home in the African Savanna than the English Riveria.  See Photos at the Everytrail link.

We can see the sea

We go back up the way we came and do get rewarded with views both out to sea and inland and the fantastic properties here.  Sonia has found the house of her dreams.  I think I will need to do some overtime.

Who lives in a house like this?

Sonia becomes concerned about how far we are walking away from the car.  She hasn't had her Devonian cream tea yet, but she needn't worry as we head back in land up through Lincombe Slopes to return to Kent's Cavern.

The footpath runs right past their tea rooms and we think we might find our scones but are disappointed when they are just closing up.  As there are people in there still eating, we convince the younger member of staff to sell us some pop, only for the older one to insist they are closed.  The south west accent can be quite authoritative when used agressively.

With Sonia chuntering at my heels we walk past the world's most slopey football pitch where a game is in progress.... with the hill, I bet every game is 10-0 at half time, with a miraculous second half recovery pegging it back to 10-10.

This brings us back to the car.  The grumpiness caused by lack of cake dissipates by what is in store.  We can see the surfers, but apparently they cannot see us.  Down comes the wetsuits.  The spot us.  Have you ever seen a man try and pull up a soggy wetsuite - its doesn't work.  One fronted it out (literally), the other scuttled off to the woods for modesty's sake.

Much amusement from the dressed surfers!

Perfect walk for our needs... back in the car for the results and the Albion have beaten Villa for the first time in 26 years.

I think its going to be a fine Bank Holiday weekend.