Distance - 3.5 Miles
Geocaches - 1
Walk Inspiration - 40 Coast and Country Walks in Devon
A short walk, that packs a fair bit into the three short miles. We may have made a mistake in stopping for lunch at the mid point. The hills are particularly fierce in this part of Devon.
Always looking for free parking, we start at a car park at the top of the Valley of the Rocks. Never has a place been more aptly named. It is a valley. It has rocks. It leads to the coast near Watcombe Head.
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| Valley of the Rocks |
Maidencombe Beach benefits from having a lovely Cafe overlooking the waves. With the sun unseasonally shining in October, it was a fine place to spend time, looking at the dogs frolicking, as their owners (admittedly in wet suits) swam.
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| Maidencombe Beach |
A little bit more coast walking to Mackerel Cove before heading inland and picking up one of the many permissive paths available. Walking appears to be encouraged at Maidencombe.
It all works out wonderfully, as we reach the Thatched Tavern at the exact point the bolt is scraped. No need to break stride, as we march up their path, to a booked table, by way of the peruse of the bar offerings.
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| Thatched Tavern |
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| Settle on a Dartmoor Legend - ESB Bitter |
As with the Valley of Rocks, the Thatched Tavern fits into the no-nonsense category of "it does what it says of the tin". C17th, thatched, a front bar leads to a stylish dining room. If you asked a foreigner to describe a traditional British Inn, it wouldn't be too far from this.
The beer was good. The food was exceptional. If I am ticking off pubs, Mrs M does the same with Sunday roasts. One that contains cauliflower cheese, parsnips and red cabbage as standard is going to score highly. With a point knocked off for the charge for extra gravy.
Although we avoided pudding, we still regretted the early stop. The road out the village is marked on the OS Map with two arrows of steep doom that were not in our favour.
The views from the top made it worth it.
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| A Section of Torbay |
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