🇬🇧 Devon Coast – Woolacombe, Lynton & Lynmouth

Woolacombe

We had a scenic drive into Woolacombe, which is an iconic beach front village nestled into a panoramic coastline surrounded by pretty green pastoral lands.

The wind couldn’t hold us back as we were eager to ramble down the sloping sand dune paths which lead us to an astonishingly pretty coastline.

We stopped and chatted with a couple who had a chocolate lab. Envy must have been all over my face. A lab is high on our wish list when we return home!!!

Then we headed up through the town and found a great cafe called, Meraki Coffee Co, where we enjoyed great coffee and filled our bellies full of smoothie and blueberry pancakes. We also soaked in the ambience of the warm fireplace.

Then we took a grazing lands path through the hills back to our car.

There are many spectacular walks along the coastline here. We felt rewarded that we had seen this natural beauty in low season unspoilt of people as thousands of people flock here in the summer months.

As we drove on through the idyllic rural roads we were fascinated by the flocks of fledgling birds flying free over head. The flock could instantly change direction. This was a fabulous sight!!!

On our coastal adventure we stopped at Ilfracombe, to admire the jagged coastal landscape.

We also checked out the cute beach cove at Combe Martin. The sun even came out to greet us!! There were also some gobsmackingly beautiful panoramic views as we climbed up above the coastline looking down. Wow weee!!!! Each turn got more stunning. I love being on Rob’s tours!!!

At Heddon Valley, where the fresh fast moving water meets the sea we spotted a peacock family. The father was sitting high up on top of a dumpster bin whilst the mother peacock was protecting her young ones in the bushes. When they saw us the babies made a run for a better shelter.

On a narrow rural road in a tiny village called Martinhoe we had to stop and explore this old stone church.

Then on our next turn we suddenly were blessed by the beautiful ocean view!!! What a day.

But there is more…. this road lead us in to the Valley of Rocks, England’s highest sea cliffs. A unique dramatic prehistoric outcrop created during the last Ice Age. This was truely a wild rugged landscape.

Lynton and Lynmouth

This area is a real stunner with Lynton perched on a cliff with Lynmouth below as a harbour village.

We drove down through the twisting gorge past cascading rushing water into Lynmouth which sits in a Valley on a sea front.

We visited the Glen Lyn Gorge, where we learnt about the devastating flood that wiped this area out in 1952. Standing in front of the forceful cascading falls it was easy to imagine how much power these waters could have in a flash flood.

The wild water causeway ran straight through the pretty town out to the ocean.

We stopped in town to try our very first Cornish pasty. I had potato, cheese and onion and Rob had chicken. The pastry was so soft and delicious we were hooked! The huge pastry crust on a pasty was created for the miners to hold onto their pasty with dirty hands. They would then throw the crust away. Well, our crusts didn’t go to waste, oh yeh they will probably end up on our waistline!!! But your body needs more fuel to keep warm in the cooler months or that is what we are hoping!!!

We would have loved to have road the Cliff railway funicular, which is powered by water but it had just closed for the winter.

We had 5 full on busy days and still feel like their are many special places we wish to explore in Devon. Lundy Island is on our wish list for another holiday adventure.