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Take a walk..... Bantham to Thurlestone
We have featured this walk before in this magazine, but with so many visitors new to the area, it’s a great one to repeat given its fabulous views especially when the weather is fine.
With its sandy beach and clean surf, as well as its delightful views across the water to Burgh Island, Bantham is a popular hideaway holiday destination. Some of the thatched cottages in the picturesque villages en route date from the sixteenth century, and there are tales of Vikings and smugglers, but archaeologists have found that the settlements here go right back to the Stone Age.
It’s also a good walk in spring, when the bright air is full of the song of newly-arrived migrants such as stonechats and wheatears, and colonies of fulmars are said to nest above the shoreline. In autumn, look out for the arrival of the winter residents, such as plovers, and unusual gulls, especially on a windy day.
It is a delightful walk for
children, who will love the beach and the dunes.
Difficulty: Moderate - Fairly even Coast Path, surfaced road, fields and footpath.
Start: Bantham Beach Car Park - TQ7 3AJ Finish: Bantham Beach Car Park Length: 3.2 miles (5.2 km)
Public transport: Bus service 162 between Kingsbridge and Thurlestone. From the bus stop in Thurlestone, walk 50 metres to the war memorial opposite the church, and pick up the route there. For timetable informationvisit Traveline South Devon (
www.travelinesw.com) or phone 0871 200 22 33.
Route Description 1. From the Bantham Sands car park take the road towards the beach, forking left at the bottom to go by the side of the Bantham Surf Life Saving clubhouse and onto the South West Coast Path. Follow the path around the rocky point and on along the clifftop past the golf course.
2. Ignore the paths heading inland across the golf course to carry on around Warren Point to the small beach (Leas Foot Sand) at Thurlestone. Turn inland, in front of the golf clubhouse to the road, (look out for golfers ready to play their shots).
In the bay, the rock arch was first recorded in the ninth century but is
Burgh Island from above Bantham beach
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