Thurlestone to River Erme – South West Coast Path Walks.
June 1, 2020
Thurlestone to the River Erme on the South West Coat Path. We’re off on an explore again and cannot believe the great weather we still continue to have.
Thurlestone to Burgh Island and the River Avon Estuary
We started at Thurlestone Sands and the amazing Thurslestone rock, a natural arch in the sea. We had already planned to go at low tide so we could walk out to take pictures of the rock; not possible at high tide as it’s surrounded by the sea and impossible to get close to.
Because it was low tide we were able to experience a very dramatic and rocky coast line, with large sections of flat rock visible at the sea edge. Stunning and once again showing the diversity of the South West Coast Path.
From Thurlestone to Burgh island and the mouth of the river Avon is a gentle walk along accessible paths. A large section at the start runs alongside a golf course before becoming more rural. The path has a few small ups and downs and finally goes downhill to Bantham Sand at Burgh island.
At low tide it’s possible to walk to the island, but having done that before we decided to continue our walk along part of the River Avon. With the tide being out we were able to walk along the river-bed for a stretch before heading back to Thurlestone across farmland.
Continuing to look out for interesting memorial benches, we came across one aptly placed right next to the golf course, with a line from the poem titled ‘Seaside Golf’ by the English poet Sir John Betjeman.
” Lark song and sea sounds in the air, and splendour splendour everywhere”
And indeed splendid it was as we sat and enjoyed this view with our feet up; a passer-by commenting how comfy we looked. And yes, sea sounds and lark song were also present.
Burgh Island to the River Erme
We started on the other side of Burgh Island, with new views looking over the island at low tide. The coast path all the way from Burgh Island to the River Erme is along rural coastal path….with a lot of steep ups and downs. We did 520 metres of ascent (that’s almost half way up Snowdon!), with a stop for lunch at the highest point.
Once
at the Mouth of the Erme (crossable for only one hour at low tide) we took a route back inland through woodland. On entering the woods we heard the call of Blue Tits right by our ears and after following the sound we spotted these two hungry chicks in their tree nest. Not a man-made nest box in sight, this is the real deal of Blue Tit nests. A first.
The rest of the route was through fields and the chocolate-box cottage villages of Kingston and Ringmore.
The Chocolate-Box cottage
Why Chocolate-Box? I researched (thank you Google). Apparently we have Cadbury’s to thank. They built houses as homes for their workers in the village of Bournville. They later named a dark chocolate after the village and images of the beautiful houses appeared on the boxes of their Bournville chocolates (Clark remembers seeing these boxes at his Nan’s – she was partial to a Bournville). Chocolate-Box Cottages…curiosity satisfied.
Don't miss on the Thurlestone to River Erme Coast Walk.
- A walk out to view Thurlestone Rock (low tide).
- A visit to The Beachhouse at Thurlestone sands either at the beginning (bacon buttie) or the end of the walk (fresh local seafood). A great National Trust cafe.
- Tide permitting – a walk out to Burgh Island.
- A paddle or swim at the mouth of the River Erme.
