Thurlestone to Bantham Walk

Thurlestone to Bantham Four Streams and a River, Sandy Beaches and Dramatic Rocky Coast

Length: 3 or 5 miles / 5 or 8 kilometres.

Bus service: 161 and 162 – one or two buses a day.

Parking: Parking at Thurlestone Golf Club, higher car park or Links Court cliff-top car park or Thurlestone Sands National Trust car park.

Print Thurlestone to Bantham Walk

These walks are half along the coastal footpath and half inland, crossing the valleys of four parallel streams.

Prickly ox-tongues are waiting to lick you, as you approach Thurlestone Golf Club. They grow on the roadside banks, by the turning to the clubhouse; their yellow dandelion-like flowers are in bloom from mid-summer to late autumn. Feel their leaves and imagine one of those rough-tongued Devon heifers is rasping at your hand. Thurlestone Marsh, behind the well-camouflaged toilets on the same corner, has grazing cattle and also many birds.

At high tide, oystercatchers come from hammering at the limpets on the rocky shore to probe in the soft grassland. Beside the ditches and floodwater pools, moorhens stalk along the banks and through the reeds. During the winter, lapwings join the oystercatchers and wigeon and teal mix with the resident mallard, grazing on the grass and dabbling in the deeper, reed-fringed pools.

Walk down, in front of the clubhouse, to the sea. In early spring, the short turf and wall-tops are speckled lilac-white with the tiny flowers of early scurvy-grass. Leasfoot Beach is a lovely bathing spot in summer, backed by sand dunes, from which thick tussocks of marram-grass sprout, sand sedge spreads out by straight runners and through them both clamber the stems of sea bindweed, with glossy, kidney-shaped leaves and pink trumpet flowers.

By the cul-de-sac road behind the beach, the grass is dotted with the pink pompom flowers of thrift and later, at ground level, the yellow speckle-clouds of ladies bedstraw. In high summer the tall purple heads of greater knapweed attract many insects, including the black and red, six-spot burnet moths, and a growing patch of sea holly is smothered in smokey-blue flowers, buzzing with bumble bees.

The road narrows to a path by Links Court, where sea beet and pellitory of the wall grow from the dry-stone walls. On the cliff-top is a forest of black mustard, some over two metres high, with clustered heads of yellow flowers in early summer. Here too are stout tree mallows, with velvet-soft leaves and mauve-pink flowers. Stonechats often balance on top of the mallows, flicking their wings and tails and making their 'chack, chack' calls -a perfect imitation of two stones being tapped together.

The path continues across the Links Court car park, to the marram-covered dunes and wooden footbridge that leads across South Milton Ley. Seawards, the stream curves round the sand dunes, to disappear into a bank of sand or, more often, cutting an impressive canyon through the sand. Upstream is the great reed-bed, a Devon Bird-watching and Preservation Society reserve and home to the churring reed warblers in summer and the long- billed snipe in winter. A migrating marsh harrier is sometimes seen, flying low over the reeds, in spring or autumn. On the clumps of bramble or occasional tamarisc bush, at the edge of the ley, stonechats perch and this area is a regular haunt for black redstarts in the autumn.

In a few hundred metres you arrive at the snack bar and public toilets, by the National Trust car park. Out on the wave-cut rocky platform, covered with knotted wrack and other seaweeds, stands Thurlestone Rock, an isolated stack of New Red Sandstone, used as a perch by cormorants in even the strongest gale. At high tide, it is a fine challenge to swim out to the rock from the sandy beach. With a snorkel and mask you can see the weeds waving gently beneath you and shoals of sand-eels swimming through them. At low tide it is a delight for rock-pooling.

In his novel 'The Innocent Moon' Henry Williamson describes this beach, of walking down the stream, through the sandy canyon and swimming out to the rock, which he called Britannia.

Standing by the snack bar, you can view South Huish Marsh, another Devon Bird Watching Society reserve. There are flocks of gulls, perhaps a hundred Canada geese, oystercatchers and sometimes-other waders around the edge of the pools. Shoveler duck, the drakes with white breasts and chestnut bellies, gather here, with big flocks of wigeon and teal in the winter. Closer at hand, stonechats and migrating wheatear's or whinchats may perch on the posts and barbed wire fence, which forms the boundary of the reserve.

Take the lane inland from the snack bar. Like most of the lanes leading down to the coast, between Hope Cove and Bantham, there is a luxuriant growth of towering black mustard in summer. Alexanders -the umbellifer with yellow-green flowerheads and cloying scent that seldom grows more than five miles from the sea -is dominant in spring.

Hedge bedstraw sprawls over the hedge and in July its tiny white flowers resemble the speckles of a pointilist painting. Stop by the gate on the left, about 300 metres up the lane, for the view over the reed-bed to the sea. A thick mat of old man's beard grows up over the bank, to the right of the gate.

Just before South Down Farm, on your right, you can glimpse the stubby tower of the ruined church at South Huish, at the head of the valley. After the farm, the hedge on the right of the lane is pure elm. On the left, roses are abundant, showing their pink and white petals in summer and many robin's pincushion galls in the autumn. After a while on the right, there are clumps of hemp agrimony; the mops of smokey-pink blossom are especially attractive to red admiral butterflies in late summer.

The lane enters a sycamore plantation, part of the grounds of Horswell House -where Philip Maddison, Henry Williamson's hero in 'The Innocent Moon' , had poached eggs on muffins for tea. Encouraged by the shade, the glossy green straps of hartstongue fern and shuttlecocks of soft shield-fern become prolific on the hedge-banks. A fine beech tree overhangs the lane.

Where the wood ends, opposite some old drinking troughs encrusted by liverworts, turn left down the footpath. Past scrubby elms, affected by Dutch elm disease and over a stile, the path leads down to the top of the great reed-bed of South Milton ley. The ruins of the old thatcher's cottage stand on the far side. The path crosses the marsh. Here it is worth stopping. In summer, among the thick growth of reed-mace, great willow-herb and hemlock water-dropwort, sedge warblers sing their chattering song.

In winter water rails skulk along the ditches and make unearthly squeals. Pussy willow -grey sallow - bushes grow by the ditches and into the marsh; reed buntings sometimes perch in them.

The path continues past the sewage works. The hedge-bank on the right of the path, below another line of elms, is a picture of hedgerow flowers, including red campion, greater stitchwort and shining cranesbill -which continues by the works lane. When you reach the public road, there is a seat, provided by the South Milton W.I. An owl nest-box is perched up in an elm tree above you. Turn left along the road for about a hundred metres and then turn right, between two turkey oaks down the track to Whitlocksworthy Farm.

By the farm buildings, house sparrows may be perched, attracted by a chance of spilt grain. Where the track bends sharply left, take the footpath off to the right. Yellow arrows help you follow the path, zig-zagging down to the stream in the bottom of the valley. You can see Thurlestone Marsh, the golf clubhouse and the sea down to your left. Cross the stream by an old iron kissing-gate. A mass of fools' watercress - similar to the edible kind but this one is poisonous -grows in the stream and pussy willows grow overhead.

The path now follows the edge of a field. Keep the hedge on your right. Turn right over a stile and head up towards the top left corner of the old pasture field. There are patches of spear and creeping thistles; butterflies visit the purple flowers and flocks of goldfinches -a charm of goldfinches is the old country name -come to feed on the thistledown seeds. Rabbits scuttle away to their warren in the hedgebank.

Pied wagtails peck for insects in the pasture and flyaway with a 'chizz-ik' call, their long tails trailing behind them. There is a stile at the top of the field, which leads into a road. Turn left along the road and take the second right turning, which is signed Public Footpath. This brings you out onto Thurlestone's main road, near the school.

To take the shorter walk turn left down the main village street. You pass an inn on your left and a very good village shop on your right. If you continue straight on past the Church, along a private road, you come to a public footpath which crosses the golf course and takes you to the coastal path above Broadsands beach.

For the longer walk, from the school turn left and then right, where there is a sign 'Slow -School Footpath'; this joins the lane to West Buckland. Turn right along the lane and after about 100 metres take the footpath on the left, signed 'Bantham 3/4 m.', which follows an old stone wall. There is a wonderful view; to the right is West Buckland village and ahead Bantham, the mouth of the Avon estuary and Burgh Island.

At the end of the wall, the path goes through a gateway into the next field and veers down to the right to follow a strip of woodland; a mixture of larch, Scots pine, sycamore, ash and sweet chestnut, together with a few Douglas firs, suffering from old age and salt winds. Under the trees bluebells spread. In winter, the path beside the wood and down by the stream can be very muddy. At the four-arrow post, at the end of the wood, turn right and over a stile, above the recently dug, rectangular pond, to cross the stream. A song thrush sometimes uses the block of granite, by the stile, as an anvil to smash snail shells.

Turn left, parallel to the stream, and look at the fine nodding thistles which are usually allowed to thrive in the sloping field to your right. Another name is musk thistle, which you can confirm by bowing your own head down to the flower heads, to sniff, braving the spiny bracts. By the line of decrepit Monterey pines, turn right, over a stile and up a path, by a clump of bamboo and arching blackthorn hedge. This will bring you to the main street in Bantham, by the Sloop Inn.

A diversion, up the street to the right, brings you to a house with wooden steps and a veranda. From cracks in the bare Meadfoot Slate in front of the house grows a rare and very insignificant plant – four- leaved allseed. As you return down past the Sloop, notice the rich flora growing from the walls; red valerian is a feature of our South Hams walls in May and it comes in shades of red, pink and white. Ivy leaved toadflax and wall pennywort are also common here and a golden moss which curls up attractively as it dries – silky wall feather moss.

The roofs of the attractive line of estate cottages also have the belly-button leaves and creamy flower spikes of wall pennywort growing from the thatch and a rich forest of Cladonia lichens, related to reindeer moss. On Christmas Eve, Santa may leave his team to browse on the lichens for a few minutes, while he makes his Bantham visits.

Walk on by the car park attendants’s hut and take the private road, slightly to the right, from which you have a panoramic view of the lower reaches of the River Avon. By the river oyster catchers, herring, lesser and greater black backs and black-headed gulls gather. A few egrets prance through the shallows and a heron, may be standing, still as a post, waiting for an unsuspecting flounder to pass by. Twenty or more swans are often floating on the water, following the tide up and down.

By the path the shinny leaves of Alexanders are sprouting from late Autumn time, they bloom from late March and the dried stems are still recognisable in August by the black seeds held on the spokes of their umbels. In the grass over to the left, grown agrimony, with its clinging burs, goatsbeard- also known as Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon and the pink pyramid flowers of the pyramidal orchid. To the right old man’s beard smothers the bushes, and in the grass, squat plants of fiddle dock grow, recognisable from its violin shaped leaves. Bracken is spreading and threatens to overwhelm this rich grassland. Meadow brown, gatekeeper, common blue and marbled white are all common butterflies here.

Just before the little house on your right, the first patch of stinking iris grows on the left of the path. This plant flourishes in the old sand dunes amongst the marram grass. In autumn its orange berries make it conspicuous; an alternative name is roast beef plant, although to me the colour is too orange, even for the rarest joint. You can follow the path round to the right, keeping to the cliff edge, above the thatched boat-house. The narrow-leaved everlasting pea – a south –western specialty – grows up among the privet bushes on the left of the path. Dark green fritillary butterflies often come to the heavily scented privet blossom. At the mouth of the estuary, you can view the surf, rushing in over the ribbed sands.

Follow the cliff-top path along until you come to a flight of steps. You can explore the open parts of the sand dunes and find sea bindweed, ladies bedstraw, evening primrose and perhaps, henbane. The eggs and bacon flowers of burdsfoot trefoil are common here and the common blue butterflies and six spot burnet moths, whose caterpillars feed on the leaves.

Alternatively, you can go down onto the sands, look for shrimps in the sandy pools; most easily seen as the tide floods back into them or has just left them. On the rocks, among the spiral and knotted wrack, are flat and rough winkles, camouflaged in shades of yellow, green and brown. Walk across the sands towards the life-saving look-out and follow the tide-Iine along the stoney beach to your right; this can be a good hunting-ground for shells, including the little, British cowrie shells, some with three dark spots on the back, some without.

Walk up beside the look-out to join the cliff-path. As the path climbs, pause, when you need a breath, to enjoy the view of Bigbury Bay, opening up behind you. Listen for the 'kronk' call of a raven, flying overhead or performing acrobatics in the up draught along the cliff-line. They begin repairing their cliff- ledge nests of twisted gorse stems and sheep's wool lining, in January and February. Look down to the sea ravens -shags - perched on the Long Stone; a slender stack, which I call 'The Angel of Bantham’. Diving out in the bay, beyond the black-suited surfers, lying like seals on their boards, waiting for the biggest white roller to ride the waves. A couple of great black- backed gulls often choose to sit, kings of the castle, on top of one of the offshore rocks.

Thrift, sea campion, kidney vetch and wild carrot create a cliff-top garden beyond which beautiful views open out, across the ever-changing sea, southwards to Hope Cove and the promontory of Bolt Tail and westwards to the misty blue fingers of Cornwall. When you reach a green, corrugated-iron shed there are benches for you to rest. You may see a hovering kestrel, above the coarser grass, searching for voles. Streaking past the cliffs,a peregrine may dive after a flock of jackdaws or an unsuspecting feral pigeon. From January until early autumn, fulmars often patrol this stretch of coast, gliding on straight wings.

Just after the green hut there is a steep path down to Broadsands beach. This is where we join the route of the shorter walk. When there are no people on the beech, oystercatchers often gather there, probing for side-shrimps in the sand. In summer it is a pleasant bathing beach, with good rock-pooling at low tide. On the left is the golf course, which dates back to 1897. Stonechats keep watch over the greens, perched on dock or thistle stalks.

It is worth going down to the next beach, Yarmer, through the fringe of marram-grass and sand dune. Especially after south- westerly gales, many interesting finds have been made along this beach and the other Thurlestone beaches. It may be cargo washed overboard or natural flotsam. Cuttlefish 'bones' and 'mermaids' purses' in which young rays were nurtured, are local relics, from the English Channel. From across the Atlantic come transparent oval disks, the skeletons of by-the-wind sailors and 'goose' barnacles attached to floating timbers.

There have been many stranded dolphins and this year, a pigmy sperm whale. The path follows on around one more headland to reach Leasfoot Beach. In the autumn, occasional grey phalaropes may be seen swimming in Leasfoot bay and vagrant gulls, such as Sabine's and little gulls, mix with the flocks of black-headed and herring gulls; when the sewage was untreated and flowed out off Warren Point these rarities were much more common -where there's muck, there's birds!

An alternative short cut from Broadsands is to take the path across the golf course and turn right, following the hedges of the houses that line the golf course. You may glimpse a cluster of creamy, autumn ladies tresses orchids in some of their lawns, in late August and September. So we return to our starting point, having crossed four streams and walked by the waters of Avon.

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