SWCP - Torquay to Brixham

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Sad to say there was no ferry to start todays walk (though apparently quite a few people do take the ferry from Torquay to Brixham to avoid what is known as a busy and urban section of the coastal path), so we should have been able to quickly get going. However, rejoining the coast line at Torquay sea front to walk the path (which does run beside the busy road) we were soon stopped in our tracks with a ‘road closed - use diversion’ sign, including pedestrians; argh. This resulted in us then finding a public footpath sign a bit further up which we thought would get us away from the busy road for a bit, only to find it looped back down to road closed sign again! More argh. Back up to the main road we went and trudged along until it finally rejoined the coastal line, and then, thankfully, diverted away from the road into more scenic gardens joining the beachside and into Paignton.

Whilst this was a bit of a frustrating start, as this roadside section is loud & busy, it did quickly quieten down again the other side of Paignton and we think it would be a shame to miss the following parts of this section. Following easy, relatively flat, paths along the beautiful coastline, we passed through smaller beaches, were entertained watching a swan keep a goose out of his territory on a lake, followed the whistling steam train, and enjoyed some shaded woodland again with secret coves, before hitting Brixham. It’s reputation of being an urban section is not wrong, but it gives just as many beautiful views when the sun is shining and the sea is clear and transparent, as other sections; with the bonus of regular toilets & cafes being available!

At 16km and 305m, this section was fairly short and simple, but allowed us some chill time in Brixham, knowing that tomorrows walk, albeit not that much longer, will be a lot hillier. Wish us luck!

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