The Hartland Peninsula is a special slice of coastline, where North Devon passes the baton to North Cornwall. For our purposes, the whole route from Clovelly to Bude could be considered an excellent walk, although we trim the ends by commencing at Blackchurch Rock and terminating at Duckpool Beach. According to the Hartland Peninsula Association, the section from Hartland Point to Bude is generally regarded as the toughest on the whole 630-mile South West Coast Path. I’m not sure I would entirely agree, although it is certainly a rollercoaster, with some 4,000 feet of ascent over the initial 15-mile stretch, with the path dipping towards sea level around a dozen times.

The map can be zoomed in or out to change the scale

The convoluted rock strata and landforms are especially appealing and were created during a mountain building period around 300 million years ago, which boasts the magnificent name of the Variscan Orogeny. There are also wave cut platforms, sea dissected valleys and coastal waterfalls. Visually and geologically, this an astounding seascape.

Our journey begins where the woodlands (famed for bluebells in the spring) open to clearer ground a few miles west of the quaint village of Clovelly. The village is the tourist hotspot for this part of North Devon, although on our coastal exploration there is for the most part a remarkable absence of visitors. The first geological wonder thrusts from the beach in the form of Blackchurch Rock, a spectacular double-arched sea stack accessible at low tide.

A climb of around 450 feet from the beach is subsequently followed by a several miles of gentle high-level walking. A mile to the east of Hartland Point the route passes above Shipload Bay, a crescent shingle beach that is currently inaccessible due to landslips and storm damage, which are frequent occurrences on this unstable coast. Formerly it was the haunt of audacious smugglers, little troubled by the customs men and coastguards who, for their own safety, regarded this coast as too treacherous to patrol.

The most dramatic section of the peninsula is that from Hartland Point to Hartland Quay, which is an action packed three miles. The point provides a wealth of interest including a radar station, a lighthouse, viewing places for shipwrecks and incomparable views of Lundy Island. Here the Bristol Channel meets the Atlantic, with powerful and unpredictable currents that led the Romans to call it the Promontory of Hercules.

The radar dome currently monitors aircraft activities for the Civil Aviation Authority, although was established as a wartime station assisting in the secretive Enigma operations at Bletchley Park and later surveillance during the Cold War. Hartland Lighthouse is now a private residence and quite difficult of access, although there is a helipad and the Trinity Lighthouse Authority provided a small all terrain utility vehicle in the sale to help move furniture!

There is also another helipad adjacent to the public car park from where visitors to Lundy are transported, in addition to a ferry that operates from Ilfracombe and Bideford. Hartland is the closest point on the mainland to Lundy, an island of wildlife and marine conservation. I camped there around forty years ago to sample the fine rock climbing, although was accompanied by appalling weather and sea mist throughout so spent the majority of the time in the Marisco Tavern, the island pub!

Treacherous Atlantic breakers and a sea bed of massively ridged rock have accounted for innumerable shipwrecks along the coast. When the tide is out the wildly jagged reefs are revealed, bony fingers of sandstone disappearing under the surface and far out to sea where the northwest winds wait to force ships to flounder upon them. There is little sand on this part of the coast, so the beaches are not family friendly and the crumbling coastline above often makes access dangerous, meaning most remain undisturbed, sinister and severe. However, for the adventurous in search of rock pools, this is an explorer’s heaven.

Leaving Hartland Point the path traverses the cliff tops then drops close to sea level at the curious Smoothlands, a classic sea dissected valley, which are a strong feature of this coast. Sea erosion has formed an abrupt cliff, suspending the valley above the shore and forming a waterfall where the river now drops vertically over the precipice to the beach. The coast path goes through the valley, although a minor detour above on the seaward side is recommended for its spectacular views. Shortly after another ascent to the cliff top precedes a second dip into another hanging valley with its own waterfall plunging to the sea. Repeating the process takes the walker virtually to sea level again, where a cottage occupies a lonely position close to the shore. This is a holiday let for the Hartland Abbey Estate and has been much exploited by film companies.

There follows yet another ascent. None of these climbs is especially tedious as the coast only reaches an altitude of at most around 500 feet, although the cumulative effect begins to become noticeable. At the top of the next ascent the cliff top is delightful grassy and exhibits a ruined folly, from which the coast path drops once more to sea level at Hartland Quay, backed by alarmingly convoluted cliffs. How a harbour could have been fashioned here in Elizabethan times is outrageous, the shore being as striated and rocky as any on the coast.

The continuation of the coast path commences over lower lying land, albeit with up and downs and soon reaches another sea dissected valley with a concentration of waterfalls plunging to the shore. The largest is Speke’s Mill Waterfall at around 60 feet high. Those who partake in wild swimming will be ecstatic with the pool beneath the cataract. There follows a higher section of coast, generally gentle once attained, which culminates at Embury Beacon, our highest point at 515 feet (157m). The sea cliffs may not be quite vertical here but it’s an undeniably dramatic location.

The descent begins gradually over Knap Head, then more steeply to arrive at Welcome Mouth, marking the Cornish border and accompanied by a small patch of sand, the transition to sandy beaches becoming more noticeable as each subsequent bay is encountered.

From Welcombe Mouth to Duckpool Beach is a fine stretch of bracing coastline with several outstanding features. Higher Sharpnose Point, reached by a airy ridge provides a splendid vantage point looking to the otherworldly Morwenstowe GCHQ establishment and, more attractively, to Lower Sharpnose Point, where massive towering rocky fins march into the sea. It is difficult to observe these fins in the vast landscape, but closer inspection from above when you reach the point is worthwhile.

If the tide is out, more sand awaits at Duckpool and the termination of this recommended section of coast. Beyond is a lower-level continuation towards Bude, which changes the scene to an increasingly placid landscape, after the vivid harshness that has been our companion since Hartland. However, in the distance are rising cliffs at Crackington and Tintagel, but those are for another day.

Status: Worthy

Worthiness Rating: 72.5

Aesthetic – 21.5

Complexity – 14

Views – 15

Route Satisfaction – 14

Special Qualities – 8