2. Portlock Weir to Lynton

Day 2

12.5 miles (20.2 km)

Height climbed 3.156 feet. Cumulative 4.980 feet,

This is the day when Exmoor’s ancient woodland slopes down to meet the sea. There is a tiny church at Culbone, remote yet still used by worshippers. Near by there used to be a lepers colony and I imagined the terrified skeletal men, women and children, rejected by their communities; but then I thought, perhaps they had been cared for with kindness and perhaps they had supported each other with understanding and love in these beautiful surroundings. The lepers were not allowed into the church but there is one low window where they were able to stand outside to watch and listen to services to their God.

After I had shared lunch with John and Maisy I left them both to return to the car and I walked on. Soon I had left ancient woodland behind me and in its place was an almost endless expanse of purple rhododendron bushes which bordered the coastal path and reached down almost to the sea. After a while the rhododendron bushes were replaced by straight, erect rows of purple foxgloves. And I was onto the last stage of my walk over the moors where a cool breeze blew sea mist so that it billowed mysteriously over the hills. I thought that this mist would be my farewell to Exmoor, but instead I was delighted to see a herd of the rare Exmoor ponies, mares with their foals, all contentedly grazing.

And so, I made my way to Linton where I was reunited with John and Maisy once more.

#PortlockWeir #Lynton #SouthWestCoastalPath