Best bits: walking with Sheela, gorgeous weather
Worst bits: 2 long drives at the end of the day
Distance: 20.4 miles
An early start this morning as I need to get the passenger ferry at 9am. It was another glorious day and brought out the absolute best of Salcombe.
I walked along the streets that I accidentally drove Priscilla down when I first arrived here. It looks even narrower when walking!
While waiting for the ferry I was chatting to Haydn and Louise and Helen and Harriet all of whom had dogs with them who also needed attention. The ferry trip on a tiny boat was around 2 minutes long and I got my journey for free as I was doing a charity walk.
I walked with Sheela, a lovely young woman from London who is doing the coastal path in sections. We were very much matched for pace and so walked together for most of the day.
The weather was absolutely gorgeous which made for excellent views of the coastline. I was overdressed today so I must remember to get my shorts out. I was wearing shorts when I set off in November and so I guess now is a good time to get them on.
At times the cloud formations made for some dramatic views. The terrain was relatively easy for most of the day with the occasional ascent and descent. Sometimes the sign posting was a little ambiguous and we ended up on the beach for a short time. Luckily for us there was a way back up, and we also inadvertently avoided a field full of cows.
Of course walking is like life, it’s always important to look back at where you’ve come from and take stock of your journey. Sheela and I discussed our favourite books, theatre, musicals, parts of the coastal path and our lives and families. 
We decided to have lunch at Start Point and we found a bench that looked out onto this beach. It took quite a while for us to learn the origin of the name, apparently the name “Start” derives from an Anglo-Saxon word steort, meaning a tail.
The Start Point Lighthouse was camouflaged during World War II. This area was used for rehearsals of the Normandy landings. I missed the tank as I was walking on the other side of the road. 
Sheela and I saw some acrobatic sheep who were grazing midway down the cliff and appeared to be able to still balance at rather odd angles. We also were a little perturbed at how close a man was standing to the edge of the cliff!
The path was busier at some points today with the box fresh white trainer brigade. This was due to the fact that the weather was fantastic and there were a number of car parks close to the path!
An important signpost at Start Point indicating that since the 14th February I’ve travelled 482 miles from Minehead and still have 168 miles left of the South West Coast path which I should complete by the 5th of April.
By this time, I was more than desperate for a cup of tea. Sheela had been tormenting me by saying that there was a café at Torcross, which coincidentally was where she would be stopping for today.
I sent a message to Kim saying that we will be stopping for a cuppa and she replied to say they had just pulled in there and would meet me in the café.
The team at the Mess Tin cafe were very friendly and the service was excellent. I was gifted a wee crocheted ‘Positive Pal’.
I said goodbye to Sheela and see you later to Kim and Colin. I still had another 6 miles to walk.
Unfortunately, the weather had turned and it had become quite windy and chilly otherwise ….. I really should get one of those signs for my garden!!
After a long stretch of walking along the side of the beach, the terrain became more hilly. Indeed the final couple of miles were a little strenuous or perhaps I was just getting tired by that time.
This gorgeous beach is called Blackpool Sands. At least you can see the sea from this version of Blackpool. After about another 30 minutes of walking, and nine hours after leaving Priscilla this morning I finally arrived at my destination.
A great big thanks to Colin and Kim who drove all the way from Plymouth to help me out today and get me back safely to Priscilla. That that was a 50 minute journey back from Stoke Fleming to Salcombe. I then had another hours drive from Salcombe to Torbay where I finally arrived at 8:30 pm. I was starving by this point but fortunately there was a McDonald’s very close by. So it’s eat, write my blog, sleep and repeat. See you tomorrow?
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