Day 79: Porlock to Lynton
📏 Distance: 17.45 miles / 28.08 km
☀️ Weather: Dry and warm all day
🕣 Start Time: 08:35 | Finish Time: 16:50
After two rest days (Days 77 and 78) at the lovely Burrowhayes campsite, we were back on the road today for another leg of our journey to Land’s End.
A huge thank you to the team at the campsite—Julian, Kate, Mary, and Bill—for such a warm welcome. Your generosity in donating part of the site fee to Alzheimer’s Research UK is very much appreciated. Thanks to Bill as well for helping Adam with motorhome maintenance.
We met some lovely people at the site—Ste and Joan Banks, Kay and Tom Winn (and their beautiful Labrador, Poppy), and Te. It was such a pleasure spending time with you all. Thank you for your kindness and generosity.
Today's Route
Today’s walk was another day of road walking, but what a route it was! I started with a long, steady 4.5-mile climb out of Porlock, rewarded with stunning views back across the village and out to sea. The landscape was spectacular and ever-changing as I made my way into “Lorna Doone country,” following the road through a deep valley beside the East Lyn River.
A highlight was visiting the picturesque church in Oare, made famous by R.D. Blackmore’s novel Lorna Doone. I met Marcus and his workmate doing good work at the church. We chatted about the journey and I gave hem my website address. It’s a beautiful spot and well worth a visit..
Lunch was a break at the National Trust Café—just as I crossed the border into Devon! There I met Clive who is a walk leader for HF holidays, and Aain we chatted about my trip.
The East Lyn River offered some fantastic views and the sound of running water accompanied me through the valley. But the real test came in the form of several hill climbs—some with gradients of 20% and 25% Thankfully, the final stretch was a long descent into West Lyn, just outside Lynton, where we have our campsite for the night.
It’s been an enjoyable day, filled with great scenery, warm sunshine, and memorable encounters.
Tomorrow is another long walk to Barnstaple.
