Day 1 - Plymouth to Noss Mayo 

Time Departed: 9.00am

Time Arrived: 2.30pm

Cumulative Distance: 15kms

Percentage Complete: 4.3%

Number of Steps: 23,000 

Walking Grade: Easy to moderate

Weather: Hot and humid

Accommodation: The Rose and Crown, Yealmpton

Feelings: Henk - Excited, Di - Excited and a tad nervous

At 8.00am breakfast we looked out onto a light drizzle but by nine o’clock when we left our hotel the sky had cleared and we were in for a hot and humid day of walking. Today was mostly easy walking with a number of steep inclines and descents to keep us on our toes. However, we struggled with the heat and humidity for most of the walk. 

We took the obligatory photo of ourselves before setting out. 

Despite not having done a long distance walk for over four years we quickly slipped into our regular routine of morning preparation. This included reviewing the profile of the walk to see what we would encounter and mentally prepare ourselves. We noted that there were two tougher sections at the beginning and at the end of the walk. It was an unusual walk as we also had to do two ferry crossings and one pre-booked taxi ride to get to our accommodation at Yealmpton.

Yesterday we took the opportunity to walk the first part of this section of the South West Coast Path so we skipped walking it this morning. We also took our walking company’s  recommendation and skipped walking alongside eight kilometres of an unattractive, industrial area outside Plymouth. We were so pleased we did as by our 2.30pm arrival at Noss Mayo the afternoon heat was becoming unpleasant. 

We walked down the narrow, cobbled streets of Plymouth with the Sunday morning church bells tolling across the town. We were then greeted by the noisy seagulls at Plymouth’s spectacular harbour. We caught a small ferry located near the Mayflower Steps to Mount Batten Point at 9.15am and were on the other side by 9.20am. Then we were off for our new adventure. 

It took us 1.5 hours of walking on the coastal, high cliffs before we lost site of Plymouth and came across the aptly named Cliffedge Cafe. By this stage Henk was saturated in perspiration and I could feel the heat in my boots. We downed two large soft drinks and a biscuit slice and felt all the better for it. We were pleased we had the break as we were refreshed to tackle the steep, long hill towards Heybrook Bay.

As it was a Sunday and the sun was out we passed many day walkers and beach goers. All were soaking up the sun, many looked very sunburnt and it surprised us that no one wears a hat in the conditions we experienced today.

 

The beach at Wembury was packed with day-trippers. By this stage I could have walked into the water clothes and all to cool off but we headed for The Mill Cafe and enjoyed a pleasant half hour having lunch in their shaded front courtyard. Once again after the break we were refreshed and we tackled a long, steep climb out of Wembury. 

Our last walking requirement was to catch the ferry from Warren Point to Noss Mayo by 4.00pm as that was the time the ferry finished for the day. We reached this with plenty of time at 2.00pm. We walked down some small, stone steps and we had to lower a sign to notify the ferry driver and within two minutes a fibreglass tinny arrived to pick us up. 

We crossed the stunning Yealm Estuary and walked a further 1.5kms to the wealthy looking town of Noss Mayo which sits along the estuary. 

We were 2.5 hours early for our pre-booked taxi at 5.00pm and headed to The Ship Inn and downed another lemonade. Henk then spent a frustrating time trying to get a signal with our UK SIM card to organise an earlier pick up. Eventually he was able to get through. I used the time to start writing the blog after I found a picnic table in a wonderful cool spot in front of the Newton and Noss Village Hall whilst waiting for the taxi. 

Our taxi driver, an elderly gentleman with great experience with walkers, arrived earlier and took us to the wonderful Rose and Crown pub in Yealmpton which was about a fifteen minute taxi ride along narrow country lanes with high hedgerows. He’ll be back tomorrow morning at eight o’clock to return us to Noss Mayo to start Day Two.

We spent some time rejigging our packs and our suitcases. Henk had some problems with his pack today so hopefully it will be resolved and he’ll feel more comfortable for tomorrow’s walk.

We had a delicious meal at the Rose and Crown and it was an early night for us. Day One is behind us, and despite the heat it was a beautiful walk with magnificent views. It’s a great feeling to be able to do another long distance walk.