Day 8 - Brixham to Babbacombe 

Time Departed: 9.00am

Time Arrived: 2.15pm

Distance: 21.5kms (13.5kms walking, 8kms taxi)

Cumulative Distance: 134kms 

Percentage Complete: 37%

Number of Steps: 19,000 (193,000)

Walking Grade: Easy and moderate 

Weather: Heavy rain and flooding 

Accommodation: Rooms at Babbacombe 

Feelings: Henk - Good, Di - Tired

This day was an adventure!

After yesterday’s strenuous walk I woke this morning feeling tired. It was supposed to be an easier day but it didn’t turn out that way. The weather forecast was rain with some clear patches and a storm forecast at three o’clock. 

Claire, our fantastic host, placed us by the front window for breakfast so we had great views over the marina and sea wall. 

For the first time since our walk started seven days ago the sea was rough. Claire said she loved it when the sea “had a bit of life in it”. Our day turned out to “have a bit of life in it” as well!

When we set out it was drizzling so we had to don all our wet gear. We walked the short distance into Brixham and around the picturesque harbour. The rain was getting heavier. We were now walking along the coastline known as the English Riviera. This later turned out to be a river than a riviera!

I loved going by the old pubs and restaurants along the harbour with their seafaring names. 

The path soon took us through dark, wooded areas which were sodden with the overnight rain. The rain was now very heavy. After forty-five minutes we came to a diversion around a cliff which added another kilometre to the day. The woods gave us some shield against the rain but the rain was becoming relentless. Our wet weather gear was not coping with it. 

When we reached Broadsands Beach we found an outdoor cafe which had an enclosed gazebo behind it. It was 11.00am and we needed a break from the rain. Our chairs and table sat in inches of water but we didn’t care. Not long after, the four Norwegians who also stayed at the same guest house arrived. They looked like drowned kittens like us. Henk and I discussed what the options were if the conditions got worse, however, there was a clearing in the weather and we soldiered on. At this stage we put all our gear deeper into our backpacks to give them protection and this included my phone so today’s photos are limited.

For the next hour we walked on beach promenades and went by many hundreds of beach huts with their colourful doors. It would have been great to see on a sunny day. There was not a person to be seen but we remarked that the previous hot Sunday it would have been very crowded. The rain was now bucketing down from the heavens and we were winding our way around deep puddles.

We arrived at the traditional, seaside resort of Paignton at about 12.30pm. We were sodden. We decided to continue but the going was difficult as the esplanade was flooded and we had to make many diversions to avoid the deepening water. The cars driving through the water were washing us with water. 

When we walked passed the old pier there was a fish and chip shop at the front so we lined up for takeaway chips. We ordered through a small window and the young woman asked us to come in out of the weather and stand in the cafe whilst we waited for the chips. It was such a kind gesture and so good to get out of the rain.

As we left the pier with our chips Henk saw a bus stop so we sat and ate our chips under cover. From our vantage point we could see all the flooded roads and the cars trying to get through. 

A fire engine was trying to make its way through the high waters with its siren sounding. We heard later it was rushing to pump water not put out a fire. We also heard the nearby Exeter airport had been closed.

It was then I saw the very heavy, low clouds to the east where we were to walk. It looked ominous. At this stage we decided it was ridiculous to persevere but our B&B didn’t open until 3.00pm. It was now only 1.00pm. Henk rang to see if we could get in earlier and Luke, our host, said that was fine but he was stuck in traffic because of the flooding and getting a taxi could prove to be difficult, however, the guest living room was open should we arrive early.

The weather was now turning windy and cold and we moved to another section of the bus stop and joined three homeless people. Henk tried to ring for a taxi with each company saying they weren’t coming to Paignton because of the flooding. One said we would have to wait for 3.5 hours given the current conditions. It was pointless trying. We would have to walk the next 12kms as there was no other option. Then, thankfully, Henk had the brainwave of seeing if there was a bus to Babbacombe.

I asked the homeless people for help and they were great. They liked our accents! They gave us good directions to get to the bus station and the bus number to catch. We returned to Paignton through more flooded footpaths and taking the back streets to avoid the water as much as possible to get to the High Street. Before we got to the bus station we saw a taxi letting off a passenger at the train station. I raced for it. He was an independent taxi driver and didn’t have another booking and was happy to take us to our accommodation. So, we got a taxi after-all and didn’t need a bus. It was so good to get into the taxi and the young guy didn’t care that we were saturated. We passed the four Norwegians trudging along a footpath at Torquay and they looked as sodden as us.

We had a wonderful, warm welcome to our guest house. Rebecca, our host, took all our outer wet gear including our sodden boots to put it in the drying room and we were soon in our snug room. We took off all our walking clothes and hopped under the doona to get warm. We later took the remainder of our wet clothes to Luke who was going to put them in the dryer. We felt sane after having a nap and a hot shower. 

When we emerged for a Sunday roast dinner at the Royal Hotel and Carvery the weather had cleared and everything seemed calm again. We had good views over the cliffs as we ate dinner. We didn’t think much of the quote on the wall above us in the dining room. We both said, “Yeah, right!

After dinner we walked along the cliff path and noticed the massive landslide on the next cliff. Two houses seemed to be in a precarious position. A local woman told us of the house that fell into the sea and we watched it on YouTube when we returned to our room. 

We also walked to the Babbacombe Cliff Railway where we would have come off the coast path and go to our accommodation. 

So today was meant to be easy and moderate but we now have a new understanding of challenging. This is the first time we have ever resorted to taxis but it was certainly the right decision.

Tomorrow the weather is looking better.