The weather forecast for the day was one of strong winds and heavy and very squally showers.

The combination of a strenuous long walk in heavy rain put a few people off and we started the walk at South Milton Sands with 8 ramblers. Those that didn't make it missed an excellent and varied coastal and inland walk along footpaths, fields, lanes and tracks. Naturally the weather forecasters only had it partly correct. Yes there was a strong and blustery South Westerly but there was a complete absence of rain, even sunny at times.

After a concise outline of the walk from Geoff we were off leaving the the national trust car park at South Milton Sands and following the clearly marked and gravel covered coastal path up and over a headland towards Hope Cove.

The beach at South Milton has a large rock just out to sea. The rock is called Thurlestone Rock and views from another angle show it to be a natural arch.

As we made out way over the first headland we could see the lovely seaside village of Hope Cove laid out below us.

We descended down to the village, passing a beach, noted the ice cream shops for our return and made our way along to the second of Hope Cove's beaches with it's own sea wall and .

From this point there were good views across to the first major headland we would be walking around Bolt Tail.

The tide was well in at 10.30 AM as we walked along and the waves were slapping hard against the wall, the south west wind driving the seas hard inshore even in this normally well sheltered anchorage.

In the inner harbour it was calm with a second sea wall sheltering the boats but away from the sheltered inner harbour the south westerly was being felt.

Leaving Hope Cove we picked up the coastal footpath and headed out towards the old iron age fort on the tip of Bolt Tail. It must have been a really strategic situation on it's time. Leaving Bolt Tail the rugged coastline runs south east the 5 to 6 miles towards the major headland we were aiming for at Bolt Head.

There have been many instances of boats being driven ashore onto the rocks by the south westerly gales which hit this section of coast all too frequently.

Leaving the old iron age fort we had the first of our good climbs up towards Bolberry Down.

Once up on this high point we had excellent views along the coast. For the next mile or so we were well buffeted by the strong south westerly winds as we made our way along the flat down area.

Those of us who had walked this section of coast knew that the flat section came to a fairly abrupt end at Cathole Cliff with a good steep descent down towards Soar Mill Cove.

We found a relatively sheltered spot on the down and stopped for our morning break. The descent to Soar Mill Cove was clearly visible ahead of us with the descent into the valley and an equally steep ascent on the other side.

We made our way down to Soar Mill Cove and the beach just below us and decided that the water looked decidedly too rough to tempt us in for a dip.

The offer of a swim as indicated on the walks list was therefore rejected by all of us.

As we climbed up out of Soar Mill Cove towards the headland high above us we passed several very unusual rock formations weathered by thousands of years of battering by the winds and rain.

Some of the resulting rock shapes could have been sculpted.

The one in the picture to the left was typical of the strange sculptures we walked by.

Eventually we all reached the top 130 metres, over 400 feet above msl.

This was the highest point of the coastal section of the walk and once at The Warren we had a relatively easy 1.5 mile section to the massive Bolt Head headland.

It was the first time that I had actually been out to the end of the headland and was surprised to see a wartime defence pillbox sitting atop the cliff. 60 years on and the concrete was standing firm.

We found a sheltered spot facing across towards Prawle Point on the far side of the broad seascape entrance to Salcombe and stopped for lunch for 20 minutes or so.

At about 1.20 PM we were off again taking the low coastal route around the cliffs towards Salcombe.

We followed the good coastal path as it descended down towards the beach at Starehole Bay first visited by a leader as a youngster and he regaled us with tales of those days.

Soon we were heading out east along the path which skirted out and under Sharp Tor. The rock formations which look impressive from boats approaching the bar entrance to Salcombe look equally impressive from the coastal path.

Soon the relatively level coastal path swung around and headed north.

As it did so the panorama of Salcombe,a yachtsman's paradise in the Westcountry opened up before us.

We could clearly see the waves breaking over the sandbar across the entrance to the harbour and the swell was quite large as we approached the the harbour.

We passed immediately beneath the gardens of Overbecks NT owned house and gardens and emerged onto a lane which led us down to the built up harbour of South Sands and to the end of the coastal section of the walk.

The tide was way out and the tractor which carried passengers down the beach to the ferry which runs into the town of Salcombe was waiting at the top of the beach.

One member of the group seemed more interested in the cycles for sale than in the views.

We stopped for a moment and then left South Sands heading uphill towards Salcombe town for a hundred yards before turning sharp left by houses.

We then followed the footpath up through woods north west towards Marlborough just over two miles away at the top of a hill at a height of about 350 feet.

After a mile through the woods and stinging nettles we emerged at the hamlet of Combe.

Rather than following a footpath more or less directly towards Marlborough we swung west and made our way up a very steep hill passing Lower Rew and Higher Rew en route, as we strode up this steep hill we could see Marlborough almost due north of us.

At the top of the hill we swung north and descended again first down a lane and then by a footpath through fields towards a small hamlet of Barton a half mile from Marlborough.

After this entertaining little diversion and a walk through a wildly overgrown footpath full of nettles, we were soon entering the village of Marlborough and turning towards the village church.

The church had a most strange concrete clad spire, obviously repaired years ago in a functional rather than a manner in keeping with the rest of the construction of the church.

Passing by the church we soon found the road for the 2.5 mile trek back to Hope Cove.

The road we took would have taken us back to Hope Cove via Galmpton but after just over a half mile we turned left and followed a footpath heading west through a number of fields directly back towards Hope Cove.

Half an hour later we found ourselves just above the village church at Hope Cove with the Church bell well silloueted against the sea and sky.

Where was the promised heavy rain, blue skies and strong sun instead, typical of the forecasting this summer.

Just beyond the church we descended some steps and were back on the same path through Hope Cove we had taken over 5 hours earlier.

We soon found the ice cream vendor we had noted in the morning and stopped to enjoy a cooling ice cream.

The final stage of the walk was to retrace our steps now heading north up over the headland for the final mile back towards the South Milton Sands beach; now at close to low tide there was a large expanse of sand and rocks with a lone windsurfer hurtling to and fro in the strong south west wind which was still blowing.

We arrived back at the car park at just gone 4.20 PM over six hours after setting off, some of us weary others just pleased to have made it.

Thanks to Geoff for the easy going manner in which he had guided us around the 15 mile circuit and for introducing us to Rew both lower and upper. The rain, no sign of it and we were on our way along the tortuous narrow lane up back through South Milton and to the main A381 Kingsbridge to Salcombe road for the 20 miles or so return journey to Plymouth.

Yet another interesting coastal and inland walk to improve the fitness of those that went.