Back, back to the coast and further from home. Finally a release and a chance to move a bit further and get back to some coastal path walking which I have missed hugely. If you had told me this back in 2019 then I would have said you were talking c**p. Last year was my coastal path year and I’m glad to be back. However, just as one set of restrictions start to ease then those in charge, want to segregate us in the name of a passport. Just no, this isn’t medical, nor is it part of the pandemic. Just stop it. I’ll stop there, this is just wrong. More importantly is the walk, its a great one, but needs better weather than I had, it was horribly hazy and not what was forecast. In fact the whole weather forecast over the last few weeks has been nothing more reliable and honest than a government track and trace contract. Sunny weather promised, turned into thick white clouds, and when I got back to the car it had been covered in drops of rain filled with Sahara sand. Meaning my car looked like it had the measles. Still the coastal path is a fine place to be and I’ll be looking at ways to walk more of it this year.
Start – Man Sands parking
Route – Man Sands – Southdown Cliff – Sharkham Point – Berry Head – Brixham – Southdown Hill – Southdown Farm – Man Sands parking
Distance – 8.5 miles Start time – 10.20am Time taken – 4hrs Highest Point – Southdown Hill 150 metres
Man Sands signHeading down the lane towards Man Sands itselfThat it Man Sands bay, behind which sits a watery nature reserve, I’ve cut off and looped around the back of that in order to pick up the coastal path which heads north towards Berry HeadLooking back down my cut off path, I will be in that valley later on my way back to the carMan Sands, looking to Sharkham PointThe climb is steep from Man Sands, below, I remember looking at it having walked around past Coleton Fishacre and thinking just no, not this time. Its as steep as it looks from below.Scabbacombe Head is the one that sticks out the furthest as I look along a classic coastal sceneI’m heading towards Sharkham Point looking back at the same view as the last photo but higher upLooking across St Marys Bay towards Berry Head and Cod Rock from Sharkham PointSt Marys BayLooking back to Sharkham Point across St Marys Bay, next stop Berry HeadNearly at Berry HeadThis must be it!!Berry Head VOR station, this is used by aircraft as a locator. Up to 200 miles broadcast distance on vhfThe Berry Head quarry can clearly be seen here, with Berry Head itself and the mast behindI left Berry Head and headed through woodland and down the roads to Shoalstone Point and the tidal swimming pool.The breakwater/pier at Brixham. Cruise liner to the rightBrixham boatsNow I was here previously with the boys (here) and again this is a scaled down version of the Golden Hind (Sir Francis Drake style)
Leaving Brixham harbour I pass St Marys church
Leaving the harbour is an uphill affair, Southdown Hill is where it gets serious, this bench is a welcome stop off
I’m now on a path past Southdown Farm
Some good views from the path up the valley seen earlier in this post (picture 4)Man Sands down there and the watery nature reserve
My first butterfly of the year, a Speckled Wood
Mill Lane is the path I have walked down and I’m heading left nextAlmost back at the car park, the white house on the other side of the valley I passed on my way along Mill Lane. An end to a decent walk which if I’m honest I thought would be better, Berry Head is ok, but there a far better spots along the South Devon coast.
It started out quite well but once at Sharkham Point it became busy and lacking interest, but as you say it lacks the drama of a Prawle Point, Bigbury or plenty of Cornwall
treksandtors 
Covid or not, they seem obsessed with restrictions.
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Possibly it’s just the flat light but I’d agree that there are better stretches of coast down there based on your posts of the past year
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It started out quite well but once at Sharkham Point it became busy and lacking interest, but as you say it lacks the drama of a Prawle Point, Bigbury or plenty of Cornwall
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