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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/nov/15/country-diary-drizzle-vivid-south-west-coastal-path-north-devon
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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Country diary: drizzle only makes the bracken more vivid | Country diary: drizzle only makes the bracken more vivid |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| North Devon and beyond Roaring deer and singing wrens, mossy scree and ferny oaks, the swish of the sea and other snapshots of a 100-mile walk | |
| Virginia Spiers | |
| Wed 15 Nov 2017 05.30 GMT | |
| Last modified on Mon 27 Nov 2017 13.45 GMT | |
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| The sight and sound of sea accompanies half our 100-mile walk from Braunton Great Field almost to Taunton, south of the Quantocks. From the coastal path, distant views of Lundy give way to those of south Wales, sometimes catching light from the lowering sun, but more often masked in cloud. Low tide reveals shining sand at Saunton; a swimmer heads for flat water off Croyde to “bob around” on his afternoon off. | The sight and sound of sea accompanies half our 100-mile walk from Braunton Great Field almost to Taunton, south of the Quantocks. From the coastal path, distant views of Lundy give way to those of south Wales, sometimes catching light from the lowering sun, but more often masked in cloud. Low tide reveals shining sand at Saunton; a swimmer heads for flat water off Croyde to “bob around” on his afternoon off. |
| Next morning at Woolacombe, surfers ride big waves before dawn. That day, drizzle enhances the vividness of green grass and orange bracken between the slippery jagged slate of Morte and Bull Points, above vertiginous cliffs and tiny coves scattered with lumps of quartz. The zigzag descent to Ilfracombe was engineered for Victorian tourists, as were the resort’s tunnels, bored through cliffs towards tidal bathing pools. | Next morning at Woolacombe, surfers ride big waves before dawn. That day, drizzle enhances the vividness of green grass and orange bracken between the slippery jagged slate of Morte and Bull Points, above vertiginous cliffs and tiny coves scattered with lumps of quartz. The zigzag descent to Ilfracombe was engineered for Victorian tourists, as were the resort’s tunnels, bored through cliffs towards tidal bathing pools. |
| Pasture land has replaced small enclosures for growing early strawberries in the valley leading towards the harbour of Combe Martin. Above this sheltered enclave, the Hangmans and Holdstone Down plunge towards the sea. The songs of wren, robin and dunnock echo upwards from leafy guts (gullies) to compete with that of skylarks overhead. Out on the edge, around Peter’s Rock, ling and mosses stabilise stony outcrops and scree overlooking Heddon’s Mouth, once an inlet for boats bringing coal and limestone for burning in the lime kiln so that fertiliser could be carted to inland farms. | Pasture land has replaced small enclosures for growing early strawberries in the valley leading towards the harbour of Combe Martin. Above this sheltered enclave, the Hangmans and Holdstone Down plunge towards the sea. The songs of wren, robin and dunnock echo upwards from leafy guts (gullies) to compete with that of skylarks overhead. Out on the edge, around Peter’s Rock, ling and mosses stabilise stony outcrops and scree overlooking Heddon’s Mouth, once an inlet for boats bringing coal and limestone for burning in the lime kiln so that fertiliser could be carted to inland farms. |
| Onwards from this deep valley, ferny oak woods clothe the north-facing cliff-land, muffling the swish of sea below. A day later, rainbows arch above white horses in Lynmouth Bay; we hear deer roaring above Glenthorne where woodland has been invaded by rhododendron and, at Porlock Weir, waves rattle and drag pebbles on the shingle ridge. Inland of exposed Selworthy Beacon, the way uphill to Wootton Common is deep in golden leaves and prickly husks of chestnuts. From vantage points such as Bat’s Castle above Dunster, there will be sights of the Bristol Channel towards Hinkley Point, but the prevailing sound will be of wind in conifers or the rustle of crisp leaves, still hanging on to the ubiquitous beech. | Onwards from this deep valley, ferny oak woods clothe the north-facing cliff-land, muffling the swish of sea below. A day later, rainbows arch above white horses in Lynmouth Bay; we hear deer roaring above Glenthorne where woodland has been invaded by rhododendron and, at Porlock Weir, waves rattle and drag pebbles on the shingle ridge. Inland of exposed Selworthy Beacon, the way uphill to Wootton Common is deep in golden leaves and prickly husks of chestnuts. From vantage points such as Bat’s Castle above Dunster, there will be sights of the Bristol Channel towards Hinkley Point, but the prevailing sound will be of wind in conifers or the rustle of crisp leaves, still hanging on to the ubiquitous beech. |
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