The Hangmen 3 March 2011

This was a 5 mile circular walk starting from Combe Martin in Devon. Including stops for lunch and photos it took me 2.5 hours.


View Combe Martin and the Hangmen in a larger map

At home in Stogumber we were greeted by early morning sunshine but on the way to Exmoor I ran into cold cloudy weather. The Met Office's current observations web page had shown  that sunshine lay to the west. This was borne out when I crossed the Somerset/Devon border. I was in continous sunshine until I travelled home, although it was rather hazy. It was also considerably warmer in Devon.

I followed the coast path leading east from Combe Martin. The path climbs  fairly steeply to Lester Cliff and beyond the part where it is edged by low trees there are good views back to Combe Martin and down to Wild Pear Beach.

Wild Pear Beach

 It is possible to access the beach from the Coast Path but the way down is not obvious and I did not spot it. Wild Pear beach is apparently frequented by naturists, but, I do not think they were around on this day.

 It did not take long the reach the summit of the Little Hangman. At 218 metres, this summit is 100 metres lower than the Great Hangman, but it is, in some ways, a more distinctive topographic feature. I have had a quick look around the Web to see if I could find out how these features got their names but I found nothing that could be substantiated.

This area is the type locality of the Hangman Grits which form much of the highlands of Exmoor and are exposed along the rugged coastline. The also form part of the Quantock Hills.

The view westward from Little Hangman

Little Hangman from the east. The Hangman Grits dip steeply to the north.

There is a deep cleft just to the east of Little Hangman and the rocks are well exposed. There is a gentle ascent from Little Hangman before the final climb to the cairn on the summit of Great Hangman. As you might expect, there are good views all round from this vicinity. To the seaward of Great Hangman there is a steep drop of 244 metres to the foreshore. This is the highest coastal cliff face in England. It would have be seen from the sea to really appreciate it.

Great Hangman from Little Hamgman

I would have liked to carry on along the coast towards Hunters Inn, which was only about 4.5 miles away, but I think getting back to Combe Martin by public transport would have been  problem. I took a path marked "Country Road" that headed south after leaving the open country and crossing a couple of fields the path became a concrete track leading into Girt Lane. Shortly after passing a house, I turned right into Knap Down lane. This is a well defined path that gives a direct route back to Combe Martin. From the lane there is a fine view across a valley towards Little Hangman.

Little Hangman from Knap Down Lane

The area around Combe Martin has a history of mining. In particular, silver was mined form the Middle Ages and the 1800s, but other metals, such as iron and zinc have also been extracteded.

This was an interesting walk on a day when Spring seemed to be properly on the way in North Devon if not in West Somerset.