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.

Minehead to Porlock via the rugged coast path 7 October 2010

Distance - 8 miles
Time taken - 4 hours 30 minutes

It was a beautiful morning and the forecast was promising. I last did the "rugged" part of this route in December 2008 and have since had an ambition to walk from Minehead to Porlock and return by bus. So, off I went.


View Rugged coast path in a larger map


I left Minehead on the normal South West Coast Path. I was surprised to see that path had been visited by the guys who paint around potholes, so that months later, if the paint has not worn off, someone with a bucket of tar, fills them in in. This has struck me as being a wasteful process as it would surely be more efficient to send the tar out in the first place. This example should win a prize. It was not even a particularly deep hole.

Pothole?

I followed the track towards Greenaleigh Farm. This part of the route is wooded and there is only one place where you can look down and see Minehead Harbour. Trees are great, but I like to see out.
The path diverted from the track to the farm and went gently uphill. The trees eventually thinned out to give coastal views back towards Minehead.

Greenaleigh Point

The rugged alternative coast path is clearly signed where it diverts from the standard route.
The rugged path follows the coast around the area of pasture on North Hill. I think it is a much more interesting route than the standard path. It is the true coast path, having the essential quality of sea views. Today these were excellent, although it was a bit hazy. The route certainly involves more ups and downs and is harder work, but is not particularly difficult if you are reasonably fit. It is longer as a result of heading up into and out of several deep valleys (Combes).

Grexy Combe

To begin I had to descend into Grexy Combe and then climb back to the top of the cliff beyond.The next section is mostly easy, following a straight section of coast, although there was a short section where the path was eroding quite seriously above a steep drop. Near here I came across the biggest caterpillar I have ever seen.

A big caterpillar

I do not know what sort of moth or butterfly this will turn into but I think Air Traffic Control need to be informed. A couple I met had seen an adder.
At the end of a straight section a came to a point where the path turned south to go around Henners Combe. This was a good place to eat lunch as there were some rocks that made a dry place to sit down.At this point a good view of the coast to the west is revealed. Foreland Point was clearly visible. As it  was low tide I also had a glimpse of Selworthy Sand from here.

Looking West over Henners Combe

 The next section of the route headed along the eastern side of Henners Combe before crossing the two streams and then climbing up the western side. It was not far beyond this that the process was repeated to cross East Combe. There are better views of Selworthy Sand from here. The only way I know onto this beach involves using a knotted rope for support to get down the steep slope, consisting of loose rock, that is found at the back of the beack. The rope is tied at its upper end around a boulder. I have not dared try this.

Looking down on Selworthy Sand

After East Combe I followed the track to the top of Hurlstone Combe. I found that descending the steep path down the Combe was the most tiring part of the whole walk. Still there was no more serious climbing to do. I just had to follow the track to Bossington and along the lane to Porlock in time for the 15:23  No 39 bus back to Minehead.

This was a very  satisfying walk on a beautiful day surrounded by wonderful scenery