Devon's Iron Coast - Walk

Distance: 7 miles
Difficulty: Hard
Start/End point: Hartland

The coastline in Devon's far north-west corner, between Hartland Point and the Cornish border, is possibly the most dramatic in the County. Indeed, it has been claimed to be the most dramatic in the whole country. The coast here faces 3000 miles of the open Atlantic Ocean, and a combination of the power of the sea and unusual geology has resulted in a landscape of jagged cliffs fronted by long bony "fingers" of rock stretching out into the sea. Not surprisingly, the rugged coastline and the vast expanse of open ocean have resulted in this being a coast of great danger to shipping, exemplified by the numerous wrecks that have occurred here. It is in recognition of the danger that the name Iron Coast has been applied to this area.

As with the rest of Devon's coastline, the area is accessible via the South West Coast Path. This walk starts and finishes at the little town of Hartland, the main centre for this part of Devon. It crosses the coastal hinterland to sample a length of the impressive coastline before returning inland. Picturesque on a good day, this walk can also repay the effort on a winter's day, the wild sea showing the Iron Coast at its most impressive.

Theme: Country, Coast,
Special Interest: Archaeological, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Nature, Wildlife,
Area: North Devon, Torridge.

Relevant maps/guides: Landranger (1:50,000 scale) no 190 Bude and Clovelly; Explorer (1:25,000 scale) no 126 Clovelly and Hartland
Facilities along route: Hartland has shops, pubs, toilets, car park and buses; Hartland Quay has a pub, toilets and shop; Stoke has toilets and tea rooms usually open summer weekends. There are 4 stiles and one ladder stile; two fairly gradual climbs of 50m/160ft; two steeper climbs, one of 35m/115ft, one of 80m/260ft. The length of the walk and the climbs mean this should only be followed if adequately equipped and reasonably fit.