Kingsley, Kipling and a Horizontal Cliff Railway - Walk

Distance: 6 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Start/End point: Westward Ho!

Westward Ho! is on the western edge of the town of Northam, itself a couple of miles north of Bideford. It sits between the vast open area of Northam Burrows, situated where the Taw and Torridge rivers meet the sea, and the cliffs which rise to the west and lead to Devon's north western extremity, Hartland Point.

Until the mid 19th century this was a remote area. Then in 1855 Charles Kingsley set his novel Westward Ho! here and a small resort was developed on the coast and named after the book. It is now the only town in Britain with an exclamation mark as part of its spelling.

This walk starts by circling inland behind the town before heading to the cliffs to the west. It then returns along the South West Coast Path.

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

Relevant maps/guides: Landranger [scale 1: 50,000] 180 Barnstaple and Ilfracombe; Explorer [scale 1: 25,000] no. 139 Bideford, Ilfracombe and Barnstaple.
Facilities along route: Westward Ho! [pubs, refreshments, toilets, shops]; Abbotsham [pub, shop, buses].
Buses run approximately hourly Mondays to Saturdays, slightly less frequently on Sundays. There is one short steep climb of 60m/230ft; 5 stiles.