It’s a perfect day at The Gallery Lodges, Braunton: sunny and beautiful. The sea is warming up and the surf is on it’s way, but for now we are happy to be taking in the views from dry land. Here is a short walk we enjoy when the beaches and car parks are open.
Just 2 minutes drive up the road from the Lodges we park on the small grassy area behind St Anne’s church at Saunton. This is the start of one of our favourite short walks.
We take the track up past the stunning historic manor house and gardens through carpets of blue bells and wild garlic.
Climbing up the steep open field track, we pause and take in the views back towards Braunton.
In late summer this is also a great spot to look our for field and horse mushrooms.
At the top the vista of Saunton Sands and the sand dunes comes into view, along with the distant Hartland Peninsular.
We keep walking beyond the ruined house and take the final brow to look over at Croyde Bay, before back tracking to find the stile leading to the stepped path, through the trees down to Saunton Beach. Here’s our chance to stop for a coffee and a cake, or squeezed in a pasty at the beach cafe. Rested and refreshed we head back on the coast path linked to the car park exit road. 400m back along the main road we cut thourgh St Anne’s church yard and back to collect the car. Now you would think we couldn’t eat any more and life just couldn’t get better.
But then we took a short trip round the headland to Croyde for the Saturday night Sri Lankan curry -Tambapanni.
Booking for the Lodges at www.thegallerylodges.co.uk or pm me.
If you want to know where this stunning walk in you will have to visit us at the Lodges or at the art studio www.petecaswell.co.uk
Updated 1 May 2020.
