Braunton to Instow: South West Coast Path Day 6 Guide

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With nearly 30km (18.5 miles) under cloudless skies and temperatures hitting 32^ºC, yesterday had been seriously hard work. Waking up this morning, I was relieved to see grey clouds overhead, and even more relieved when the guidebook told me it’d be an “easy”, flat, sub-20km (12.5 mile) day.

Today’s section was going to be almost entirely on the Tarka Trail, up one side of the Taw Estuary to Barnstaple and back down the other to Instow. With no elevation to speak of, it sounded like a rare respite from the tough first week of the Coast Path…until I realised this part of the Tarka Trail was also a paved cycle path.

Mentally renaming it the Tarmac Trail, the blister on my toe throbbed in anticipation of the hard surface as I laced up my shoes.

The main reason we’d been doing quite long distances so far was that we’d planned to meet my brother in Barnstaple. He was going to walk with us for two or three days, but since he didn’t have camping gear, our usual approach of not booking accommodation wouldn’t fly: we’d had to commit to specific days well in advance.

Lauren wisely decided to give her feet a bit more time to recover and take the bus to Barnstaple rather than stomp along the first tarmac section, so I jumped onboard for a few stops to rejoin the path where I’d left it the day before.

There was a stop for the 21C just down the road from the campsite: a local advised that it never arrived on time, and today was no exception, but it did eventually lumber into view.

I got off at the other end of town and wandered back towards Quay Cafe before crossing the road and setting off beside the estuary. The dead-flat path and asphalt surface made it easy to set a cracking pace: I amused myself for a while by seeing just how high a speed I could register on my Garmin without breaking into a jog. 6.2kph (4.9mph), if you’re wondering.

There wasn’t much else in the way of amusements, to be honest. The cloudy skies were helping keep the temperature down, but they weren’t doing much for the attractiveness of the estuary. Those gloomy mudflats aren’t going to be appearing on many promo brochures for the South West Coast Path, I suspect.

About half an hour down the path, the dinging of cycle bells started to wear a little thin just as the sign for Waterside Cafe came into view. The name was accurate–it’s definitely beside the water, and it’s definitely a cafe–and ordering a flat white and avocado toast almost made me believe I was back in Melbourne for a minute.

Refuelled nicely, I kicked on along the estuary. The views didn’t improve and neither did my blister, but it was nice to not be endlessly climbing up and down hills for a change.

Including that breakfast stop, it took about two hours to get to the outskirts of Barnstaple. There are two bridges that cross the river here: you could use the first one just outside town if you were really in a hurry, I guess, but the official path continues towards the centre and over the much lower, older stone bridge half a mile further on.

Lauren had found a great little cafe just off the path that had healthy food options and excellent coffee, so I gratefully joined her there for my second meal in 90 minutes. No regrets. If you’re in need of sustenance in Barnstaple, I can highly recommend Feel Good Larder.

After hunting down an outdoor store and buying the world’s ugliest sunglasses to replace the pair that had given up on me the day before, I got a call from my brother to say that (shockingly) his train had been delayed long enough to miss his connection to Barnstaple.

He decided to just join us in Instow at the end of the day instead, so we hefted our backpacks and headed over the stone bridge and back towards the coast.

The estuary hadn’t got any prettier and the path hadn’t got any softer, but the clouds did at least break up for long enough to give us a bit of sunshine for our afternoon stroll. And by stroll, I mean limp: with both of us suffering from foot pain, we made a slow and sorry sight for all the cyclists zipping past.

There’s really not much to say about the trail on the southern side of the estuary: it was much the same as the one on the northern side, just with a little extra sheep shit on the path. Can we call that a highlight? We briefly considered a stop at the bustling cafe at Fremington Quay, but the lack of empty tables soon put paid to that idea.

It took a bit under two hours to get from Barnstaple to Tarka Trail Camping, the campsite we would absolutely have been staying at if we were spending the night under canvas. It looked appealing as we walked past, and not just because we were getting pretty sick of the endless asphalt by now.

As if in response, the path almost immediately branched off to the right, leaving the Tarmac Trail behind. Never before has a rough dirt path through scrubby grass and past a boarded-up power station been so appealing.

That appeal increased even more when we rounded a bend and Lauren suddenly stuck an arm out to stop me. “Snake!” she whispered, and indeed it was, slowly slithering off the path a few feet ahead.

I knew there were adders in the UK, but never really expected to see one: they’re shy and relatively rare. Still, the zig-zags on its back meant it couldn’t have been anything else. I was thrilled to have come across it, and even more thrilled that Lauren had spotted it first so that I didn’t stand on it.

Still buzzing from our adder encounter, we found ourselves in Instow before we knew it. It seemed like a pretty little village as we made our way to the Wayfarer Inn, our home for the night. Just as we were checking in, my brother texted to let me know he’d arrived: perfect timing, really, as my need for a pint in the intermittent sunshine was getting quite high.

We dealt with that need at the busy Instow Arms next door, then returned to the Wayfarer for dinner in the beer garden out the back. We all agreed that the food was better than expected, although how much of that was due to not having to leave the premises to get it, I couldn’t possibly say.

After five nights under canvas, I can’t even tell you how excited I was for luxuries like power sockets, my own shower, and a bed that I didn’t need to inflate. It hadn’t been a long day nor even a hot one, but the hard pavement had still taken a toll on our feet. The front of my toe was starting to turn an attractive shade of black: I’m no doctor, but I’m not certain that’s a great sign.

Lucky there’s only six or seven weeks to go, right?

Planning

Started at: Lobb Fields Caravan and Camping Park (1.4 miles/2.3km east or 1.5 miles/2.4km west of the trail)

Finished at: Wayfarer Inn (130ft/40m off-trail)

This was a good budget accommodation option basically right on the trail, with half a dozen rooms above the pub. There was little noise from the bar at any point, and none when we went to bed.

Our double room was compact but still fine for two people, especially for a single night. The private bathroom had a bath and shower with plenty of hot water, and while some of the power outlets were in unusual places, there were enough of them to charge all our devices at once. The Wi-Fi worked well, at least for the little use I made of it.

The room was a bit tired in terms of decor and could have done with a fresh coat of paint, but you’re really getting what you pay for here. The place got the things right that actually mattered to me, like a comfortable bed and good shower. My brother also stayed at this pub overnight, and likewise had no complaints about his room.

As I mentioned above, the dinner menu was better than expected, and enjoying it with a pint in the sunny beer garden was the highlight of my day. The Full English breakfast the following morning was also one of the better ones I had on this walk (and trust me, I had a few).

Transport and Parking

Buses run between Braunton and Instow in both directions, although you’ll need to change in Barnstaple. Take the 21C between Braunton and Barnstaple bus station and the 21, 21A, or 5B from there to Instow. Note there’s no service on Sundays or bank holidays.

Barnstaple train station is only a few minutes’ walk from the bus station, with regular services to Exeter. From there, you can easily get to other towns and cities in the south of England.

There’s some free on-street parking in Braunton close to the trail (and the 21C bus stop at Tesco) on the eastern side of town. Instow has limited on-street parking and several paid carparks.

Waymarking and Navigation

This was perhaps the easiest section to navigate on the entire South West Coat Path. Once you’re on the Tarka Trail heading out of Braunton (across the road from the Quay Cafe, and well-signposted), you really can’t go too far wrong.

The tarmac trail runs in more or less a straight line beside the estuary all the way to Barnstaple, crosses the obvious stone bridge, and goes back the other way in a straight line beside the water almost all the way to Instow. Even if you missed the turn-off to the right just after Tarka Trail Camping, you’d still end up in Instow anyway.

I used AllTrails as my main navigation app for the entire South West Coast Path, and it was an ideal backup for the signs and official guide book. If you do want the peace of mind for this section, you can find the Braunton to Instow route here: it’s free to use, although I pay a couple of pounds a month for a subscription so I can download maps to my phone in advance.

Phone Service

Unusually on the Coast Path, cell service was pretty good throughout this section. You’re reasonably close to three towns for the entire walk, so chances are you’ll be able to pick up service from a cell tower in one of them. I had no issues with O2.

Facilities

Braunton and Barnstaple both have all of the food and drink options you could ask for, and Instow is pretty well supplied as well. Just note opening times if you plan to start out early and need breakfast beforehand, or choose accommodation that includes it.

There’s also food and drink available at the Waterside Cafe in Chivenor on the north side of the estuary, and the cafe at Fremington Quay on the south side.

Accommodation

The only campsite on this section is Tarka Trail Camping in Yelland, just before Instow. There’s a cafe and a brewery in Yelland, or you can walk into Instow for dinner.

Being the largest town in North Devon, Barnstaple has plenty of hotels, pubs, and other accommodation: I’d start with either the Imperial Hotel or the Park Hotel. In Instow, as well as the Wayfarer Inn where we stayed, The Commodore Hotel is highly-rated and essentially on the trail.