Stoke Fleming to Brixham: South West Coast Path Day 39 Guide

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Other than the occasional water droplet splatting loudly onto the tent overnight, I slept far better than I should have given how much wind there was. Yay for a decent amount of shelter!

The gale dropped to a light breeze just as I was waking up, which was all the reason I needed to pack up and get moving early. I was excited about today, not so much for the walking itself, but because I’d be reuniting with Lauren and most of her family this afternoon.

They’d booked a place for us all near Torquay for a couple of nights, ostensibly for a quick holiday, but I suspect at least as much to give me a bit of respite from the tough conditions over the last couple of weeks. Bless them!

Walking back down the road towards Stoke Fleming, I veered left at a signpost down Redlap Lane and headed towards the small nature preserve of Little Dartmouth. Even under cloudy skies this was really pleasant walking, relatively flat, easy, and peaceful despite being so close to a village.

Also I wasn’t getting rained on or knocked over by wind gusts. That had to help.

Turning sharp right at the National Trust carpark and heading back to the coast, the path became soft and grassy as I passed Compass Cove. It was nowhere near as muddy as yesterday’s slip-and-slide through the fields, but not for the first time on this walk I was still very glad of my hiking poles. I’m really not sure I could have tackled the Coast Path without them.

Below, the ocean merged with the Dart estuary as I dropped into a valley, climbed briefly up the other side to pass above several tiny, lovely coves, and then descended again through woodland towards Dartmouth Castle. On the other side of the estuary, the large stone Daymark, a navigation aid built in 1864, was clearly visible even in the gloomy conditions. I guess that’s the point.

There’s a tearoom at the castle that I’d half-planned to stop at, but it was only just opening up as I passed. Instead, I just took a few photos and carried on; with Dartmouth under a mile away, my need for caffeine and food would be dealt with soon enough.

Ducking around the back of the church, I continued along the paved path into town, speeding up to get out of earshot of a woman describing her dog’s diarrhea issues to a friend at high volume. Lovely, thanks for that.

The sign outside Bayards Cove Inn advertising breakfast was all it took to lure me inside, and even though the place was a bit fancier than I’d expected, the staff were warm and friendly, the farmhouse breakfast was very good, and even the flat white was noticeably better than what I’d been getting served lately. I’d happily eat there again.

It had looked like there wouldn’t be anywhere to get food or drink enroute until the end of the day, and when the barman also made a point of warning me about that, my next stop was the Co-Op down the road.

With a pack full of sandwiches and flapjacks, I marched firmly off in the wrong direction, before finding my way down to the river to catch a boat across to Kingswear. I had two options for this, the pedestrian ferry from the pontoon or the Lower Dartmouth ferry, a larger boat that also takes vehicles.

The pedestrian ferry is closer to the Co-Op, so that’s the one I went with. Apparently it wasn’t a popular choice this morning; although a handful of people got off the boat when it arrived, I was literally the only passenger on the way back.

The guy taking payments told me it’s apparently much busier when the tourist steam train arrives at Kingswear station, beside the jetty on the other side, but I wasn’t about to hang around and find out.

Instead, I headed away from the river and up Church Hill, an impressively-steep road that thankfully flattened off as it became Beacon Lane and headed out of the village. Squeezing myself into a hedge to get past a construction lorry completely blocking the path, I carried on along Castle Road, which soon turned into a private lane.

After about a mile of walking on paved roads, the path suddenly headed off the right, down some remarkably steep steps to cross the small bridge at Mill Bay Cove and up an equally-steep set of stairs on the other side. Just in case I was worried that the walking had been a bit too easy this morning, normal service had now resumed.

Still, as undulating as the next section (and indeed, the rest of the day) might have been, it was undeniably lovely as well. Strolling on a dirt path through the trees towards Froward Point, with thick layers of pine needles underfoot and the first glimpses of blue sky overhead, was absolutely glorious.

The path then dropped steeply down to the WW2-era Brownstone battery and Coastwatch visitor centre alongside, before looping around Froward Point and climbing back up onto the cliffs. If you aren’t as militant about walking every step of the Coast Path as I was, there’s a useful shortcut here that cuts out that loop: just head left up the road beside the battery for 100 yards, then right on a short footpath to rejoin the Coast Path.

However you get there, the dirt path now drops down a grassy hillside (again I thanked the God of Hiking Poles) before arriving to stunning views above Old Mill Bay and along the nearby cliffs.

Passing some interesting metal butterfly sculptures at Pudcombe Cove, I made sure to stick to the path closest to the coast: there’s a mess of trails further up the cliff that lead towards the National Trust-owned country house at Coleton Fishacre.

From here the path started getting noticeably harder, on a challenging four-mile section that was by far the most difficult part of today’s walk. The worst of it was between Scabbacombe Head and Sharkham Point, a mile and a half of steep climbs and slippery descents that my creaking knees could definitely have done without.

Despite the relentlessness, though, I was still really enjoying my day. The coastline and little sandy coves were stunning the whole way along this section, and coupled with not having to deal with wind or rain for once, I could just lose myself in the beauty of the walking.

Because there’d been nowhere on the trail to stop since Dartmouth, I’d made pretty good time as far as Pudcombe Cove. The pace slowed considerably after that, of course, but it didn’t matter in the slightest. I was still going to make it to Brixham in time for a pint in the sunshine, and that’s really all that mattered.

I’d been following someone with a bright yellow pack cover for the last half hour as I descended to cross the shingle above Man Sands, and passed them on the endless slog up the other side. Much to my surprise, it was a tiny woman who must have been well into her 70s and yet was barrelling up this hill at basically the same speed I was.

She was walking the Coast Path a week at a time, whenever she felt like it, because as she said “if not now, then when?”

When indeed.

Finally dragging myself over the brow of the hill and down onto Sharkham Point, I could easily have cut slightly inland at this point and been on the outskirts of Brixham. As usual, though, the path stuck religiously to the coast, taking me on a wide, flat three-mile loop around Berry Head instead.

Given how stunning St Mary’s Bay was in the watery afternoon sunshine, I wasn’t sad about that at all. What a great place that would have been to spend the rest of the afternoon. Rounding the headland and passing the hilariously-squat little lighthouse at the end, I soon arrived at the eastern edge of Brixham, then stomped along beside the road for 20 minutes to the harbour and old town.

It’s a seriously pretty little town, Brixham, especially with all the colourful houses built up the hillside behind the harbour. Picking a pub based largely on whether it had tables in the sunshine or not, I dumped my backpack, ordered a pint, and waited for my saviours to arrive.

They all showed up soon afterward, Lauren hopping along so fast on her crutches that I was worried she was going to topple straight off them into the harbour. It had only been about three weeks since she’d broken her heel, but she seemed to be on the improve.

Dinner that night was at Rockfish, a fish and chip restaurant overlooking the harbour. The wind had picked up again by now, so we ate inside: the food was good, if quite expensive. If the weather is warmer, I’d suggest getting takeaways downstairs instead, since they’re a lot cheaper and the food should be just the same.

In the car on the way to our accommodation for the night, I was struggling to keep my eyes open despite it being all of 7pm. Apparently today had been a bit tougher than I realised!

Planning

Started at: Dartmouth Camping and Caravanning Club Site (0.4 miles/0.6km off-trail)

Finished at: Airbnb in Babbacombe (0.6 miles/0.9km off-trail)

The two-bedroom place we stayed in Babbacombe no longer seems to be on Airbnb, which is a bit of a shame: it would have been a good place to base yourself for two or three days if you’re walking as a group.

It was close to the path where it went past the cliff railway, fully self-contained, and had a good sized kitchen and living/dining area and a couple of bathrooms. It was a short walk to several nearby pubs and restaurants, and there was a small Tesco a street or two away where I bought a few supplies.

Since it’s no longer available and isn’t in Brixham anyway, I’ve got some arguably more useful recommendations for places to stay tonight in the accommodation section below. 😀

Transport and Parking

Public transport is reasonable today if you’re trying to get between Stoke Fleming, Dartmouth/Kingswear, and Brixham; just don’t plan to get on or off anywhere else along the path.

Start by taking the number 93 bus from Stoke Fleming (either in the village or beside the campsite) to Dartmouth, getting off right beside the pontoon for the pedestrian ferry. Take that ferry across the river to Kingswear to catch the number 18 bus from the stop just above the jetty: it takes about 20 minutes to get to Brixham town square, a few minute’s walk from the harbour.

Because the buses stick to main roads that go inland rather than around the coast, there’s no real opportunity to break up the journey elsewhere except that interchange point at Dartmouth or Kingswear.

The 93 runs every 1-2 hours depending on the time of day, Monday through Saturday, plus a limited service on Sundays and bank holidays. The 18 runs once an hour almost every day of the year, starting later and finishing earlier on Sundays and bank holidays.

For those looking to leave a vehicle somewhere, you’ve got a few choices.

There’s a large National Trust carpark a little after Stoke Fleming, right on the trail at Little Dartmouth. After that, there are a handful of pay and display spaces beside Dartmouth Castle, but for longer stays, head for the large park and ride carpark beside the leisure centre on the outskirts of Dartmouth.

There’s a free shuttle bus from there to the harbour area between late May and mid September. Outside those dates (and a few others), it’s a 40-minute walk, or catch the 92 bus that stops at the carpark once an hour Monday through Saturday, and very occasionally on Sundays and bank holidays. Most on-street parking in Dartmouth has a two-hour limit from May to September.

There’s also a long-stay carpark beside the marina in Kingswear: after that, you’ve got a series of National Trust carparks to choose from. There are two close to each other at Brownstone and Coleton Fishacre, and one each for Scabbacombe Beach and Man Sands. All of them are slightly inland from the trail.

There’s also long-stay parking at Sharkam Point and Berry Head, both essentially on the trail, and then several carparks in Brixham, including all-day options at Shoalstone and Breakwater beaches beside the trail where it enters town from the east.

River Crossing

You’ve only got one river crossing to deal with today, across Dartmouth harbour, and it’s very straightforward. There are two boats that cross the river, and it doesn’t really matter which one you choose: it’s less than a five-minute walk between them, they both cost the same, and you end up in the same place at Kingswear either way.

Devon Steam Railway and River Boat

This is the pedestrian-only ferry, which connects with the steam train that runs between Paignton and Kingswear. It’s very busy when a train has just arrived or is due to depart, but is fine otherwise; as I mentioned above, there were literally no other passengers on my crossing.

It leaves from the pontoon in the centre of town; just make sure you’re standing in the right line, as it’s not the only boat that leaves from there. There’s a sign at the top of the steps to tell you where to go, or just ask someone if it’s not obvious.

I paid £2.50 by card onboard, and it took five minutes to get across the river. The first ferry is at 7:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and 9 a.m. on Sundays. Last sailing is 6:50 p.m.

Lower Dartmouth Ferry

This larger boat takes both vehicles and pedestrians, and leaves from the bottom of Lower Street. It runs every day except Christmas Day, with a limited service on Boxing Day and New Years Day. Otherwise, it departs Dartmouth between 7:10 a.m. and 10:55 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 8:10 a.m. to 10.45 p.m on Sundays.

It costs £2.50 for foot and cycle passengers, payable by card onboard

Waymarking and Navigation

Other than heading off in the wrong direction in Dartmouth, I found navigation pretty straightforward today, with good waymarking and signposts pretty much everywhere they needed to be.

There were a few small detours due to erosion (again, well signposted), and some places where you’ll want to pay attention to avoid missing a turn-off: the steps down off Castle Road to cross Mill Bay Cove are a good example. Try to stay on the paths closest to the coast between Pudcombe Cove and Sharkham Point; there are a few other random footpaths that head off inland, and you really won’t be wanting any extra distance on this section!

When entering Brixham, the path detours off Berry Head Road for 300 yards, through Shoalstone carpark and past the swimming pool before heading back to the road at the beach: I initially missed the sign and walked along the road instead. It makes no real difference either way, but if you’re a stickler for the official route, watch out for it.

I used AllTrails as my main navigation app for the entire South West Coast Path, and it worked well throughout: you can find the Stoke Fleming to Dartmouth section here, and Kingswear to Brixham here. The app is 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

Phone service was largely fine between Stoke Fleming and Dartmouth, and for a couple of miles out of Kingswear as well. After that I had little to no signal most of the afternoon; it only returned once I got to Sharkam Point and was within range of Brixham.

As a backup, I’d also paid a few pounds for a data eSIM from Instabridge that let me swap between all three UK networks, EE, O2, and Vodafone/Three. It worked really well as a fallback option all along the Coast Path: if I didn’t have service with my usual provider, I’d just switch to another. As long as there were any mobile phone towers in range, I’d have service.

Facilities

Like yesterday this was a day of two halves in many ways, including finding places to eat and drink.

There’s nowhere serving breakfast in Stoke Fleming, but you can pick up supplies from either the village store or the little shop at the campsite. After that, there’s a limited range of options at the tearoom at Dartmouth Castle (check the opening hours, and be aware it may close in bad weather), before you get into Dartmouth itself.

You’ve got the full range of cafes, restaurants, and pubs in Dartmouth: I enjoyed my breakfast at Bayards Cove Inn more than I perhaps might have expected. There’s also a fairly well-stocked Co-Op close to the harbour; you’ll want to pick up supplies for lunch here if you don’t have already have anything, since options are extremely limited this afternoon.

Kingswear has a small range of food and drink places near the river, including a coffee shop, a couple of pubs, and a farm store. After that, the only place to get anything for the next 8+ miles is the National Trust cafe at Coleton Fishacre, about 500 yards uphill from the path at Pudcombe Cove. It has a limited menu, but as I say, it’s either that or whatever you’ve got in your backpack.

You’re almost in Brixham by the time you get to the next place to eat or drink, a cafe in St Mary’s Bay. There’s another cafe just off the path at Berry Head, and then you’ve got the full range of options in Brixham itself.

I enjoyed my pint in the sun at Old Market House on the harbour, and as I mentioned earlier, the fish and chips was good if quite expensive at Rockfish nearby; it’s cheaper if you get it to take away from the window downstairs instead.

Accommodation

Campsites are in extremely short supply on this section: after leaving Stoke Fleming, you’re in holiday park hell heaven, with only chalets and static caravans until you get very close to Brixham. There you’ll find Centry Road Camping, slightly off the path at St Mary’s Bay.

Even then, it’s not great for walkers: you can only pitch in a tiny area beside the toilets and carpark, and you’ll be charged too much for the privilege. There’s not really anything on the other side of Brixham either, unfortunately.

If you’re not planning to sleep in a tent or the lack of campsites has put you off, there are a few alternatives. That’s especially true in Dartmouth, which depending on the time of year often has some good cheaper places in between the luxury stays. Start with The Ship in Dock Inn, Millpool House, The Seven Stars, or the attractive Bayards Cove Inn (where I had breakfast): they’re all close to the trail.

After that you might find something in Kingswear if you’re lucky, but there’s nothing else near the trail until you get to Brixham. Like Dartmouth, you have a wide range of places to choose from here: in general, the further you are from the harbour, the less you’ll pay.

While it barely caters for those with hiking tents, Centry Road Camping does have some reasonably-priced glamping pods and chalets available. There are a couple of excellent B&Bs (Ranscombe House and The Melville) and this holiday home, among many others.