Start Point: Ansteys Cove car park, Wellswood, Torquay
Torbay Coast & Countryside Trust: 01803 606035
Ordnance Survey: Landranger 202 - map ref: 934646
Distance: approx 5.6km (3.5 miles)
Time: approx 2 hours
Getting there:
By bus: Catch either the 32, 85 or 200 from Torquay Harbour or St Marychurch to the Palace Hotel. Then follow the signs to Anstey's Cove. Buses run every 12 mins throughout the year. The open top service 200 runs in the summer only. Information: tel: 0870 608 2608 or check Traveline for online information. Unfortunately, Stagecoach has no wheelchair friendly buses on these routes.
By car: Drive to start point in Ansteys Cove Road (off Babbacombe Road) where there is a council operated car park (see map). The parking charge is £3.80 for up to four hours.
Walk conditions
The circular walk takes you on a mostly level coastal path overlooking Torbay although there are a few inclines along the way. The walking is relatively easy but in places the path is rocky and can get muddy after rain.
Parents with buggies should be able to complete the entire route in dry weather with care. However wheelchair users should miss out the opening section and join the route at the Marine Drive.
Look
across the road from the Ansteys Cove car park - you'll find the start of
the Bishop's Walk midway between the two car park entrances. The Bishop's Walk forms part of the stunning South West Coast Path. This part of the walk starts in woodland, and the sea views are towards Ansteys Cove, Walls Hill and Long Quarry Point - where evidence of Torquay's origins is there for all to see.
Around
100 yards from the start of the Bishop's Walk views will open up through
the trees to reveal the limestone cliffs of Walls Hill towering above Ansteys
Cove.The scenery here is dramatic, and so is the area's history. The cliffs are Devonian limestone dating back 350-400 million years.
At the top of the cliffs is Walls Hill, a limestone plateau. Some 2,500 years ago this was an Iron Age fortification, a headland fort where tribal groups would have retreated at times of threat.
Continue
along the path for 200-300 yards until a wide view opens out in front of
you with the finger-like Hope's Nose in the distance. From here you can view the rocky limestone landscape created by massive volcanic activity 350 - 400 million years ago.
On this stretch of the Torquay coastline, you can see all the tell-tale signs of volcanic activity - especially at Black Head, a dolerite tip formed when the underwater volcanoes erupted.
The
Bishop's Walk ends close to some houses where the footpath joins Torquay's
Marine Drive. From here you should cross the road and turn left where you
continue on a raised path alongside the Marine Drive. The Marine Drive runs alongside and below the footpath to your left. Views from here look out to sea in the direction of Teignmouth and Exmouth.
The
path climbs upwards and then drops down until it rejoins the Marine Drive
close to Hope's Nose. You can take a short detour here to investigate this
site of geological interest using the stile opposite. Hope's Nose is a great example of a raised limestone beach left high and dry at the end of the Ice Age. You can see another raised beach at Thatcher Rock, a tiny island inhabited by seagulls just off Hope's Nose.
Take
time out to explore the wildlife here before continuing the walk. It's a
great place to contemplate the superb coastal views and to watch the abundant
bird-life. The area has been designated by English Nature as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)..
Hope's Nose is also a birdwatcher's paradise. The east-facing limestone cliffs provide a safe haven for breeding birds. Among the species living here are guillemot, kittiwake, cormorants and shags.
After
visiting Hope's Nose retrace your steps to the Marine Drive - where you
should turn left following the road down hill. Signposted to Meadfoot. The road was built during the 1920s as a way of providing work for the unemployed men of the town. The road did much to open up Hope's Nose and this amazing geological area to the general public.
Just a short walk on from Hope's Nose, there's a lovely area with a lawn sloping down to the cliffs and views to Thatcher Rock. There are seats here to park yourself and enjoy the scenery, and it's a good spot for a picnic.
Follow
the road as it passes Thatcher Rock and drops down to Meadfoot Beach. Then
head up the wooded valley on your right.During the past few thousand years, the sea has slowly but surely eaten away at the cliffs to form the beaches which now attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
The
route continues up the Ilsham Valley towards Kents Cavern. Walkers have
two options.....Option 1 (easy): Walk through the park itself and then along Ilsham Road until you reach Kents Cavern.
Option 2 (more strenuous): Take the lower path through Ilsham Woods - this takes you straight into the grounds of Kents Cavern itself.
The extensive woodland here was planted by the wealthy Victorian landowners, who loved their trees. Grand villas were built on the hillsides, and they're still dotted along Ilsham Valley.
The resort of Torquay started to develop during the 19th century, when it was seen as an exclusive place for people to visit.
Those
who wish to miss out the caves at Kents Cavern should choose Option 1 above.
As you walk along Ilsham Road look out for another park on your right. Follow
the grassed footpath across the field to Ansteys Cove car park. Kents
Cavern is one of the most important Palaeolithic caves in Northern Europe
and the oldest recognisable human dwelling in Britain. This part of the
route is optional - but well worth the visit. The caves themselves were formed 2.5 million years ago - and they're still changing to this day. Because of the way the caves developed, they trapped and preserved some of the most historic remains of man and beast ever found in Europe.
Evidence unearthed at Kents Cavern proves that man was living in Britain much earlier than previously thought.
From
the Kents Cavern exit make your way back down Ilsham Valley Road just a
few yards until you see a park on your left. Follow the grassed footpath
across the field to Ansteys Cove car park to complete the circular walk.
