Now the girls are getting older we are enjoying some longer dog walks with them. We live in such a great area for getting out and about and we are always looking for new places to go as a family. Last week we decided to do a walk that we do quite often but decided to take a different path. This one took us on a trip to the lovely seaside town of Brixham. I know I don’t normally do these kind of posts but we really enjoyed it. Which is why I thought, if you are in the area or even visiting, you would like it too.
We started in the little village of Churston, which can be found between Paignton and Brixham in South Devon. We park on the approach road to the lovely Churston Manor, which is next to the village church. From here we head off in the opposite direction to the Manor. This took us on the road to Brixham. We then turned off down a gated lane on the left.
This lane, well more like a track, takes you to the entrance of Churston woods. If you take a left and walk through the wood it takes you down to the delightful Churston Cove. On this day though we decided to head off towards Fishcombe Cove. After walking through a field, which in the summer is full of butterflies and busy buzzing bees, then through a small wood, we turned right towards Fishcombe.
Fishcombe Cove can be found down a steep slope. As you start venturing down you get to see some stunning views across the Bay towards Torquay and Paignton. The beach is full of pebbles and not really sandy, so not the best place for building sandcastles. It is perfect though for a little scramble on rocks or hunting out some shiny stones and sea glass. The beach is also dog friendly all year round and Monty our black lab enjoyed a swim and chasing sticks. If you do visit make sure you check out the lovely cafe that can be found down there to. Sitting on it’s little deck is a perfect spot to people watch and maybe even spot a seal or two!
After a little play on the beach we decided to move on and headed towards Battery Gardens. To access the gardens you can use some stone steps on the right.
Battery Gardens is full of little paths and winding steps but it also has some amazing views of the Bay. Including some lovely views of the Breakwater in Brixham. After following the path along the cliff edge we headed down the steps towards Oxen Cove and onwards to the fish market in Brixham.
If you ever get the chance to go to Brixham make sure you have a wander around the harbour. Here you can see the Golden Hind ship. For a charge you can even go aboard and practice your Pirate ‘aaarrrghhhhh’s’. Also make sure you check out the shops surrounding the harbour. There is a lovely mix of eclectic independent shops and amazing bakery and coffee shops that can be found down Middle Street.
To thank the girls for making the walk into Brixham we decided to reward ourselves with ice cream. We stopped off at Edwards Fudge Kitchen, which is at the bottom of the main street near the harbour. The girls chose their ice cream, mint choc chip if you wanted to know. The lady that served us was lovely and in each cone they put a little bit of fudge before topping it off with 2 scoops. They even gave us a wafer cone for Monty, free of charge. Even though it was devoured in all of two bites he did appreciate it, honest!
While enjoying our ice cream loveliness we ambled back around the harbour. Back past the fish market, Oxen Cove and back up the steps in Battery Gardens. This time, instead of heading down to Fishcombe Cove we took a higher path out of the gardens which brought us out next to the Military Museum, which is at the top of the steep slope to the cove. We then re-traced our steps back through the wood, the field and down the lane.
The whole walk, including the break on the cove and the amble around Brixham, took us 2 and a half hours. Hubby was tracking it on his Strava app and looks like the whole walk was about 4 and a half miles long. If you do give this a go and need some refreshment after all that walking, make sure you pop into the Churston Manor when you get back. They have a great beer garden for the kids to run around in while you taste the latest ales/wines/gins.
And there you have it, our delightful February amble, which took place during that ‘early’ spring we were all experiencing.
If you give this walk a go I would love to hear what you think about it.
Jo
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