WALKING EAST PORTLEMOUTH TO GARA


Start from the East Portlemouth village car park and follow the footpath down to Mill Bay (you can catch the ferry from Salcombe to East Portlemouth) - there is a small NT car park at Mill Bay but it has very limited capacity. From this car park take the old carriageway that takes you towards Gara Rock. The lane provides a sheltered environment for many varieties of wild plants. Just before the track passes Rickham, look out for nature's genetic engineering where a poplar has grown in the cleft of a chestnut. Continue along the lanes and across fields to the site of Gara Rock Hotel. The hotel was built (1930) around a row of coastguard cottages erected in 1847 - the hotel was demolished in 2006 ready for re-devopment. Here is an ideal place to take lunch and enjoy the superb coastal scenery.

Suitably refreshed, you start the return walk via the SW Coastal Path which offers a gentle
downward sloping path with breathtaking coastal views. Around these seas, there are frequent
reports of seals, dolphins, and even basking sharks - also look out for peregrin falcons and
gannets. As the path turns away from the coast into the estuary, your attention will transfer
to the vessels passing over and around The Bar. Now you have a chance to investigate the golden
sands and rockpools of Rickman Sands and Sunny Cove before arriving back at Mill Bay in time
for an afternoon cream tea. Finally follow the footpath back up to the car park or return via
the ferry.


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