Day 39: Beer to Budleigh Salterton – Chalk & Sandstone

The Pinnacles, Hooken Cliff, Branscombe, Devon.

Above the pre-dawn landscape of Hooken undercliff the wind whistles over the cliffs forcing me to stagger like a drunk – seems appropriate for a place called Beer Head. Birds glide effortlessly overhead unaffected by the gusts. Peering into the hidden world of the undercliff with its forest canopy punctuated with pinnacles of rock and exotic bird calls I’m momentarily transported to the epic tone of the New Zealand landscape.

Beach hut, Hooken Cliffs, Devon.

This is the eastern most chalk on the English coast that I’d first encountered far to the east in Kent. I relish the last view of this iconic milky rock that has been my companion for the previous few months. The path through the undercliff leads to an appealingly maverick collection of beach huts perched on the steep slope.

Weston Ebb, Devon

After Branscombe beach the landscape replaces white with…