Episode 4 Coastal Path

The South West Coast Path is one of the world's best loved walks.

At 630 miles, it's also England's longest national trail.

It's not for the faint-hearted. This can be challenging walking.

But, boy, is it worth it.

I'm Paul Rose, and I've explored the world.

But although I love the south-west coast,

I've never actually walked its path.

Until now.

Run, run, run!

'In this series, I'll be discovering adventure at every turn.'

Wow, we're flying, buddy!

-How big of a cliff is it?

-High enough to make your knees wobble.

'I'll be discovering wildlife...

'and wild traditions.'

Now, that's what you call an entrance.

This is where land and sea collide.

It really is the walk of a lifetime.

In this episode, I'll be exploring the rolling South Devon coastline.

Following the path as it crosses the beaches of Bigbury-on-Sea,

climbs the dramatic headland of Prawle Point,

and traces the English Riviera,

ending at Orcombe Point above Exmouth.

My starting point is the only city on the path, Plymouth.

Up until now, most of my walk on the coast path has been remote and wild.

So it comes as a refreshing change

to find myself in the middle of such a vibrant place.

And surely that has got to be one of the best views

from any city in the country.

Plymouth and its Sound have played a key role in our maritime history.

The city was home to Sir Francis Drake,

the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe.

And it was the departure point

for the Founding Fathers' landmark voyage to New England.

It's also home to the Royal Citadel.

This 17th-century fortress is still in use.

Jon Cresswell is the commanding officer.

-Ah-ha, good morning, John.

-Paul.

-I'm really looking forward to this.

Welcome to the Royal Citadel,

home of 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery.

We're up here on Lambhay Hill.

You can see now how we dominate, visually,

the city which sits down beneath us.

The citadel is here as a statement, a statement of power.

-I'm looking forward to having a look around.

-Let's have a look.

-Yes, please, thank you.

Remember, you walk in the footsteps here of Wellington and Nelson.

Oh, look at that!

So here you've got it,

the jewel in the crown of the Royal Citadel, the view.

Dominating Plymouth Sound, guarding the approach to the naval base.

We are in living history. It is a modern regiment,

but in an antique environment.

-High port! En garde!

-Advance!

MEN SHOUT

350 Marines live in the citadel.

Today, they're in training.

-Check bayonet!

-En garde!

-En garde!

-Advance!

MEN SHOUT

-High port!

-High port!

-Adjust bayonet!

-Adjust bayonet!

Advance!

So, what's happening now?

This is bayonet training,

what the men are doing is focussing their aggression,

close quarters fighting with the enemy,

good commando spirit, hard stuff.

-So this is all about control?

-All control, controlled aggression.

This is about focusing the mind.

Do you want to get into a bayonet fight?

No, but you carry forward.

You go forward to the enemy, aggressive, headfirst,

that's what they're doing.

-I doubt I can have a go at this, but what else can I do?

-Let's go.

-Here we go, this is the entrance to the harbour.

-Right, I'm in.

-Great, what do we do?

-Right, what we're going to do is lean back...

-Yeah.

-..and work your way down holding these knots.

Off rope!

Great stuff, Paul, off we go.

'The citadel walls feel every bit as high as they look.'

'But there are some short cuts.' Slide here.

-Good effort, Paul, come on.

-Good man.

-Last one now.

-Thank you.

Keep working, do not stop!

Yeah, I love to keep fit, but...

you fellas are keeping fit for totally different reasons.

This is our job. To make our job work, we need to be fit.

But look how the citadel just brings that to life.

-How many soldiers have been up and down here?

-Oh, crikey, thousands.

-Thousands.

-It's terrific...

-But it didn't get any easier.

-No!

Do not walk, come on, last bit, last bit, let's go.

Plymouth has been exhausting.

So I'm leaving the bustle of the city behind me

and heading towards the picturesque estuary village of Noss Mayo.

The coast path here is broader than I've seen

anywhere on the route so far.

The path here was built in the 1800s,

by the Lord of the Manor of Noss Mayo, Lord Revelstoke.

Who wanted to entertain distinguished guests

with a panoramic carriage ride around his estate.

So the path had to be wide enough to accommodate the touring traffic.

I'm heading a little further along the path to my next stop-off.

Burgh Island.

Cut off from the mainland by the tide,

it was favourite getaway for prewar luminaries

like Agatha Christie, who came to the island's exclusive Art Deco hotel to write.

At low tide it's possible to walk across the causeway to the island.

But at high tide, there's another option. Never seen anything like it.

Some people make the trip to visit the welcoming Pilchard Inn,

and others to go to the top of the island for the far-reaching views.

But I'm going over to find the treasures that lay beneath the waves.

All right, Maya?

Marine ecologist Maya Plass knows the waters here

like the back of her hand.

She's going to give me a snorkelling tour around the island.

-We've got the day for it, Maya.

-We have, it's amazing, isn't it?

And we've got the right tide.

It's just coming up to slack tide which is when it's at its highest,

so you've got the least current as well, so it's perfect conditions.

-We're going to get most of the way around the island?

-The whole way.

We can do it. It's not that far.

So, it's slightly deceiving because here, it looks very, very calm,

but there are times when around the back of the island

suddenly you get a lot of swell in the surf

so you do have to know the island well to be able to do the swim.

It's absolutely stunning and it's what's beneath the waves as well

that's as beautiful as what's above too.

You're already geared up,

I'm standing here in my dry clothes I need to get ready.

-Yeah. Get kitted up, tide waits for no man.

-Let's go. Yes.

We're on the hunt for crabs amongst the kelp.

Oh, well done, Maya, I knew you'd find the first one!

-Yes, this is a female spider crab.

-She looks great.

Yeah, she shares my name as well, her scientific name was Maja.

-Is it?

-Maja squinado.

-I like that.

And they're very good at curling their legs up.

-So you don't end up getting clawed.

-Let's keep going.

Let's do it, let's do it. Going to put this back safely first.

Ah! OK, I'll follow you.

As we continue around the island, we cross deep crevices and gullies.

It's a world normally hidden from view.

As you can see,

it's a lot more exposed at the back of the island here.

Where people can't see.

Which is a little bit more dangerous

but a little bit more exciting as well.

It feels great coming through there,

there's a lot more energy on this side.

There is, yeah, it's that little bit more exposed.

I like it, though, because feeling the squirt of the waves

through these gaps, that's a good feeling,

it's giving us a good lift, isn't it?

Yeah, it's great, there's lots of bubbles as you go past gullies,

it's like being in your own Jacuzzi.

Maya's reminded me that our British seas

are every bit as beautiful as tropical waters.

But it's time to return to shore.

So, that's it, we've swam round the island.

-That was great fun, I really enjoyed it.

-Yeah, totally great.

I knew it was going to be fun. I was bursting to do it.

But I didn't realise just how beautiful it was going to be.

-It is, it's stunning.

-Thanks a lot, Maya.

-No, thank you.

-Really great.

I'm leaving the calm waters of Burgh Island behind me and heading east.

The coast path's position makes for great views,

but it also puts you at the mercy of the elements.

In the storms of February 2014,

the path at Thurlestone took a thrashing.

When freak weather strikes, it's down to people like Esther Pearson

from the South West Coast Path Association to pick up the pieces.

So, you can see where the road used to go.

And the South West Coast Path used to travel on the side of the road.

As you can see, it's completely been undercut by the incredible storms.

So, when the coast path has gone then, what happens?

Well, it depends, so in this situation,

we were really fortunate because the landowner here, the golf club,

permitted the coast path to be rolled back.

Now, if they had not supported that,

then, of course, the path would have been closed

for a very long time, and perhaps even diverted along the road,

a really long way away from the coast.

You know, you could be excused for thinking, well,

-it's just a path, it'll take care of itself.

-Yeah.

And this is the thing, we know it costs a minimum of £1,000 a mile.

That's 630 miles, so £630,000 a year, just to keep the path open.

Without events like this.

£630,000 is a lot of money.

But look what we get for it.

Amazing. It's an incredible asset.

It's so beautiful.

-Poppy's itching to get going, so shall we show you a bit more?

-Yeah.

Come on, Poppy.

Just around the corner is an important wildlife reserve.

We're about to go over the longest footbridge

on the South West Coast Path.

Esther and her team have created a walkway here

to reduce the impact of the path on the wetland.

One of the great perks of enjoying the South West Coast Path

is all the fantastic places to have tea and cake.

-This is just exactly what we've been looking for.

-This is ideal.

How wonderful.

This is, I think, the best lemon drizzle cake

on the South West Coast Path.

Hmm, perfect.

Thank you for the walk today.

It's been great to share it with you and get a complete understanding

of how much work you and your colleagues and people like you do

to keep this path open.

It's all supported by the people who love the path.

And the association really just helps to give them a voice,

and make sure that the path which they love

is looked after and kept open.

Long may it continue.

I'm fuelled up and moving on.

The coastline around Start Point is rugged and wild.

And the weather's got wilder too.

But that doesn't put off athlete and adventurer Jason McKinlay.

He's training for the biggest run of his life.

What is it you're setting out to do?

I'm trying to run the entire South West Coast Path, Minehead to Poole.

The full 1,000km, as fast as I can, around 10 days, hopefully.

It's a big challenge, 1,000km in 10 days.

-Plus, it's not flat, it's up and down.

-Yeah, a little known fact.

Collectively, it takes in around four times the height of

Mount Everest, so it's pretty steep.

Jason already holds the world record for rowing around Great Britain,

and has completed marathons on Mount Everest and in the Sahara.

But this coast path run is the challenge dearest to his heart.

-It feels like a great way to celebrate the path.

-Oh, it is.

And it's giving a little bit of something back to

a place which I'm so grateful to live.

Don't want to hold you up on the training,

particularly when it's this wet. So carry on, mate. Take it easy.

-Well done, mate.

-Cheers.

-Good luck.

What Jason is attempting is incredible.

But I'm continuing along the path at my more leisurely pace.

I'm headed for Kingswear, across the Dart Estuary.

And it's from here that I'm going to divert off the coast path

and hitch a ride.

Here she is!

STEAM HISSES

-All right, Barry? All right, mate?

-Good morning!

-I understand I might be able to get on there.

-You might indeed, yes.

-Welcome! Come aboard!

-Yes, please.

Thank you so much. A dream come true, really. What do I need to do?

-Right, first of all, this coat...

-Oh, yeah!

-Just to keep the dust off.

It doesn't say driver on it!

Well, that's because I'm the driver and you're not yet!

We're ready to depart -

all the brakes are off and we're ready to roll.

-You can assist in this part. That's the whistle chain.

-Yes, please.

-If you want to make some noise and blow the whistle...

-Yes, please!

-OK.

Go ahead.

WHISTLE BLASTS

That's warned everybody that we're going to move.

There we go, we're moving.

ENGINE CHUFFS

Unlike a modern engine, this thing feels like a living,

breathing beast.

Yes, in some ways it actually is.

There is fire, there's burning, requires oxygen,

so the fire is alive.

The engine is now exhausting,

so you can hear the typical chuff-chuff of a locomotive.

The Dartmouth and Torbay Railway opened in 1864,

originally to transport goods like coal from Kingswear to Torquay.

Then, in 1876,

it was taken over by Brunel's Great Western Railway and started bringing

visitors from London seeking a seaside holiday in South Devon.

The hill now starts to climb here,

so we'll open up the regulator a bit more to increase the power...

-ENGINE NOISE INCREASES

-And that will increase the noise...

Great!

It feels as if we're going about 150.

The faster it goes, the more coal it needs, so it's all hands on deck.

-Can I have a go?

-Yes!

Great!

WHISTLE BLASTS

This really is travelling in style.

-Where are we coming into now, Barry?

-This is Churston Station.

This is the highest point on the line.

STEAM HISSES

WHISTLE BLASTS

-Can I have a little drive?

-If you'd like to have a feel of...

-Yes, please!

-..releasing the power. Just bring it up gently.

-Yeah.

-How's that?

-A little bit more. Until you hear a hiss and...

-Ah, here we go!

-There we go.

-HISSING

And close again. Close...

-Oh, it doesn't take much, does it?

-No.

We don't want to accelerate too much here,

-because leaving the platform...

-OK.

..there's a 10mph speed limit, so...

Right, don't want a speeding ticket!

Again, open a little bit to just keep the momentum going.

This feels absolutely great!

I'm driving a steam train!

-You've got the best office in the UK, mate!

-It's, er, very nice.

WHISTLE BLASTS

It's a great view at the best of times, but it's very,

very special from the footplate of a steam train, let me tell you.

WHISTLE BLASTS

The journey's zipped by and we're pulling into our final stop,

Paignton Station.

-Fantastic, Barry! Thank you so much.

-Glad you enjoyed it.

I'd better get back walking.

Yes, well, I hope the train has taken some of the strain out

-of that.

-It certainly has. A real privilege.

Enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your walk.

-Thanks a lot, Barry.

-Thank you, now, bye.

-Bye, mate.

Leaving the station, you can jump right back on the coast path.

Which, for the next few miles, follows the shoreline of what

was once the nation's best loved holiday resort -

the English Riviera.

It might be slightly less fashionable now,

but in the 1950s this was the place to be.

'From the colour of the villas built on the hills,

'we can easily believe that we are on the Mediterranean coast of

'France or Italy, for these pictures are certainly typical of the

'rivieras of both those countries.'

Londoners could hop on a train and be here in a jiffy.

It was the start of large-scale tourism.

'This has a truly Mediterranean flavour, with pedalos,

'rafts, floats and motor boats,

'making a perfect picture of a pleasurable playground.

'Torquay, queen of the English Riviera.'

The railway is a constant feature alongside the coast path.

Especially through the seaside town of Dawlish.

It's a beautiful walk today,

but on Valentine's Day 2014, things looked very different.

The same storms that destroyed the path at Thurlestone

severed the train line that connects the south-west

to the rest of the country.

The track was left dangling like a rope bridge.

It took two months of round-the-clock emergency

engineering works and £35 million to repair the track,

but the hole was filled, the sea wall repaired

and now trains are running once again on this,

one of the most picturesque sections of railway in the country.

The coast path traces the railway to my next stop-off...

Exmouth.

A picturesque holiday resort complete with

a world-class watersports centre.

I'm jumping off the path

to take a trip on one of the RNLI's newest lifeboats.

Steve Hockings-Thompson is the coxswain.

Well, it's great to see you here, Steve, and I'm particularly

excited to get an insight as to what really goes on.

Yeah, you've come to a brilliant station.

I mean, you're really lucky that this evening you're getting

the chance to go on a Shannon class lifeboat,

the newest lifeboat in the RNLI fleet.

And this new boat must make an enormous difference to you.

When we go to see in a Shannon, we know that we're really safe.

We can go twice the speed, so we can get there quicker.

Well, I'm super keen that I can get an inside look at this.

What do I need to do now?

We need to get you some kit sorted out and then make our way

onto the boat.

The RNLI is a charity and the crew here are all volunteers.

I'm joining them on a training exercise.

-OK, here's your life jacket, Paul.

-Thanks very much.

Stick that on for you and then we'll go.

-And here she is!

-Wow!

It's quite something to come out of there and be straight on board.

Yeah. It's an ideal scenario for us to be getting on board the boat.

HOOTER BLASTS What's that thing?

That's our tractor, that's what's going to push us into the water.

Weather during a rescue can of course be much worse than this.

But today's calm seas are perfect for training.

OK, Paul, now we're out here, would you like to have a drive?

I'd love to have a go!

Controls here. We've got bucket controls. Forward and reverse gear.

-And this is like an accelerator on a car.

-Right. Thank you.

-Right.

-OK, so forward first.

-So, forward on those...

All the way forward, yeah.

-Which way?

-Steer a course just down this way.

-Right.

The whole thing, everything feels incredibly light.

-Everything is close to hand, very light on the helm.

-Wow.

-Could we go a bit faster?

-Yeah, we can go a bit faster, yeah.

Pull the throttle forward.

Today we're going to practise the rescue of someone stranded at sea.

The crew member goes over the rail, making sure he's

-attached onto the harness line and steps down onto the tow rail.

-Right.

And as you can see, you can hang there quite nicely and you

can actually grab hold of the casualty as you come up to them.

-So my job will be to go where James is...

-Yep.

-When you're alongside the casualty...

-Yep.

..get the casualty and slide this over the casualty's head...

-That's correct, yeah.

-..put it under the arms.

-Yeah.

This dummy is our casualty.

Man overboard!

OK, guys, if we can get ready for the recovery.

Oh, yeah, my...

OK, coming up to the casualty.

There he is!

Got him.

This goes over his head...

-Under one arm... All right?

-Yes.

Here he is!

-He's a bit heavier than when he went in.

-Well done, guys.

You know, we recovered the person from the water. Well done.

What a difference...

If this didn't exist and you were just trying it over the side of

a conventional lifeboat.

This means saving people's lives, doesn't it?

We know it works and it's proved its job.

It's been a real privilege to see these dedicated volunteers in action

and to find out how much work goes into keeping users of the sea safe.

My walk along the South Devon coast has been fascinating,

but it's coming to an end.

These are the vibrant red cliffs of Orcombe Point.

They mark the beginning of the mighty Jurassic Coast, a 95-mile

walk through some 185 million years of the Earth's history.

And that's where I'm headed next.

Next time on Coastal Path, I'll be walking my final stretch...

Look at that one! That's perfect.

..as I discover prehistoric treasures.

We've got a little gold mine going on down here.

Look, there it is!

..and welcome new life.

CHEEPING Boy, that's a beautiful-looking chick!