We start our outward bus journey in Hartland village taking the 10:15am 319 bus to Bideford via Clovelly which takes just under an hour.

In  Bideford there’s time to wander along the quay and have coffee and cake before getting the next bus.

It’s only a fifteen minute bus ride on the 21A this time to the outskirts of Appledore to access the Northern Burrows Country Park.  We enjoy a walk across the park in the sunshine towards Westward Ho! beach. It’s rolling green country with sheep grazing and golfers golfing.

Eventually we get to the huge boulder sea defences and luckily there’s a wooden and stone boardwalk over them to access the beach.

The sands are golden and flat and compact so it’s a lovely beach to walk along. It’s sunny and windy and the Atlantic waves are rolling in. There’s a kite surfer dancing through the seas up and down at great speed and a few dog walkers enjoying the freedom and the water.

It’s a very easy walk along the beach to Westward Ho! We wander along the promenade and eventually find a cafe for a cuppa and a sandwich. A little jaunt into the centre to find a fridge magnet and then it’s time to get the 21 bus back into Bideford.

This time we have an hour and a half before the final bus ride of the day. We do a bit of emergency shopping in Morrisons for ice bags, enjoy watching a huge ship called the Celtic Navigator sail up the estuary and slowly reposition itself to moor at the quay side facing the opposite way it came in. Very impressive. Time to have a pint in the Sweeney Todd pub. It’s still rocking impressive Halloween decorations and a digital Jukebox!

Catch the 17:05 bus to Hartland. Another hours journey along very narrow and winding roads in the dark so we’re straight into the King’s Arm for a pint, and a warm by the roaring fire. We share Nachos and onion rings and eventually wander back to the van for a bit of Scott and Bailey. Probably a little too much time spent on buses today but they got us around. Highlight was definitely Westward Ho! beach.