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Day 2 of our trip saw us on another long walk whilst visiting some historic places with rich social histories. Clive drove us to Westward Ho! the only place with an exclamation mark in its name. The name came from a Charles Kingsley book, titled Westward Ho! It was a best seller and brought a new wave of tourism to the Bideford area leading to the creation of the village, which has grown considerably in recent years.

Our walk took us along the coast on the trackbed of an old railway that I’d never heard of before. This was pretty unique too as it’s possibly the only standard gauge passenger railway that was never connected to the national network. The Bideford, Westward Ho! and Appledore railway had a very short life. It opened in 1901 and closed in 1917. Having walked along part of its route along the cliffs I’d have thought it would have made a great preserved railway and tourist attraction, but it never survived World War 1.

The course of the old railway makes a great coastal path. Here it is at Abbotsham Cliffs West of Westward Ho!
At this point the old railway swung inland to head towards Bideford. You can see the course of the line and a couple of breaches in the trackbed near the top of the picture. This is a lovely place to stop and admire the coastline.
The wind was whipping up quite a few white capped waves during our walk. Here’s the view looking East towards Baggy Point.

Back in Westward Ho! We explored the village and I discovered its link with one of Britain’s most famous authors whom I’ve long admired. Rudyard Kipling. Kipling went to school in Westward Ho! and he’s remembered by plaques and a line of his most famous poem ‘if) being incorporated into the seafront pavement.

Memories of Kipling in Westward Ho!
A colourful row of houses in Westward Ho! with several being repainted for the summer season.

Having driven back to Northam we popped into the local church where Ann volunteers at their regular coffee and cake days. I’ve always enjoyed visiting country churches as they often provide fascinating glimpses into British social history and St Margaret’s was no exception. Oh, and the cakes were excellent!

Many a well-to-do family’s line ended like this during the First World War, with the death of the only son.
Segregated church services!
Coffe with Passionfruit and lemon cake. Yum!

Having returned home to take our ease I couldn’t resist on last wander into Bideford to make the most of the weather in order to get a few pictures.

The most substantial surviving structure of the old railway is the engine and carriage shed in Bideford. Nowadays it’s used as a car-wash.
The old bridge in Bideford with the modern bridge in the background.

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Cheers,

Paul