If, like me, you love a coastal walk where you can fill your lungs with all that fresh salty sea air goodness, then I highly recommend doing this section of the South West Coast Path. It involves an incredibly scenic coastal walk from the small village of Mortehoe to the picturesque Lee Bay in North Devon. This breathtaking circular route offers a little bit of everything. Picture shaded trees, exposed headlands, pretty villages and an epic coastal trail surrounded by sparkling turquoise sea.
Mortehoe to Lee Bay at a Glance – Don’t Miss 👀
- A delicious lunch stop at the Grampus Inn
- Bringing your swimming stuff to enjoy a dip in the sea
- This circular route 6 miles, allow 3-4 hours to complete
- Exploring the independent shops and cafe at Lee Bay
- Soaking up the endless coastal views along the way
We ended up doing this on one of the hottest days of the year, which, to be honest, was incredibly taxing. I advise doing this on a slightly cooler day if possible, as we were hotter than a sausage roll served straight from the Greggs oven.
We’ve done a few different walks which include sections of the South West Coast path, like Lulworth Cove to the Famous Durdle Door Beach in Dorset, The Valley of Rocks near Minehead and the stunning Minack Theatre down to Porthcurno beach. But this one was the most challenging by far. In fact, James said it was on par with climbing Mount Snowdon (I think we can safely say that the heat was doing him in) It does ebb and flow though, so expect many steep inclines along the way and bring plenty of water to avoid turning into a human raisin.
You’ll get to see many unspoilt coves and endless coastal vistas along this route, and when you’re ready for a little pit-stop there’s a classic British pub about half way round in the quaint village of Lee.
In this article...
Where to Park For The Lee Bay Circular Walk
We started this circular coastal walk at the main pay and display carpark in Mortehoe which isn’t overly large, but we arrived around midday on a hot Saturday in June and still parked easily. If it happens to be full, there’s an overflow carpark in the field directly behind.
Talking of parking, I feel it’s time to share my first tip of the day – don’t do what we did, and only pay for 4 hours of parking! This was only just enough time to include one wrong turn, a delicious lunch stop and a moment to admire the stunning views. We really had to keep up the pace for the entire walk, which was rather intense in the thick humid heat. Allow an extra hour at least. Or just pay for all day to avoid all feelings of being under pressure.
Parking can be paid with a card or over the phone, and like I said, definitely pay for more then 4 hours if you plan to stop for lunch. Especially as the pub is a little detour off the circular route.
What to Wear For This Section of The South West Coast Path
It was chucking down with rain when we first arrived, then 30 minutes later it transformed into a hot, sticky, humid mess. It really is an art trying to dress correctly for summers in Blighty, isn’t it?
Obviously check the weather forecast before you visit and dress appropriately for the time of year. As it can change quickly I recommend packing a raincoat and a light layer (even in the summer) just to play it safe and be prepared for whatever elements get thrown your way.
Our walking boots might have been too hot for this trip, so we ended up wearing trainers for this walk. Grippy walking shoes would be an ideal choice for the rough and uneven surfaces you’ll encounter on this route. If you have some, I recommend opting for walking shoes.
Side note – we had some incredibly persistent horse flies interrogating us along part of this walk. It got to the point where any onlookers would have thought we were practicing Karate moves walking down the road or something! Thankfully we didn’t get bitten, but another walker had, and his elbow was bright red, sore and had swollen up to the size of a golf ball. Maybe consider applying some insect repellent, or perhaps wear some of those deet infused wrist bands.
Walking From Mortehoe to Lee Bay
Before I get going with the blog post, here’s a little video of our walk.
Here’s How to Start the Mortehoe to Lee Bay Circular Route
Starting at the Mortehoe carpark, cross the main road and pass beside Mortehoe’s Post office, then simply follow the road as it weaves its way slightly uphill through the pretty Devon village. Eventually you’ll see a footpath sign, which takes you directly through the middle of a campsite.
We did the circular route anti clockwise, which sent us inland first and was slightly more sheltered. We did it this way round purely because the weather was bad when we arrived, but it can be done in either direction.
In summary, our route went:
Start in Mortehoe → Walk through campsite → Cross fields → Detour into Lee Bay (lunch at Grampus Inn) → Rejoin path → Visit Sandy Cove → Bennetts Mouth → Bull Point lighthouse → Return to Mortehoe.
Read more: Wimbleball Lake, Exmoor: Circular Walk & Dam Guide
Walk Right Through Easewell Farm Campsite
It feels a bit odd walking right through a campsite, strolling past everyones tents and pitches when you’re not staying there, but just keep following the South West Coast Path footpath signs. As you exit the far end of the Easewell Farm campsite you’ll have an algae covered pond to your right. Then follow the path up some steps and across some fields until you reach the large 5-bar gate which meets a track.
Soak in Those Devon Views Across the Patchwork Fields
Take the downwards stroll along the track and follow as it meanders it’s way up towards an old stone barn. Keep following the footpath signs and it will take you past some more fields (where we saw some ponies) before the track forks in two. Keep right here and clamber over the stile, or pose on it like James. Whichever you fancy.
Watch Out For The Horseflies!
This next section is where the nasty horseflies came out to bite us! Maybe it was made worse from it being slightly more wild and enclosed rather then the breezy exposed open fields, or perhaps it was just the time of year? I don’t know, but they were fiercely on our case anyway. Constantly trying to suck our blood like little hungry flying vampires.
Thankfully this narrowed, overgrown track soon opened back up onto a single lane road, which you follow up a small incline before it drops back down again. This is where we took a wrong left turn and headed up the steps towards Damage Cliffs, which completely skips Lee Bay. If you want to head down into Lee Bay and grab some lunch then keep following the road down instead.
Read more: Valley of Rocks, Exmoor North Devon: All You Need to Know
Walk to Devon’s Very Pretty Lee Bay
As we accidentally missed the turning for Lee Bay, we had to backtrack a short way which caused us another steep incline to tackle. Yay.
To get down into Lee Bay you will be making a slight detour off the main circular route. It’s an easy-breezy downhill into the tiny village, so be prepared for a fairly long trudge back up to re-join the circular path later. It’s worth it though!
Lee Bay is beautiful. The beach is full of rock pools and the crystal clear water was incredibly inviting. It looked like a lovely shallow beach and the sea was so calm when we were here. A few people were snorkelling, others were stood on paddle boards further out exploring and kids were searching the rock pools for crabs. Had we allowed ourselves more time, we would have gone in for a little cool down ourselves as we had our quick dry towel in the rucksack.
Construction work was happening down here, and after a quick Google search we learnt that it’s a housing development underway. Hopefully it doesn’t spoil the quaintness of this cute seaside village.
Top tip: There’s some public toilets as you head in to the village.
Head Into The Village of Lee
Theres a few different places to visit in the pretty village of Lee. It’s also where you’ll find The Grampus Inn which is the perfect place to stop and refuel during this circular walk.
Turn your back to the bay and follow the sign that points you towards Lee village. Along the way you’ll stroll past some pretty English cottages and a couple grand looking homes perched on the hill side. The track gets quite narrow in places as it shares space with the bubbling stream, then opens back up again as you enter the main part of the village.
Read more: The Shippon, Landscove: A Cosy and Quirky Airbnb Stay in South Devon
Grab Some Lunch at The Grampus Inn in Lee Bay
As you enter Lee village you’ll spot the painting of a killer whale on The Grampus Inn swing sign that protrudes from the building. This traditional village pub has a large established beer garden thats perfect for enjoying a sunny afternoon with an ice cold drink. Luckily we arrived at 2:30, grabbed the last available table in the beer garden and placed an order before the kitchen closed at 3pm.
James went for the classic of ham, egg and chips and I opted for the ham and cheese toasted sourdough sandwich. Both were delicious and it was a lovely place to sit down and eat about half way around the route.
Visit Lee Bay Gift Shop in The Old School House
After your pit-stop at The Grampus Inn, continue walking further into the village to see some of the prettiest English cottages including a sunflower yellow one. Right beside the tiny village church you’ll discover a gift shop housed inside the old school house. Sadly we couldn’t go in as there was a note in the window saying they’d closed due to staff sickness. When they’re open they sell handmade gifts and crafts, and you can even grab a coffee, cake or ice-cream in there too.
Reconnect With the Mortehoe – Lee Bay Circular Route
After a quick look around the pretty Devon village of Lee, we retraced our footsteps all the way back up and out of the village. Then connected back up with the circular route and turned right up these steps towards Damage Cliffs (where we went wrong earlier).
Read more: The 8 Best Short Walks To Do In Somerset
Visit Sandy Cove Which Sits on The Other Side of Lee Bay
From there It’s a short uphill stomp before you’ll see the turquoise sea kiss the horizon. Follow the sign that directs you to Bull Point and take the steps back down the cliff to Sandy Cove, a name that seems slightly misleading as this is more grey shingle than golden sand. Nonetheless, it really is beautiful. A small, unspoilt cove that doesn’t look like it belongs in the UK. If anything, it looked like it belonged in Thailand with all the greenery and ferns sprouting from the rocks and cliff face.
You can either admire Sandy Cove from the view point, or gingerly take the many steep steps down to relax on the shingle.
The South West Cost Path is pretty obvious for the majority of this route, and you’ll follow this until you arrive at your next cove.
Walk From Sandy Cove to Bennetts Mouth
The walk ebbs and flows all the way to your next few beaches, and the views along the way are absolutely stunning. Get ready for lots of steps, steep zig-zag inclines and quiet secluded coves.
Walk to Bull Point Lighthouse
The path will lead you towards Bull Point Lighthouse which was first established in 1879 and stands 11 meters tall. You can either take the road back inland to Mortehoe or follow the coastal path a little further. There’s a great view point near here too.
The Final Stretch Back to The Car
The last section of the walk involved a steep climb up all these steps, a nice flat section of boardwalk and a final climb back up into the village of Mortehoe. After completely melting on this walk, we couldn’t wait to jump in the car and have an icy blast of air-con!
Mortehoe to Lee Bay Walk Stats
Duration: If you want to allow time to stop, admire views and eat. I would allow a minimum of 5 hours.
Length: Approx 6 miles
Elevation: 1,224ft elevation gain (according to my alltrails)
Time: It took us 4 hours in total, but 3 hours of that was moving time.
Difficulty rating: Moderate (theres many inclines)
Best time of year: Spring, Summer, Autumn. Just not the hottest day of the year!
Where We Stayed
We stayed at The Barn in Lower Stoke Rivers which was only about 30 minutes drive away from Mortehoe. It’s a lovely converted barn thats oozing with 70’s retro touches and makes a great little bolt-hole for two. Take a look for yourself!
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a walk that combines dramatic coastal views, peaceful tracks, charming villages and the promise of a good pub lunch, then the Mortehoe to Lee Bay circular route ticks all the boxes. It challenges you just enough to feel accomplished and leaves you with that salty, windswept, just-been-on-an-adventure kind of feeling. Remember to pack plenty of water (and insect repellant) and enjoy this lovely day out in North Devon.
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