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Ilfracombe to Hele Bay Walk

1.5 miles (2.4 km)

Ordnance Survey Map Open Streetmap A popular walk along a section of the South West Coast Path from Ilfracombe to Hele Bay.
It's about a 1.5 mile walk along a cliff top path with some moderate climbing.
The route starts at the viewpoint and cave at Capstone Point in Ilfracombe. You then head east past the pier to Hillsborough Fort and Beacon Point. Shortly after you arrive at Hele Bay, passing the small village of Hele which lies just to the south of the path. This includes a Grade II listed corn mill dating back to 1525.
At the bay itself you'll find a nice shingle beach, pretty rock pools and mysterious smugglers caves.
You can extend the walk by continuing east along the path to Combe Martin on the Ilfracombe to Combe Martin Walk.

Ilfracombe to Hele Bay OS Map Ordnance survey map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking

Ilfracombe to Hele Bay Open Street Map Open Streetmap - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Pubs/Cafes

For some nice local history head to the Hele Corn Mill for your refreshments. Here you'll find some delightful tea rooms housed in the working 16th century corn mill. You can explore the water mill, learn all about its history and then enjoy a bite to eat in the lovely gardens. You can find them at postcode EX34 9QY for your sat navs.

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

You could head west on the circular Ilfracombe to Lee Bay Walk which will take you to the picturesque Lee Bay using the coastal path and the a href='/routes/home.nsf/RoutesLinksWalks/ilfracombe-to-ossaborough-railway-path-walking-and-cycle-route'>Ilfracombe to Ossaborough Railway Path.

Photos

Ilfracombe from Capstone Point - geograph.org.uk - 3201654

Ilfracombe from Capstone Point

Ilfracombe viewed from Hillsborough - geograph.org.uk - 1421670

Ilfracombe and its harbour viewed from a viewpoint on Hillsborough a headland to the east of the seaside town.

Larkstone beach and local dogs - geograph.org.uk - 727521

Larkstone beach and local dogs

Beacon Point - geograph.org.uk - 1331140

Beacon Point. View from the Haggington Point viewpoint.

Hele Bay - geograph.org.uk - 1331138

Hele Bay. A sandy, sheltered beach, east of Ilfracombe. Viewed from the Hagginton Point picnic area.

Hele Bay - geograph.org.uk - 727466

Hele Bay

Rocks at Hele Bay - geograph.org.uk - 3043157

Rocks and beach at Hele Bay

Hele Mill - geograph.org.uk - 3434323

Hele Mill.  Flour was milled here until the mid 1930s, and later it sadly fell derelict. In the 1970s the mill was restored by a local man named Chris Lovell. Now fully working, the mill grinds a heritage species of organic wheat to provide flour for the adjacent award-winning tea room.

Video

GPS Files

GPX File

Ilfracombe to Hele Bay.gpx (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold>Download Linked File)