Bull Point Lighthouse Walk

The walk out to Bull Point Lighthouse from Mortehoe is one of those satisfying short excursions that packs a remarkable amount of coastal drama and natural beauty into a relatively modest distance. The lighthouse itself, perched on the cliffs above one of the most treacherous stretches of the North Devon coast, is a working navigational aid that has guided ships safely past the hazardous reefs of this headland for well over a century, and seeing it from close quarters gives a powerful sense of the history and importance of this wild corner of the coastline.

The route from Mortehoe follows the South West Coast Path westwards along the clifftop, passing through a landscape of gorse-covered heath and short maritime turf that is home to a rich variety of coastal wildflowers in spring and early summer. The views out to sea are wide and uninterrupted from the clifftop, with Lundy Island visible on the horizon on clear days and the ever-present sense of the Atlantic stretching away to the south-west with nothing between you and America.

Bull Point itself is a dramatic place, with the lighthouse standing on a narrow promontory above a series of jagged rock stacks that disappear into churning white water at high tide. The sound of the sea here on a rough day is quite extraordinary, and the power of the waves attacking the base of the cliffs gives a vivid sense of the forces that have shaped this coastline over millennia.

The return walk back to Mortehoe can be varied by taking one of the inland paths through the fields above the village, which offer different views of the landscape and a pleasant contrast to the more exposed clifftop route. The whole walk covers around three to four miles and takes about two hours at a leisurely pace.

Mortehoe village has a good pub and tearoom for a well-earned post-walk reward.