Countisbury Common and Butter Hill

Three and a half miles up the wooded gorge of the East Lyn to the meeting of the waters, about two and a quarter hours with 160 metres of climbing on a rocky riverside path that is undulating rather than steep, returning by the opposite bank. Start on the Esplanade at Lynmouth where the pay-and-display car parks sit either side of the harbour, or drop in from the National Trust car park on Watersmeet Road if you would rather walk downhill first. It is the best hot-day walk on this coast for a dog, shaded the whole way with deep pools and shingle bars to swim from and a National Trust tea garden at the top that serves outside with bowls, and the only real care is the rock steps above the water and the road crossing at Watersmeet.