Synopsis: Travelled out from Exeter on what is known as the Tarka Line. A nice mix of forest and countryside walking. Also includes two grade II* listed churches although unfortunately on this day closed.
Walk! Devon
This walk is route 5 from the book Walk! Devon. This is a favourite book of mine, as the walks are very well written up, easy to follow, and each is provided with Ordnance Survey 1/25,000 maps. All the walks are ‘GPS Enabled’, by which is meant that each has a table of waypoint grid references that can be loaded to a GPS unit to facilitate easy navigation. To see other walks from this book that I have completed, use the link under Tags to the right.
I had a flash of inspiration for this walk. I was running out of options for places to get to by bus, particularly with the reduced services of the winter schedule. But then it struck me, perhaps I could get to Eggesford by train. I knew there was a station there. When I checked, not only did I discover plenty of trains running from early to late, but also that I could catch the train from Digby & Sowton, my nearest station, just 10 minutes walk away. Ace! So it was to be the 8:06 that I was to catch, which once again meant a fairly early start. Still, the best of the weather was forecast for early in the day, so probably just as well.
Looking out on Eggesford Forest
This is very quiet country. Apart from passengers on the train journeys, I hardly met a soul all day long. I found the walk to be a splendid mix of cross-country and woodland, as the name suggests. The woods at Eggesford were actually closed for 'forestry work', which I of course ignored (could have been annoying!). I've never known forestry work to take place on a Saturday.
Church of St Paul. Unfortunately closed. Reputed to contain a 15th Century stone pulpit and an Elizabethan communion table.
Both churches I attempted to enter (Eggesford, Grade II* Listed and Brushford Grade II* Listed) were not open, which was a bit disappointing, especially as each is architecturally very interesting (see comments on access added to photos on Flickr). And besides that, boy, was there ever mud! I guess after the wet summer and now the autumn rains, the countryside is just one big waterlogged sponge. I was quite a sight by the end of the walk.
A good day's walk, and the timings were excellent. I had only a 10 minute wait for a train at Eggesford, with trains running very punctually. The self-service ticket vending machine at Digby & Sowton couldn't be simpler to use. Just wish it were clearer what are the 'off-peak' times. If the machine sells such tickets, why not explain what is off-peak!? Grrh! I settled on full-price at £8.50, £2.00 more than off-peak, to play safe. (Addendum: weekends are off-peak, which perhaps I should have known.)
Walk Statistics:
Total Distance: 10.5m
Total Ascent: 518 metres
Total Walk Time: (moving): 4 hrs 17 mins (elapsed): 5 hrs 50 mins
Maximum Elevation: 185 metres
Train: First Great Western from Digby, Sowton - 8:06 (outwards), 15:04 (return)
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