Synopsis: An icy walk to Topsham and then along the canal back to Exeter.
Boats at TopshamI didn’t fancy taking my car out today as there was still a lot of ice about on the roads. For that reason I settle on a walk to Topsham. Even the walking was treacherous and several times on my route to Topsham I nearly lost my footing. Later in the afternoon I attempted a steep slope and lost my grip and wound up sitting on ice.
Small rafts of ice could be seen floating down the river and boats on the water were making crunching sounds as they carved their way through these sheets of ice.
Ice and snow covered Exeter Ship CanalI had a picnic lunch at Topsham, which wasn’t as cold as it might sound. Finding a boat mooring to sit on out of the wind it was quite pleasant sitting in the sun watching the flocks of geese swooping in masses and making a considerable noise.
After lunch I walked along the banks of the River Exe before joining the tow path along the Exeter Ship Canal. As can be seen in the photograph left, the canal had frozen over and snow had accumulated on the ice. It made for a very nice picture as I strolled in the direction of the city centre. There were hordes of people feeding the swans, ducks and seagulls down on the quay.
I did a little Christmas shopping in town (yes! no kidding; actually have some presents for next Christmas). I then walked to the hospital to visit Mum. Later in the evening I dropped in on Wendy, Colin and Kate and we had supper together.
Walk Statistics:
Total Distance: 15.7 miles
Moving Time: 8hrs 31min
Total Ascent: 296 metres
Maximum Elevation: 69 metres
Buses: None
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