Synopsis: A trip to the seaside. A quick jaunt around Cockington and then across the back streets of Torquay to Oldway Mansion. Then a walk around parts of Paignton, familiar and unfamiliar.
A spontaneous walk of zero planning. I simply set off with a mind to catch the 9:30 bus to Torquay with a view to making up a walk on the fly. Just a matter of grabbing some breakfast, making sandwiches, and throwing my gear into my rucksack, and I was on my way.
I thought it would be nice to see Cockington again, and the quickest route there seemed to be to get off at the Torre railway station and make out across the back streets of Torquay in that direction. I would have saved time if I’d got off one bus stop earlier than I did, but apart from that, my plan worked well and within about an hour I was in Cockington.
Cockington - rose: one perfect ...I dawdled around the picturesque village centre for a while, taking some photos of the gardens which were looking beautiful. These are probably the final blooms of summer. The cannas always make for a splash of colour at this time of year, and there were also quite a number of roses still in bloom.
Paignton - Oldway Mansion
After Cockington I followed the road out for a little way before I then picked up a path climbing out through woods and eventually taking me to the streets of Torquay. I had no firm plan as to where I was headed, but needed a direction, so I decided to set as my next destination Oldway Mansion.
Paignton - Oldway Mansion
I approached Oldway Mansion around lunchtime. The gardens, just as at Cockington, were looking lovely, I was feeling hungry, and was coming around to the idea of not making this too demanding a walk, therefore I made it my lunch stop. There was a wedding party circling about, but I was left undisturbed on my park bench. The sun was shining and it was quite hot, feeling just like a summer’s day.
Paignton - Oldway Mansion - study in reflections
After lunch I decided to explore the gardens of Oldway. I’d visited these briefly on a previous walk, and although not that extensive, they are nicely laid out and quite a calm oasis. The sun and clouds were being sharply reflected in the dark waters of the lake which I found quite appealing, so I spent some time taking photographs of this spectacle.
Paignton - Victoria Gardens, where as children we used to play
After Oldway Mansions I walked a short distance down the road and entered into Victoria Park gardens. This is familiar territory for me, as we often used to play here when we were children. On entering the park I noticed a building signposted as being Paignton Library, but on closer inspection, a notice on the door informed me that the library had now moved to new premises down by the railway station.
Paignton - Victoria Gardens - solitude
The modern play park is in exactly the same position as the old park, but has been completely refitted since the days when I played here with my brothers and sister. But it was nice to see that it remains an appealing attraction to the children of today, as there were crowds of them playing on the various amenities. There is even a Park Cafe there these days, a luxury that we were never afforded. Things must be looking up!
Paignton - new library
From the play park I headed for the railway station, as I was curious about the new library, and thought I’d take a closer look. I’d seen this building going up over recent months, as it is visible from the bus station, but I had no idea what it’s purpose was to be. I had hoped that there would have been a wireless Internet connection, but there was none, so my emails were going to have to wait.
Paignton - parish church - lovely lanterns, or is it gothic horror?
From here I explored out the back of Paignton for a while, a part of Paignton I wasn’t familiar with. The first thing I came across was Paignton Parish Church, a lovely deep red sandstone building, which was unfortunately locked. Not only was it locked, but it was razor wired like a fortress! There were some splendid lamps in the cemetery surrounding the church, although these were somewhat dilapidated.
Paignton
There was also a park and war memorial surrounded by attractive houses of approximately a hundred year vintage. Quite an oasis from the tacky hustle and bustle of the tourist shops so close by. Still, perhaps that’s me being grumpy, as what would a seaside be without fish-an’-chip shops and gaming arcades?
A not too tiring walk, but a 10 mile distance (almost) accomplished. As I said in the blog title, a trip to the seaside, and that is what the day ultimately was, and really enjoyable it was too! I really should have had an ice cream.
Walk Statistics:
Total Distance: 9.9 miles
Moving Time: 3hrs 50min
Stopped Time: 56min
Total Ascent: 314 metres
Maximum Elevation: 84 metres
Buses: X46
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