Synopsis: A route climbing Haldon Hill through the tracks and lanes eventually reaching Haldon Forest and Haldon Belveder. A section along the Raptor cycle trail before dropping to Cockwood.
A last minute decision to go cycling meant hurriedly putting the route together during the morning ahead of this ride. Luckily I had the route pretty much in my head, partly due to my have made a reconnoitre of some possible options on recent walks. I decided to include a section of what is described as a ‘family cycle trail’ to discover a little of what this is like, as Haldon now hosts quite a network of trails suiting various degrees of cycling skills, mine being ‘basic’.
Bridge (foot/cycle) crossing the A30
The good thing about this route is that it is relatively level and quiet on the early stage, and that would take me to the foot of Haldon Hill, therefore I would be saving my energy for the ascent. This was lucky, as it would be quite a climb to the top, and I should need every ounce of energy I could muster. On the way out I first had to cross the A30, and this is done over a walk/cycle bridge that spans the not inconsiderable width of road.
View of Haldon Hill on the approach
I then followed some reasonable easy, if somewhat muddy, tracks and lanes until I reached a point where there was a splendid view of what I had to do to reach the top of Haldon Hill. It’s a funny thing about hills, but they don’t look as challenging from a distance as the feel when you’re on them.
Haldon Gate - picnic spot
At Haldon Forest I entered the wood along a connecting track that joins a family cycle trail. This was rather a rough, pitted and muddy track, but quite navigable. The cycle track itself was solid and level, and I was soon at my lunch stop, a picnic site wonderful situated at Haldon Gate, just below Haldon Belvedere.
Haldon Gate - Haldon Belvedere (or Lawrence Tower)
After lunch I took a little time out to stroll up to Haldon Belvedere. This is a building that can be seen for miles around, but this is the first time I’ve seen it close up. It’s a rather charming and elegant building, if rather strange, particularly the fact that it has three sides. The building was constructed by Sir Robert Palk in 1788 in honour of his Anglo-Indian friend Stringer Lawrence, who’d donated a fortune to him. The views from here, both out across the Exe Estuary and over the city of Exeter are quite fantastic, and luckily the day was bright and clear and I could see for miles.
Haldon cycle track - Raptor
From the picnic spot I cycled back about 50 metres to pick up the Raptor Trail once again. After a brief climb I was enjoying level easy cycling through the pine trees of Haldon forest. The air was fresh and the colours beautiful making this a most enjoyable ride, and I had it all to myself. I suspect at the weekends these trails are likely to be quite busy.
Haldon Obelisk - view over Exe Estuary
By now the day was well advanced, being November, and I needed to make reasonably quick progress to maximise the remaining available light of the day. The cycling was mostly quite level that took me to my next vantage point, which was The Obelisk. Here there are some of the finest views over the Exe Estuary that there are to be found anywhere. I stopped briefly to take in the view and grab a drink before once again continuing my journey.
Cockwood
Then ensued several miles along Devon lanes, until finally reaching a rather steep descent into the back of Cockwood, along a road I hadn’t known existed. The cold blue light over the harbour at Cockwood was lovely, but fading fast.
From Cockwood I cycled the Exe Estuary Trail, at Powderham Church picking up the track that took me to the seemingly abandoned Turf Lodge. Here I followed the towpath along the canal to Countess Wear before beginning the final climb back up the hill to home.
I thoroughly enjoyed this day’s cycling, this having been the most extensive cycle ride I’d done in some time. I was tired come the end, as the climb to Haldon Hill is quite demanding, and I suffered a little cramp in my leg muscles when the air cooled as evening came on. I may be getting too old for this sort of thing, but somehow I survived my day.
Cycle Statistics:
Total Distance: 31.6 miles
Moving Time: 4hrs 38min
Stopped Time: 55min
Total Ascent: 688 metres
Maximum Elevation: 258 metres
Buses: (none)
No comments:
Post a Comment