Synopsis: The snow showed no signs of thawing but the sun shone, so I decided on the brief exercise of a walk from Lympstone to Exmouth. Train travel to Lympstone then return from Exmouth makes this easy.
I felt the need to get out of the city of Exeter for a while this Christmas Eve. The quickest and easiest option for me from my home was to jump on the train to Exmouth. The plan therefore was to buy a return ticket to Exmouth, but alight at Lympstone and walk to Exmouth along the Exe Estuary Trail. The only unknown being the state of the trail, as there was still a lot of snow around from the fall that occurred over Sunday night, the temperature still being very low, with very little sign of a thaw happening.
Everywhere felt very relaxed as people mingled about seemingly in holiday mood. The last minute Christmas shoppers were no doubt becoming extremely stressed, whether it be in the High Street or in Tesco, but here were the organized people with time for leisure at this holiday time.
Lympstone - Swan Inn
On arriving in Lympstone I took a little time out to wander around the village and down to the shore. Lympstone is very quaint, full of narrow and winding streets that lead right down to the banks of the estuary. I could see that the Swan Inn was decorated for Christmas inside, but I didn’t stop to venture in.
Exmouth - snow and sand
I was rather intrigued to see how much snow there would be at Exmouth, as usually places on the coast have a much milder climate than places even a little distance inland. There was quite a lot of snow about, even down on the beach. Children had brought toboggans with them, and were having great fun using these on the snowy slopes of the sand dunes.
Exmouth - sunset
When I say snow, it was really more like ice. The long standing snow had been chilled yet further, possibly by the coastal breeze, and was now hard and slippery. I walked on the snow and found that I remained on the surface, as it had frozen so hard it could support my weight. Later, as I was about to make my way back from Orcombe Rocks, I was treated to a sunset that was really beautiful, in a sky that had only the merest wisps of clouds. The temperature was by now dropping fast, and another very cold night obviously lay ahead.
Walk Statistics:
Total Distance: 8.8 miles
Moving Time: 3hrs 1min
Stopped Time: 1hr 20min
Total Ascent: 156 metres
Maximum Elevation: 29 metres
Train: Digby-Sowton to Exmouth
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