Synopsis: A cycle ride from home to Haldon, the hill range that most dramatically commands the skyline of Exeter. Always a stiff climb, but good exercise. Includes the wisteria tunnel at Pinces Gardens, Exeter.
About a week ago I was out on a little cycle ride when I looked across a valley and saw a church nestled snugly in the neck of the valley and I made a mental note to identify it when I got home. I discovered the pretty little church was that of Dunchideock, on Haldon, and that was the inspiration for this cycle ride.
My next challenge was to attempt to devise a non-too-arduous route up to Haldon. The most likely route seemed to be through Alphington and then to pick up Markham Lane. I was treated to this glorious panoramic view of Exeter from Markham lane.
Panoramic view of Exeter from Markham Lane
My choice of route proved an excellent option, as my way climbed slowly allowing me to gradually gain height. There were a few ‘roller coasters’. That is to say occasionally I was forced to shed some height by dipping into a valley, but the losses weren’t great. I arrived relatively fresh in Dunchideock, and determined upon the minor detour down to the church in the hope of finding a bench upon which to eat my lunch.
Dunchideock Church - Listed - Grade I
I can thoroughly recommend the detour, as the church is charming and most interesting, however I was thwarted in my endeavour to find a bench. I had to settle upon a little grass tussock, but thankfully the ground wasn’t too wet, and the view more than made up for the discomfort, although there was a very keen wind carrying quite a chill feeling with it. Interesting to see a monkey puzzle tree in the grounds of the church.
Dunchideock - St Michael and All Angels' Church
After lunch I decided I would first examine the interior of the church before continuing on my cycle ride. The previous night I’d looked up Dunchideock Church in my book of Devon churches. I discovered that it is Grade I listed, therefore highly likely to be worth an inspection. I liked the crucifixion carving that sits atop the rood screen; this is very finely carved. The monument to Major-General Stringer Lawrence is also impressive, with a fitting epitaph by Hannah More. The Ten Commandments are shown either side of the altar, lest though forget!
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the church is its, well, aspect, as it commands a far ranging prospect over miles of Devon hills. After an hour spent dawdling over lunch and looking around Dunchideock church, it was time to restart my intended journey. Rather daunting was the knowledge that the next section of my route was a final steep climb to gain the hill ridge of Haldon. I confess it required some effort and a little bike-pushing to make it to the top. The views on the way up were incentive enough to keep me going.
On reaching the ridge I was immediately greeted with another splendid valley view, this time looking away from Exeter and towards the village of Doddiscombsleigh. The rich green colours bathed in sun were a delight to see. I continued on to where there is a small parking bay, just past Haldon Belvedere (visible through the trees to my left) at which point my route diverted me left to pick up a mountain bike track through the trees. I followed the Raptor trail (big confession – I think this is the family cycling trail) through the woods, which makes for light and pleasant cycling.
Trehill - Laundry Cottage?
Having returned to the road, I picked up a course for Kenn. From here my cycling was, thankfully, mostly down hill. I cycled past Trehill House, Kenn, and Laundry Cottage (old home of ours), and then on towards Kennford. And in case you’re wondering about the numerous Kenns hereabouts: Kenn, Kennford and Kenton are all situated on the River Kenn; do ya ken? Ok, ok, that was awful I know.
Pinces Gardens - Exeter - wysteria arch
I planned the next stage of my route so that I might take in Pinces Gardens in Exeter. Why? Well, the gardens has this incredible wisteria tunnel that I’d not seen in full flower before, and something told me the time might well be ripe for me to do that. I was not disappointed. This makes for quite an appealing sight, the knotted wisteria trunks clothed in pendulant blue flowers.
From here, my last objective of the day was to take in a swim at the Riverside Leisure Centre. I was running a little late, but thought I’d still like to have my swim despite feeling very tired. I’m glad I did, as it rejuvenated me for the final leg of my journey home.
I thoroughly enjoyed my day in the saddle. The weather had been gorgeous, and the countryside looked fresh and vibrant. And sometimes it’s just nice to arrive home thoroughly exhausted, which I certainly was after this little outing. And finally:- To sleep: perchance to dream.
Google Map of my ‘figure of 8’ planned cycle route as used on this outing …
This route is available as an exportable KML file from my Google Fusion tables.
Notes (technical): the planned cycle route shown above was created using OS Getamap route planning application on the Internet. The file was then exported from Getamap as a KML file and imported to my Google Fusion tables (Google Docs). Once made ‘public’, a ‘Get embeddable link’ is presented from the ‘Visualize\Map’ option. The ‘height’ value was adjusted to optimise the map display.
Cycle Statistics:
Total Distance: 25.1 miles
Moving Time: 3hrs 51min
Stopped Time: 51min
Total Ascent: 684 metres
Maximum Elevation: 260 metres
Buses: (none)
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