Synopsis: Hot and humid weather made this a tiring day out, but good to have the warmth after the cold spring this year. Easy walking across fields to Woodbury. Lunch on the green, then on to Lympstone.
A glorious start to today, with not a cloud in the sky, so I was keen to get out and make the most of the lovely weather. I mapped out a walk I could do from Exton, and decided upon cycling to my start point. Other possibilities would have been train or bus, but there’s nothing cheaper (or greener) than peddle power, and it is a relatively light ride from where I live.
I parked my bike at the cycle racking at Exton railway station. Mine was the only bike there, so I could only suppose that form of commuting isn’t very popular around there. I followed the lane back to the main road from Exeter, crossed the road, and was soon on my public footpath making my way across fields. The going was level and easy, as the footpath follows the course of a stream flowing down from Woodbury.
Woodbury - benches in shade on the green - mon repos
My first objective on reaching Woodbury was to find a sheltered bench on which to rest and eat my lunch. The morning had proven hot and close, and I definitely needed to cool off. And do you know what? I found the ideal location, a bench on the green in the shelter of a tree. Perfection!
Woodbury - Parish Church of St Swithun’s
After lunch I took a short stroll through Woodbury village and then headed for the church. The parish church is pleasant, a woody smell greeting you as you walk through the door. There is a lot of wood! All the seating is pews and the roof is supported by timber joists in a form which I think would make it a hammer-beam roof. The Parish Church of St Swithun’s, I later discovered, is Grade I listed.
From the church I headed back to the main street, walked up past the post office, and picked up a footpath across a field. I was now headed for Lympstone. Most of this stretch of the walk was in lanes as there are few footpaths hereabouts. The lanes were quiet, so the walking was pleasant and tranquil.
Lympstone - the quay
I arrived in Lympstone hot and tired (again!) and had to rest on a bench in the sun, as there was no shade to be had. I had a quick drink and a biscuit whilst sitting and watching a couple of gentlemen with their easels working on paintings of the estuary. As humidity was evidently very high, there was a mist hanging on the water, the opposite side of the estuary being hardly visible. I wasn’t sure what kind of paintings might be executed in these conditions; perhaps ones of very subdued pastels. Whatever the outcome, I felt it was a nice way to spend leisure time.
Lympstone - Peter's Tower - view from the bluff
I headed up to the rocky outcrop adjacent to the small quay. This is National Trust land that provides a high vantage point from which to look back upon Lympstone. I took several photos from up here, both of Lympstone and looking out across the Exe Estuary. It’s possible to get a good view of Peter’s Tower from here on the bluff. It is apparently available to rent should you wish an unusual place to stay.
From the promontory I headed towards a gate that deposited me on the Exe Estuary Trail, a combined walk/cycle trail that runs from Exeter along both sides of the estuary, reaching as far as Exmouth on this side, and Dawlish across the water. Unfortunately the Internet sites for this trail are quite poor, the best access to information online being the ‘Exe Estuary Explorer Leaflet’, available to download from a link on the Exe Estuary Trail page from Devon County Council. Odd really, that so much money should have been spent on what is an excellent trail, only for the scheme to be so poorly represented on the Internet. Addendum: Since writing this blog post time has moved on and there now appears to be a web site which, although not well structured, does offer online a range of Leaflets and Maps about the trail.
To finish the walk, all I had to do was follow the Exe Estuary Trail for a distance of a little over a mile back to Exton where my bike was parked. For such a hot and humid day, today’s outing proved to be a good gentle choice of route. It’s possible the Exe Estuary was a little more humid than perhaps it would have been inland, but, as aged as I may be, I coped with today’s exertions without too much strain.
Cycle/Walk Statistics:
Total Distance (Combined Cycle/Walk): 19.9 miles -:- Walk: 8.6 miles
Elapsed Time (Combined Cycle/Walk): 5hrs 52min -:- Walk: 4hrs 42min
Moving Time (Combined Cycle/Walk): 4hrs 41min
Stopped Time (Combined Cycle/Walk): 1hr 11min
Total Ascent (Combined Cycle/Walk): 386 metres
Maximum Elevation (Combined Cycle/Walk): 90 metres
Buses: (none)
Cycled from Exeter to walk start/finish point in Exton
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