Synopsis: A gentle first walk of the new year. Bike parked in Ide where I ate my picnic lunch before setting out. Pleasing, and unexpected, to discover it’s possible to walk part of the Teign Valley Railway (that was).
A new year, and time I got out for a walk, or at least a stroll. What with Christmas intervening and the terrible weather we’ve been experiencing, it’s quite a time since my last walk. The weather forecast predicted a few bright spells for later in the day, so I planned this short afternoon stroll from Ide. I cycled to Ide, parked my bike, and sat on a bench near the cottages named The College.
Ide village - The College
These beautiful cottages front onto what is said to be the longest ford in the country, which, when you see it, is quite believable. At this time of year, after the rains we’ve been having, the water is quite deep, and I don’t think anyone in a conventional car would wish to chance it. One year I did get my daughter Helen to drive through it, but that was in the summer when water levels were lower than they were today. The cottages of The College are of particular interest to our family, as at one time, in the early 1900s, my grandfather, William Henry Rockett, lived in one of these dwellings.
Longdown Road - mysterious hitchhiker - could Santa's sleigh have broken down?
Walking past The College, following the Fordland Brook, I next turned right onto a footpath, then left following the road, before another left onto a lane that gently climbed in the direction of Longdown. There were good views, over my shoulder, across Exeter. Eventually my path connected with the main road into Longdown, where I discovered Santa, seemingly thumbing a lift. He was a long way from the North Pole and I doubted he’d find anyone headed his way.
Permissive path to Teign Valley Line (dismantled railway)
I dog-legged from here back onto a lane steeply descending the valley side until I picked up the course of the Fordland Brook at the bottom of the valley.. A little further into my walk I came upon a permissive footpath sign indicating a route onto the Teign Valley Line (dismantled railway). This is a line that I vaguely knew of, which was visible to me on the map as I planned this walk. I had hoped to take a brief detour to it, but it was not evident from the map that there was a walk route along a stretch of the old railway line. I of course took the opportunity to divert from my planned route onto the dismantled railway.
Teign Valley Line (dismantled railway)
The Teign Valley Line was operated by the Teign Valley Railway Company (later the Exeter & Teign Valley Railway Company), opening on 9th October 1882, only connecting with Exeter in 1903. The line provided a service between Exeter and Newton Abbot, primarily for the transport of minerals, but for a period offering a passenger service, an alternative to the coastal route that on occasion was vulnerable to inundation during storms.
Teign Valley Line (dismantled railway)
This must have been a very scenic route travelling through the heart of what, even today, is largely unspoilt Devon countryside. Apparently a feasibility study looking into the possibility of reopening the line is being undertaken by the Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE), although the chances of this coming to fruition would seem remote to me. The route was 21 miles in length, of which 6 miles of track still remain in place.
There’s a short BBC Archive film of the Teign Valley Line on the BBC web site.
Teign Valley Line (dismantled railway) - Halscombe Bridge
I followed the course of the dismantled railway in an easterly direction until I came to the old railway bridge over Halscombe Lane where I scrambled down the embankment to the lane. This is quite an impressive bridge for such a rural location, and seemingly in very good condition. Those Victorians certainly knew how to build to last. I walked under the bridge and continued in the direction of the village of Ide.
On reaching Ide, I picked up a public footpath that skirts down past the church. I rested for a while on a bench in the churchyard where I had a quick snack. Ide at one time had a small railway station named Ide Halt on the Teign Valley Line, but sadly nothing of this remains today. A little history and a few old photos of of the railway station can be found on the Ide Halt page of the Disused Stations web site.
I dropped down through Ide village passing the Huntsman’s Inn down by The College, continuing on to where I had parked my bike. Although a brief walk, it proved very interesting, and what with the cycling to-and-from it, I felt well exercised come the end. It’s always nice, and perhaps a little surprising, to find so much of interest right on your doorstep.
Walk Statistics:
Total Distance: 3.7 miles
Moving Time: 1hr 33min
Stopped Time: 51min
Total Ascent: 248 metres
Maximum Elevation: 122 metres
Buses: (none)
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