Synopsis: A favourite route of mine, involving some off-road cycling over Woodbury Common. A nice mix of country lanes and a seaside or two also mixed in. A tough day physically, but very rewarding.
(selection of photos from Flickr photo set – use link above to view album)
This is a repeat of a cycle route Helen & Can, Laura & Uwe, and me, cycled on Tuesday 9th September 2014. It's quite a long cycle, for me at least, but it's a great ride. I wrote these blog notes in a OneNote notebook whilst on the trail initially, just as an exercise in blogging on the go at this stage, my first attempt at this. It worked really well, as OneNote automatically synchronises edits on the fly. I’ve since copied my writings here, to my blog. The technique of writing on the trail explains the slight variation in style of this post, from the style I typically use.
[12:19]: Set off from home. Running somewhat later than I might have hoped. Why does it always have to be like that? Anyway, the odd rain shower should have passed overhead by now, so hopefully this will be a dry cycle ride. It was certainly warming up nicely by the time I left home.
[13:25]: Reached my first port of call, Farringdon. Had a picnic lunch in the grounds of the charming parish church. Not my first visit, but always a delight to return to this place. The interior walls of the church are covered with lots of little motifs, which I understand, were painted by a wife of one of the incumbents. I think they're quite lovely. This is a church that you either love or hate. I think you can probably guess which camp I'm in. Apparently the Exeter born historian William George Hoskins opinion of this church, was to describe it as “hideous”.
[15:14]: And I'm still on Woodbury Common. A lot of cycling remains ahead of me, and yet yet again I stop to take a photograph. But, looking at this view, who can blame me? Isn't it gorgeous? I sometimes think Woodbury Common is rather overlooked, with the two local moors, Dartmoor and Exmoor, taking precedence. But Woodbury Common is a rewarding place to visit, and it's right on my doorstep.
[16:28]: Now I'm in Budleigh Salterton, which is looking beautiful in the sun. That's perhaps the hardest part of my journey behind me, the climb over Woodbury Common. It's fairly tough for two reasons, 1: there's the climb to be got over, & 2: there are some rough off-road tracks to be negotiated. In truth, the off-road sections are a lot of fun to a 'kid' like me. In particular, I always like the challenge of crossing the ford, hopefully without getting my feet wet.
I feel I've done my good deed for the day too. I came around this bend in the lane, and there in the middle of the lane was a bird of prey, with a baby rabbit pinned down in its claws. I of course startled the bird, but at first it was reluctant to give up its meal. It attempted to take flight, twice, with the live rabbit in its claws, but the rabbit was too heavy, and was wriggling frantically to free itself. Eventually the buzzard, which is what I think it was, gave up, and took flight. The little bunny probably escaped with nothing more than a scratch or two, and something of a scare, but otherwise looked in good health as it darted for cover in the hedge.
It's quite warm, and I'm glad of the shade this little seafront shelter has to offer. I'm probably looking rather hot and bothered after my cycle ride here. Luckily, there's no one to notice but the occasional passer-by, and they seem more interested in their ice creams, and who can blame them for that. A family has just set their picnic table up on the pebble beach just in front of where I'm sitting. I wonder if I shall be invited to join them for a cup of tea. I should be so lucky. The family have a beach hut, which all seems so very civilised, if not to say English. They even have a tablecloth, although plastic coated, for their table.
I shall take a brief stroll along the seafront in a little while, neatly side-stepping the temptations of the ice cream shop. But I mustn't linger too long, as I must set out on the next stage of my journey, the ride along the dismantled railway from Budleigh Salterton to Exmouth. There's just no peace for the wicked, is there?
[18:48]: It seems I have made it to Exmouth, at last. Right, silence from me now, as I eat my fish & chips.
[19:22]: I must say, the fish & chips were very nice. At £6.00, I would expect them to be. Is that the going rate these days? I must get out more. I remember when fish & chips were 2s 10d. Now you're wondering, just how old can this guy be?
But enough moaning. What a glorious evening to be down here in Exmouth. I feel like I'm on holiday. I suppose, some would say I am. I have to confess to being a lucky bugger, if you'll excuse my French, as a certain aunt of mine would say. One last glance over my shoulder as I’m about to set off from Exmouth, a view of the new Premier Inn, situated on the seafront at Exmouth, next to The Bath House. It replaces the Elizabeth Hall that previously stood on this site. The new building is styled with certain Art Deco references, and is a bit squashed into a small site, but reasonably smart looking.
![[Exmouth]: The new Premier Inn](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/394/20457511162_652e6cce1c_z.jpg)
[19:28]: And I've yet to reach home, so I must get cycling. A following wind would be nice - is that too much to ask? Yes, I thought so too. Ok, sweat and tears it will have to be, but I'll try to avoid the blood.
[20:31]: Arrived Topsham, still in sunlight. I'm not sure what's fading quickest, me or the daylight. Evenings are really the loveliest time of day. It seems a shame that's the time so many people are watching television. Isn't it interesting, though, to read that TV licence ownership has dropped to the same level it was at in 1972. Perhaps we've lived through the TV age. I suppose the question is, what will be the next distraction? That’s probably not hard to fathom. I recently read, “People walk about in a state of distractibility.” I think cycling could be the antidote.
[21:25]: Home, at last. Rather later than I'd intended. But, then, I did start out rather late, and it was never my intention to rush. Surprisingly, I wasn't too exhausted come the end of my ride. That must be down to the new fitter me. Doubt me? See my fitness profile on Runtastic (link above/right) if you are in need of proof.
Well, the 'blog' writing on-the-go, as shown above, I feel went really well today. By using OneNote, I was able to simply write my notes in this 'Blog Share' notebook, a bit at a time as I went about my day, and could allow the auto-synchronisation capability of OneNote to post my updates back to the cloud. I simply put a link to this shared notebook in the description of my Flickr photo album that I created for this trip. Technology just gets better and better.
Description and photos of a previous visit of mine to Farringdon can be found from the following links:
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Blog post: 16 August 2014 - Cycle: Exeter to Budleigh Salterton via Farringdon (33.1 Miles) – Blogger
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Photos: 316 Budleigh Salterton via Farringdon and East Budleigh - Flickr
Cycle Statistics:
Total Distance: 54.2 km / 33.7 miles
Moving Time: 4hrs 50min
Stopped Time: 2hrs 36min
Total Ascent: 704 metres
Maximum Elevation: 162 metres
Buses: (none)
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