19 January 2011 – Walk: Hemyock to Honiton (15.3 Miles)

Synopsis: Inspiration for this walk came from my Shell Guide to Devon, in which it talks of a beautiful Norman font in the church at Dunkeswell. The early morning brought with it a severe frost.

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(selection of photos from Flickr photo set – use link above to view album)

This was new territory for me to explore. I needed to make an early start (5:30am alarm call) for this walk to be possible on a January day when the days are short. There was a reasonable distance to be covered, so although the walk included some sightseeing, there was little time to dawdle, especially as I wanted to be home in time for badminton in the evening. The walk was in part inspired by a photo of the Norman font of Dunkeswell Church that I’d seen in the Shell Guide of Devon, a copy of this guide I’d picked up last year for £5. The church font looked to be well worth closer inspection.

Hemyock - town pump - 1902, cast iron

The Shell Guide on Hemyock: “Unlovely village, but good things in it.” Now, isn’t that a lovely turn of phrase. I rather suspect the influence of Sir John Betjeman who was one of the co-editors of this book, as he was never one to shy away from saying what he thought. I suppose, for the sightseer, it doesn’t have much to recommend it, but I would think it a pleasant place to live. Here is the Shell Guide on the village pump: “Town pump, 1902, cast iron like dripping wax and economically celebrating the reign of Victoria, the coronation of Edward and the peace in South Africa.” Lovely! Well, when funds are short one has to do what one can to stretch those pounds.

 

Dunkeswell Abbey - chapel (1842)

 

Half way between Hemyock and Dunkeswell are the remains of Dunkeswell Abbey, a Cistercian abbey that was quite formidable in its day, a day that came to an end with the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII. The ruins include part of the Abbey gate house and some of the Abbot’s house. Once again I do like the Shell Guide’s description of the chapel built on the site in 1842, which it describes as, “rather dull”. Fair comment I’d say.

Dunkeswell Abbey - chapel (1842) - 13c stone coffin of Lord William de Brewer, founder of the Abbey

 

Apparently two 13c stone coffins were discovered in the excavations of the old Abbey church, one of which is thought to probably be that of Lord William de Brewer, who founded the Abbey in 1201.
 

 

 

Dunkeswell Aerodrome

 

 

I deliberately planned the next stretch of the walk to loop up by Dunkeswell Aerodrome, as I thought I might see some light aircraft taking off and landing. I was not disappointed. As this was such a beautiful still day with a crystal clear blue sky, the pilots were out in their hordes. The sky was full of little jalopies buzzing around like gnats in the air. I was left with the impression that I was watching a flying tractor circus display, as that was the sound that many of the motors brought to mind.

Dunkeswell - church - Norman font

 

The thing that sparked this walk in my imagination was, as mentioned previously, seeing a photograph of the Norman font in the church at Dunkeswell. I do love all things Norman, and this looked to be a particularly fine example of a Norman font. I wasn’t disappointed on seeing the font; the carvings are exquisite. Sometimes Norman carvings will be simple geometric patterns that repeat, but here are beautifully carved figurines. Rather than be perfectly natural they’re somewhat stylised, but this adds to the magic and otherworldly look of them. The walk would have been worth it if this were all that were in its favour.

Awliscombe - church on a hill

 

 

 

There was no easy route for me to take for the relatively short distance between Awliscombe and Honiton, the most obvious direction being the main road (the A373). As I didn’t fancy this I plotted a tangential course along Greenway Lane up into a hilltop forest. This was quite a demanding climb, particularly considering I had to cover the distance quite quickly if I were to catch the 16:25 bus from Honiton. This stretch certainly got my heart and lungs well exercised.
 

This was a walk through lovely countryside with plenty of interesting things to see on route. The early start when the ground was white from severe overnight hoar frost, was particularly beautiful. It felt good to be out in the country walking again after rather a long break. A fine start to the new year.

Walk Statistics:

Total Distance: 15.3 miles
Moving Time: 5hrs 31min
Stopped Time: 40min
Total Ascent: 560 metres
Maximum Elevation: 264 metres

Buses: 380, 20A & 52B

24 December 2010 – Walk: Lympstone to Exmouth (8.8 Miles)

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.

Photo Set – Flickr -:- (Map)

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Tracklog and Photos - Google My Map

Tracklog overlay - OSM – ViewRanger -:- OS – WheresThePath

 

(selection of photos from Flickr photo set – use link above to view album)

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

20 December 2010 – Walk: Exeter in the Snow (9.6 Miles)

Synopsis: Once again the snows had fallen overnight, a covering of about 8-10cms. I had an appointment in town, so I packed a lunch and camera and went walk-about around the city.

Photo Set – Flickr -:- (Map)

GPS Tracklog Download (.gpx) Microsoft OneDrive -:- Google Drive

 

Tracklog and Photos - Google My Map

Tracklog overlay - OSM – ViewRanger -:- OS – WheresThePath

 

(selection of photos from Flickr photo set – use link above to view album)

I had to go to town for an appointment I was subsequently to find had been cancelled because of the weather. This did at least get me up and in town early. The walk into town took me a good twenty minutes longer than usual because of the snow that had fallen overnight. I knew things were going to be difficult when I looked out of my window first thing and saw that the road had not been cleared of snow. For some reason the gritter lorries had not cleared my road, which is unusual, as it’s a bus route.

As previously mentioned, my appointment had been cancelled because of the bad weather, signalled by a notice taped to one of the windows by the door. It might have been helpful to have had advance notice of this, but until someone invents the Internet, there’s evidently little chance of that happening.

Looking for a bus? It will be here somewhere, they all are.

First port of call, the bus station to use their toilets, where I’m immediately enmeshed in a Polish enclave of Stagecoach drivers drinking coffee, as buses were obviously going nowhere as yet. If you wanted a bus, this is where you’d find it.

 

High Street

 

 

 

It felt a little odd wondering around the city centre as it was so quiet. Quite a number of shops were closed and those that were open were almost empty. People were obviously struggling to get out today, and this being so close to Christmas too; this weather can’t be good for business

The Quay - Cricklepit Bridge

 

The River Exe had frozen over, which doesn’t happen very often. The last time I recall this occurring was Christmas 1989. The Exeter Ship Canal has been frozen over for more than a couple of weeks and was today white with snow from last night’s fall.

 

 

 

To be honest, there’s little more for me to say, as I think the photos speak louder than words, so if you want to know what today was like in Exeter, please browse my photo set on Flickr (link above).

Walk Statistics:

Total Distance: 9.6 miles
Moving Time: 4hrs 2min
Stopped Time: 1hr 44min
Total Ascent: 278 metres
Maximum Elevation: 62 metres

Buses: (None)

18 December 2010 – Walk: Haldon to Dawlish (8.9 Miles)

Synopsis: A walk in a winter wonderland, the forest of Haldon covered in snow. The sun was shining and it was surprisingly warm. Five roe deer darted across my path. A little snow on the beach at Dawlish.

Photo Set – Flickr -:- (Map)

GPS Tracklog Download (.gpx) Microsoft OneDrive -:- Google Drive

 

Tracklog and Photos - Google My Map

Tracklog overlay - OSM – ViewRanger -:- OS – WheresThePath

 

(selection of photos from Flickr photo set – use link above to view album)

Tree tops glisten, is how the songwriter put it, and that was truly what I would see today. It was however rather touch-and-go whether I’d actually make it out on this walk, as there was no sign of my bus to Torquay that I needed to get me up on Haldon. I was told that the buses at Torquay couldn’t exit the depot because of snow. Eventually, a little over an hour late and chilled through from standing around, I did depart the bus station on my bus. It was to be a relatively short bus ride for me, as all I required was a short ride to the top of Telegraph Hill. I got the impression that there was little call to stop there normally, as the driver mumbled something about, “Ah, so that’s where the bus stop is.” As I made my way in the direction of the forest I noticed the few people on the bus watching me, probably wondering where the hell I was going. Little did they know of the treat that was in store for me.

Haldon Forest

I only had to walk a couple of hundred metres from the bus stop to be transported into another world. All the trees were white and glistening in their fresh covering of snow. The sun, although very low in the sky, was strong and bright. The deep blue sky made a gorgeous back-drop for my photos. The road I walked was slippery being covered in compacted snow from the few vehicles that had come this way. The snow ploughs evidently never come this way.

 

Haldon Forest

 

A friend of mine recently said to me how quiet he found walking in snow, and I understood what he meant. Once I’d left the noise of traffic from the busy A380 behind me all was quiet apart from the crunch of snow under my boots. I can’t explain why it seems so quiet, or say whether it’s an illusion or actual phenomenon, but it was wonderfully peaceful. Possibly it being, as well as Mum’s birthday, the last shopping Saturday before Christmas, might have something to do with the tranquillity in which I was left to enjoy my walk.

Haldon Forest - The Obelisk

I don’t find snow easy to photograph. I look for what the light is doing, and hope that it will show me the good photographs, and it usually does. Luckily the light on this day was excellent for snow, bright and crystal clear, making everything three dimensional.

Haldon Forest - The Obelisk visible through the trees

 

 

 

 

As I climbed a gentle incline towards the Haldon Obelisk five roe deer darted across my path not far from where I stood. Unfortunately I wasn’t quite close enough to get a good photograph, which I will blame on the limitations of my camera. To be fair, it’s fine for the vast majority of the photographs I look to take, and it’s only these odd little ‘action’ photos that I miss as I don’t have the means to get close enough to get the shot (at least that’s my excuse).

Haldon Forest - The Obelisk

 

From the Haldon Obelisk I stopped momentarily to take in the glorious view from this vantage point. This was the first time I’d seen this landscape in snow, and it was a sight to behold.

I did take a wrong route from near hear, ending up in private woods marked with ‘No public access’ signs, which encouraged me to backtrack to the road and follow that way down the hill.

Haldon Forest - lunch spot

 

 

Looking over a gate I saw a field with a vast expanse of a view across the snow covered valley, and here I chose to hop over the gate and stop for lunch. Although I was sitting in snow, the strong sun made it seem quite warm, and I felt not the least bit chilled as I ate my lunch.

Haldon Forest - looking back to The Obelisk

 

 

After lunch I regained the track I was walking and continued on my way in the direction of Dawlish. I could look back over my shoulder and see the Haldon Obelisk peeking out between the trees behind me. The snow was already beginning to melt away on the south facing slopes of the hills. Occasionally here and there I would catch a glimpse of the view out over the mouth of the River Exe.

Dawlish - snow covered beach

 

As I approached Dawlish I picked up a footpath to my left which took be atop a hill overlooking the town and out to see. From here I was given a good impression of the steep sided valley location of Dawlish. Continuing along this footpath I was soon in Dawlish town and headed for the beach. Here I still found a little snow on some of the beaches.

 

 

This was a walk I have had ‘up my sleeve’ for quite a while, in that I’d pondered some time previously how I’d get out in snow when it should come, not now having a car. This had been my plan, and it worked well. Walking through Haldon Forest after snow transported me to another world, and one that I’d happily go back to. Bring on the snow!

Walk Statistics:

Total Distance: 8.9 miles
Moving Time: 3hrs 32min
Stopped Time: 1hr 22min
Total Ascent: 179 metres
Maximum Elevation: 252 metres

Buses: D, X46 & 2