Mildendreath to Seaton

Although it was only March it was a hot day, the forecasters saying the temperature would reach 20C.  We drove to Mildendreath, where it was free to park and walked to Seaton.  We knew before we set off that there were lots of ups and downs, but lunch at the cafe on the beach at Seaton was a good incentive.

There was a steep hill to climb out of Mildendreath, first on the road and then on a well defined path.  The views from the top were worth the effort.  Initially we could see across to Looe Island and Hannafore.  Later on in the other direction we could see around to Rame Head.

There were lots of flowers at the side of the path - primroses, violets, daffodils, gorse, hawthorn, pink campion and the occasional bluebell.  Butterflies were also fluttering around and we saw peacock. tortoiseshell, small blue.

There were picnic benches at the top of Bogdigga Cliffs but there were no other seats along the path.  And it was a very strenuous walk, going up and down, sometimes on steps.  It was a 2 1/2 mile from Mildendreath to Seaton but it took us 1 1/2 hours.  At times the path went through trees, but most of the time we were in the sunshine and it was very hot!  When we came out of the path there was a steep flight of steps that led to a road that went down to Seaton

After our lunch at Seaton we headed back the same way.  To begin with it did not seem to bad a walk, but as we went on it became very hot and it was hard work.  This was the most strenuous walk we have done to date, and I would not want to repeat it!  However, we can now say that we have done all the South West Coast Path from Plymouth to Polperro.

Mount Edgecombe Deer Park

We drove to the Cremyl Ferry, but the car park was already full so we went on to Devil's Point and parked there.  It was then a brisk walk back to the Ferry at Admiral's Hard, and fortunately we just caught it.

When we arrived at Cremyll we walked up the hill, past the House to the Barrow Car Park.  From there we walked up a track to the Deer Park.   Maker Church was a clear landmark and when we got there we turned back into the deer park and started to walk back and down.  Before long we saw deer in the distant.  As we approached them they ran off, but we caught up with them again and got closer next time.

We walked on to the Harbour View Seat, where there were wonderful views across to Plymouth.  Unfortunately there was a sun haze which meant you could not see into the distance clearly.

We then walked down to the South West Coastal Path to find our way back to Cremyll.  As we walked down through woods we could see that there were many bluebells.  There was one or two bluebells out including some amongst some daffodils.

Princetown to Kings Tor

Details of walk found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/content/articles/2005/09/13/princetown_railway_walk.shtml

We had started this walk previously, but it had started to rain so we had returned to the car before going far, but today was a bright sunny day so we looked forward to doing the whole 5 miles.  We parked the car in a layby just outside Princetown and walked down a path to the old railway line.  There were a few dartmoor ponies grazing here, including one with a young baby.

The path along the old railway line was fairly flat and a good surface.  We followed this path all the way to Kings Tor and around it.  Unfortunately it was hazy so we could not see clearly into the distance.  I am sure when the conditions are right you would be able to see for miles and miles.  Being up high on the moors also meant it was very windy, but this did not matter as the sun was shining.

Kings Tor

After we had walked around Kings Tor we missed the path that would take us back to the path to Princetown.  Fortunately we realised we were walking away from Princetown before too long so we turned back and found where we should have turned off the old railway.  This part was the only section of the walk that was uphill.  Once back on the old railway track it was an easy walk back to Princetown.

Jennycliff to Bovisand

We had done this walk back in August, but that day my camera was not working properly so I wanted to re-do it and take photos.  When we did it last year part of the South West Coast Path was closed due to a landslip and we had to walk a small section on the road.  Today the whole path was open.

Although the forecast was for a sunny day there was a sea mist that meant you cold not see Cornwall clearly.  I waited to take my photos on the return journey but the backgrounds were still not very defined.

There were a lot of steps at the beginning of the walk, first down then up but after this the path went gradually up and then down before more steps just before the end.  There were Devon violets along the side of the path to remind us which county we were in.

There were spectacular views of the Sound. into Plymouth and out to the Breakwater.  It was a pity it wasn't a clearer day.

It was low tide so there were large beaches at Bovisand and Sandy Parlour.

Bovisand Beach with the Breakwater in background

Sandy Parlour, with Bovisand Fort

East Devon Holiday

On Friday 16 March we headed east for a long weekend exploring East Devon.  Our first port of call was
Bicton Gardens.

Having won a photographic competition last year I had gift vouchers to go to Bicton Gardens.  I hoped to be able to take some good photos this time so that I could enter the competition again.

Firstly I noticed the bright colours of the plants in the glass house.

There were some lovely magnolias out and also camelias.

As we walked up to the Hermitage there were lots of daffodils.  I had hoped to take a picture of the train with daffodils but I did not get the train in the right position.  We then saw some rabbits.  They would have made a lovely picture, but they blended in with background and the close up shot was out of focus.

We came to a bird hide where we watched lots of birds feeding - blue tits, great tits, nuthatcher and robins.  Again I photographed them, but the birds were too small to be very clear in the photographs.

The Hermitage was looking really beautiful with all the daffodils.

After a brief visit to Otterton Mill we headed to the coast to visit Sidmouth.

Sidmouth

We parked just outside the town centre and walked through the Connaught Gardens to the path by the edge of the beach and along to the town centre.  We were very impressed with the town centre, there were lots of independant shops.

The next morning we set off from our caravan at 8.30 to walk to Budleigh Salterton.  The caravan site was right on the coast at Sandy Bay and the coastal path went round the side of the site.

Sandy Bay

The coastal path was more undulating that we had anticipated, but the views were worth the effort.  We could see across to the River Exe and inland as well as the sweep of the bay towards Budleigh Salterton with the distinctive red cliffs.

  As we started to walk down towards the town gorse bordered the path

When we reached Budleigh Salterton, after a quick look around the town we walked up the River Otter until the coastal path crossed the river to come down the other side to continue its way up the coast.  The clouds were gathering so we hurried back to the town, but soon we were caught in a heavy shower.  This soon passed and it had stopped raining  by the time we caught the bus to Exmouth.

After looking around the town centre in Exmouth and having a fish and chip lunch we headed to the sea front and started to walk back to the caravan.  This was a flatter walk with only one steep hill at the end of the beach up on to the cliff top.  This was near the Orcombe Point where the Jurrasic Coast starts, marked by the  geoneedle.

After walking along the cliff top we were soon back at the caravan at the start of our walk.

The next day, Sunday, started with bright blue skies.  We drove to Seaton, where we were surprised to see the cliffs were white, not red.

We parked the car near to Axmouth harbour and walked along the beach to the Tram station, where we took the tram to Colyford, going along the River Axe.  The tide was out so there was a lot of birds to be seen on the mud flats near the mouth of the river.  The highlight for me was the kingfisher I saw on the return journey.

The tram goes up to Colyton but we decided just to go as far as Colyford.  We walked around the village and  then along the river towards Colyford, but the rain clouds were gathering again so we hurried back to the station to wait for the tram back to Seaton .

Motor Museum, Colyford

From Seaton we drove on to Killerton.  There were loads of daffodils in the grounds and some very pretty magnolias.  I also spotted one bluebell.

We had hoped to walk in the surrounding area, but they had run out of copies of walk maps and the weather did not look good enough to walk too far from the car, so we just walked around the grounds and went inside to look at the house and fashion display - a bit disappointing.

Monday morning started in the same way as Sunday with bright blue clear skies.  After packing up all our things into the car we set out for Steps Bridge to view the daffodils.  We started walking down the side of the river next to the road.  We could see there were more daffodils on the other side of the river, but nevertheless there were some daffs to see.

There was a steep hill up the side of the path which was obviously forestry ground and there were daffodils scattered all up the hill.  We continued walking until we got to Clifford Bridge, then crossed the bridge and walked up the hill until we came to the entrance of Dunsford Nature Reserve.  We walked through this by the river back to Steps Bridge amazed by the numbers of daffodils.

From Steps Bridge we drove on to Castle Drogo, where we walked around the gardens and admired the views over the Teign Valley.  Again there were daffodils out in the gardens.

On our way home we decided to stop at Lydford Gorge.  We had not visited this National Trust property for a number of years.  Our memory was of a very dangerous path along the gorge.  We opted to do the short walk to the Devil's Cauldron and were soon walking on the narrow stone paths that looked perilous.  At least there were handrails and a wire fence in most parts, but as we approached the Devil's Cauldron there was a section with no barrier on the side of the path so we decided to turn back.  We did walk further along the river but again the barrier then disappears so we made our way back to the starting point.  However, it was good to see the rushing water.

Daffodils and the River Dart

It was a misty day but the weather forecasters said the sun would shine through on Dartmoor, so we headed to Hembury Woods to see the wild daffodils that we had heard grew there.  As we approached the car park we saw lots of daffodils on the hedges at the side of the road and as we pulled off the road there was a large patch of them in the picnic area.

From the car we walked up the hill towards the fort, but there were no daffodils in that direction, so we turned round and walked down the hill towards the bridge.  Along this pathway there were daffodils scattered through the trees.

After returning to our car we drove to Holne for lunch.  From there we followed the walk to Horseshoe Waterfall as described in the book "Walks on Dartmoor with an All terain buggy"  Having walked out of the village and picked up the mariners way that went down a path then across a couple of fields.  It was very muddy at the entrance to one of these fields, with a lot of manure, so we had to pick our path very carefully and make sure we did not slip!  After crossing the fields we came to a proper path and continued going downhill.  We could now hear the River Dart and soon saw it rushing along.

After we came to the Horseshoe Falls we decided to continue on the path to New Bridge.  We saw some daffodil plants at one stage, but only one or two daffodils were out.  There were also bluebell leaves so I think this would be an even more attractive walk when they were out.  Snowdrops had obviously been growing by the gate to the fields but they had finished but they must have made a show earlier in the year.

The climb back to Holne and walk through the fields was not that good.  In future I would drive to New Bridge and park there and walk from there along the flat parallel to the river, only going up the hill if I wanted to see the snowdrops.

On the drive home we stopped in Ashburton.  We were impressed by the unique shops in this town.  When we got back to the car park we noticed a field of daffodils on the hillside above the town.

Daffodils at Saltram

It was a sunny afternoon so we went to see the daffodils at Saltram.  As we entered the gardens we immediately saw daffodils at the edge of the grounds.  There was a path between the daffodils which we had never noticed before, so we decided to see where this led.  From the path we had a lovely view of Saltram House.

The path wound round and then up a slope to come out at the side of the house.  There were also plenty of daffodils up the lime walk along with primroses and the occasional bluebell.

There were lots of camelias out, other spring flowers and early rhododendrons.  There is always so much to see in the gardens at Saltram, and even though we have been there many times we still find new delights.

Buckland Abbey in Spring

The National Trust have recently bought the Cider House which is next to Buckland Abbey.  I was keen to see their garden so as soon as it was open to the public we went to visit.

The kitchen garden was looking a bit bare but the gardens around the Cider House showed a lot of promise.  There were lots of daffodils around as well as other spring flowers - primroses, camelias and others I could not identify.

 I particularly liked the Wild Garden and the wrought iron gate linking this to the more formal garden.  The sun was shining so brightly it was difficult to photograph this as the light was bouncing off the shining metal.

Having walked around the gardens we decided to walk along the river walk.  Again there were lots of daffodils at the side of the path.

When the path started to climb upwards through woods we decided to turn back.  We were on the 'blue route' which is the only designated walk around Buckland Abbey that we have not done  so far, but we decided we would definitely be back soon to complete it and see  the Cider Garden at different times of the year.

Lostwithiel to Lanhydrock

The sun was shining as we caught the early train to Lostwithiel.  There were primroses in the hedgerows as we swoosh past and when we got out at Lostwithiel we immediately saw daffodils beside the river.

We walked through the town and up Restormel Road towards the castle.  We had planned to see the castle, but the entrance gate was closed and although we could have walked around the side the hill up to the castle put us off, so we continued walking parallel to the river towards Lanhydrock.  Most of the way was quiet roads, just access roads, and when we did have to go across fields there was a definite path and only one muddy patch.  It was basically a flat walk, but although it followed the river this was usually too far away to see properly.  At one point we looked back and could see Restormel Castle on the hill behind us, but there was a line of tree stopping us get a good view.

After an hour we came to the Lanhydrock Estate.  We continued walking along the path until we came to the Lodge House and then we walked up the Avenue to Lanhydrock House.  We walked around the gardens, where there were plenty of camelias and a few daffodils.

The most spectacular camelia was the one that had been trained to grow up the front of the house.

There were lots of birds around, singing their hearts out.  One robin was happy to be photographed!

Having stopped for lunch overlooking the gardens we walked back down the Avenue to Respryn Bridge and then along the path to Bodmin Parkway Station for the train home.