LEJOG day 10: Spreyton to Bickleigh
I think that when most people conjure an image of English countryside, they're imagining the bits of Devon I've walked through today. Rolling, green hills and scattered villages- much gentler than Cornwall, which was a bit rugged.
As I set off this morning, last night's host, Dennis, who has cycled LEJOG and will be doing it in reverse (JOGLE) with his son later this summer, let me know that Devon is the hilliest bit of my walk. I reminded him that the Pennines exist, and cyclists don't do that bit of the route. Nonetheless, today was indeed very up-and-down-y, which is how you get beautiful views. I walked along miles of empty (and nearly-empty) country roads - I even saw two deer who bounded away into roadside woods as I approached, flashing their white tails like rabbits do - and every time the hedges were low enough to look over, I got another view of hills and valleys, green fields and animals grazing and thatched houses - and very red earth in the ploughed fields.
I walked through Crediton, where I had my lunch and then a pot of tea in a coffee shop to warm up and stop myself from walking on again after only a ten minute break. Later on, I hit Thorverton, a lovely town with kennels like in Helston and a re-established village general store, which was rather charming.
After that, I got onto the Exe Valley Way, with about four miles to go before my bed and breakfast and a shower- a short detour along a footpath and over the river at a narrow point. The road decided to be both steep and bendy, so I was weaving from one side to the other to stay visible to any oncoming traffic - wind through the leaves of a tree sound almost exactly the same as a distant but approaching car, I find. Eyes peeled as I strode down the last descent, I saw the sign for the footpath- and a piece of wood wired over it with the word "closed" painted on it. What. To put this in context: I'd walked quite far enough already, with less than a mile left of my 19.6 mile day, and the next way over the river is in Bickleigh itself, another two miles up the road. I was not going to be doing that. Ready to plead my case, I walked into the farmyard, heard someone moving things around in a shed and called out "Hello?"
A farmer appeared.
"Hi!" I said, "I'm...well, I'm not lost , I know exactly where I am, but, uh...the footpath I need is closed..." I trailed off, making all kinds of 'pity me and let me through your fields' faces at him.
"Oh, it's not closed," he said. My heart leapt for joy. "The footbridge has washed away."
What.
It's WHAT?!
So, long story short, I've walked about 20 miles today, and I'm sitting in a pub eating chocolate mousse unshowered and in my walking gear. But the last two miles were very pretty, past Bickleigh castle and the bridge that supposedly inspired Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water", which I can still see from my table. But it does make tomorrow a little shorter, and tomorrow I get to see Emma!
Distance walked: 19.26 miles according to Runkeeper, but that shows some suspicious straight lines where there should be none...
Time taken: 6h20
Percentage completed: 13.9%, ish
Boot cost per mile: £0.43
Lunch: tomato and mozzarella pasta salad and a vegetable samosa, both from Okehampton, then a bag of crisps at half four
Last night's B&B: Cobbles, Spreyton: lovely lovely lovely. Let me soak in a bath in their own bathroom, offered to do my laundry, and there was homemade bread and Nutella at breakfast
A view in the rain- yes, it happened, I got rained on for the first time
Possibly a barrel vault? My Dad likes rooves as well as bridges
New thatch! And a thatched bird
Check out those barge boards
A house!
Very long-lived postmasters in Thorverton
Buddleia
A view
Another view
Yet another view!
Bickleigh castle
Wisteria on a thatched cottage- heaven
Bridge Over Troubled Water that actually looks pretty unbothered here
As I set off this morning, last night's host, Dennis, who has cycled LEJOG and will be doing it in reverse (JOGLE) with his son later this summer, let me know that Devon is the hilliest bit of my walk. I reminded him that the Pennines exist, and cyclists don't do that bit of the route. Nonetheless, today was indeed very up-and-down-y, which is how you get beautiful views. I walked along miles of empty (and nearly-empty) country roads - I even saw two deer who bounded away into roadside woods as I approached, flashing their white tails like rabbits do - and every time the hedges were low enough to look over, I got another view of hills and valleys, green fields and animals grazing and thatched houses - and very red earth in the ploughed fields.
I walked through Crediton, where I had my lunch and then a pot of tea in a coffee shop to warm up and stop myself from walking on again after only a ten minute break. Later on, I hit Thorverton, a lovely town with kennels like in Helston and a re-established village general store, which was rather charming.
After that, I got onto the Exe Valley Way, with about four miles to go before my bed and breakfast and a shower- a short detour along a footpath and over the river at a narrow point. The road decided to be both steep and bendy, so I was weaving from one side to the other to stay visible to any oncoming traffic - wind through the leaves of a tree sound almost exactly the same as a distant but approaching car, I find. Eyes peeled as I strode down the last descent, I saw the sign for the footpath- and a piece of wood wired over it with the word "closed" painted on it. What. To put this in context: I'd walked quite far enough already, with less than a mile left of my 19.6 mile day, and the next way over the river is in Bickleigh itself, another two miles up the road. I was not going to be doing that. Ready to plead my case, I walked into the farmyard, heard someone moving things around in a shed and called out "Hello?"
A farmer appeared.
"Hi!" I said, "I'm...well, I'm not lost , I know exactly where I am, but, uh...the footpath I need is closed..." I trailed off, making all kinds of 'pity me and let me through your fields' faces at him.
"Oh, it's not closed," he said. My heart leapt for joy. "The footbridge has washed away."
What.
It's WHAT?!
So, long story short, I've walked about 20 miles today, and I'm sitting in a pub eating chocolate mousse unshowered and in my walking gear. But the last two miles were very pretty, past Bickleigh castle and the bridge that supposedly inspired Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water", which I can still see from my table. But it does make tomorrow a little shorter, and tomorrow I get to see Emma!
Distance walked: 19.26 miles according to Runkeeper, but that shows some suspicious straight lines where there should be none...
Time taken: 6h20
Percentage completed: 13.9%, ish
Boot cost per mile: £0.43
Lunch: tomato and mozzarella pasta salad and a vegetable samosa, both from Okehampton, then a bag of crisps at half four
Last night's B&B: Cobbles, Spreyton: lovely lovely lovely. Let me soak in a bath in their own bathroom, offered to do my laundry, and there was homemade bread and Nutella at breakfast
You came so close to us. What a pace!! We are just a few miles away in Tiverton spread out in our canopy bed, feet aching and thinking oft you.
ReplyDeleteYou came so close to us. What a pace!! We are just a few miles away in Tiverton spread out in our canopy bed, feet aching and thinking oft you.
ReplyDeleteI did wonder if I would catch you! Where are you stopping tomorrow?
DeleteGood pictures, Bickleigh Castle looks interesting!
ReplyDelete