Marching through March – Week Three

Marching through March for the Children’s Hospice South West

Liz Guppy’s Challenge Week 3

Here is week three of my challenge. I’m so grateful for all the support I have received. all to the benefit of the Children’s Hospice South West.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/catherine-elizabeth-guppy

This page provides my daily diary and gallery. Some fantastic views in our parish, all in walking distance.

Visit my Week One Page
Visit my Week Two Page
Visit my Week Four Page

DAY 15

The familiar walks always spark something new and different. So another walk down towards Horse Hill turned into somewhat of a “ yellow day”for my focus. Unplanned but just evolving. The yellowness all around right now is such a heartening sight. I was taken by the view and light looking North East from Roundash back over Risdon and on to the familiar line of trees which mark Yetheridge Caravan park. Then having crossed the meadows via the footpath I decided to double back and walk down the lane to see if there were signs of the early purple orchids on the bank going towards Horse Hill cross roads. I was in luck!!!!!! And of course the promise of foxgloves tucked into hedge sculptures.  From there on through the village, a variety of different types of daffodils including the most beautiful delicate wild ones and the miniature tote a tote. Lots of the blousy, doubles ( butter and cream variety we used to call them as children). Celandines, dandelions, primroses, wild spurge down by the muddy section on the bottom road, forsythia tumbling over a wall and yellows orange stems of willow.  A very happy “ yellow walk” today. 4.3 miles covered.

DAY 16

A dullish grey day today so I thought I would follow the colour theme of yesterday and  do a village trail of “things red”. Well, post boxes seemed the obvious focus so starting at home, we have our own!  A remnant of when Mrs Stacey lived here and ran a post office and general stores from what is now the dining bit of our kitchen. Although the old GR one had to be replaced recently. I have talked to someone who remembers buying sweets here after getting off the school bus from Chumleigh back in the late 1950s. On the way down Rull Hill it was good to see the cows out in a great crowd again. On through the woods at the bottom to Drayford and not only the post box here, again a GR, but also the old telephone box tucked into some trees. So back up the lane after a quick stop for a dog swim in the river here and noticing again where the Adworthy brook which now flows under the road comes out and joins the Dart. ( there used to be a ford here). A red painted gate caught my eye on the way up the hill to East Worlington and the post box outside the old village post office and shop. Lots of us will remember it as “Winnie’s cottage”.  A much respected village member for many years. I wanted to record this ancient window on the back of a building in the village and then headed along to Oak, Ash and Thorn ( the old telegraph office!) to the next old phone box. The new post box at the junction at West Worlington replaced a VR box fairly recently. I was informed that there was another one at Affeton so I hiked up the hill to go and investigate but it was a wild goose chase and I felt a little bit like the sign post at Woodpark Cross at the end of it. Luckily Paul came to pick me up. A fun trail today and lovely to chat to village friends on route. 4.5 miles.

DAY 17

Today I walked with a local friend plus dogs who hadn’t experienced the joys of the old settlement round, so that’s what we did.  I put photos of this on last weeks diary so am just putting a few in here in case people haven’t seen the others.  There are always new things to see! The new pictures for today which really made us laugh are of the new lambs with their Mums. Nursery playtime in abundance!  Babies dancing with all four feet off the ground, mums trying to round them up and some so exhausted that they were creeping off to the hedgebank to have a rest along side the wild daffodils. In a previous entry I mentioned the old farmstead which had gone to ground down the green lane heading towards the settlement. I got the name wrong and whilst looking further I found it to be called Sowden’s Burridge, not Middle Burridge as I had thought. It’s Interesting as there is another farm not far away called Sowden’s Leigh. The origin of place names often tell interesting family stories. I wonder what this one was!? 4.3 miles.

DAY 18

A fabulous morning and so I set out early with the rising sun to my right as I went down Rull Hill. On the way to Three Hammers Cross I had a little peek into the Methodist church grave yard. I immediately spotted the grave of Nancy May Govier who occupied our house for many years. She was a very intrepid lady with few mod cons here at that time. She made fly fish hooks. We found a few tucked into a crack in the beam in the sitting room, and they remain there undisturbed. I would love to have met her. The morning light on some of the buildings down the hill was glorious so I took a few pictures from the lane looking back in a south westerly direction. Again so good to see the cows!  I was bombarded by bird song along the way and watched skylarks above the fields and rooks which all took off in one screeching go from the conifers just below Rusdon Cottage.  From the viewpoint at Hensley entrance the light on the villages meant more pictures today. Paul and Molly met and joined the party at Edgelake and we headed round the woods, and the meadows. I noted the silhouettes of sheep and Thelbridge church from the gate leading into the Stockham field, the bird and small creature holes along the river bank and of course the lovely duck family, Jemima and co. Back to the car via the lane heading out of east village.  4.3 miles.

DAY 19

A local friend came to join Molly and me today who hasn’t ever visited “The Worlington villages”  before so I decided to give her the guided tour. We both took cars to Edgelake then around the meadows and woods in traditional style ending in Drayford. Back through to  East village where I could show her the village centre. She is also interested in church architecture so that prompted me to look in more detail at the Norman patterns on the arch above the church door.  The old yew tree in the graveyard hides it’s age but I guess it has lots of stories to tell.  As a retired teacher too she was keen to see and hear about our little school and also the village hall.  We followed the road to West village and spotted the wavy ridge of the roof of the old pub skittles alley. I hadn’t noticed that before and was intrigued by it’s graceful settlement.  On up the hill to pop into West church yard and the beautiful carved bosses and leaf details on the roof of the porch there. So on to Affeton Castle, and down the hill to the river and mill and up to the Horse Hill junction turned left back along the bottom road back into the villages passing natural tree sculptures which resembled creatures.  We chatted for a while with another mutual friend outside her house before heading back to the cars and a flask of tea and cake.  The walk turned out longer than I had thought. 5.6 miles! 

DAY 20

We ventured further afield today’ just a little bit!  There is a favourite walk we do around he Huntacott river valley east of Chumleigh. It flows into the Dart just by Chumleigh Bridge. The round starts in Chumleigh heading north east on the footpath as far as Farrier’s bridge and back along the south side of the river. It is now not possible to complete that round because the bridge right at the end of the walk has been washed downstream! So …….. we did the first half which takes in stunning views from above the little river along ancient tracks with double hedges which I think must once have been a green lane, crossed only now by many creatures who leave their trails. This old path takes you along to Brookland Farm which you only see from the north on this path but is well worth looking up if you are interested in Devon vernacular buildings. It is an ancient and historic farm stead. A cross passage house, three stories high on the front and nestled into the north side of the hill at the back. It is listed and much recorded by the photographer James Ravillious and also by the Bedford Archive. It has had an ecclesiastical history in it’s past too. A wonderful and atmospheric farm with old meadows and orchard which remain as one might imagine it many years before. Well, our diversionary route the took us down the lane to Farrier’s cottage ( because we couldn’t get Molly through the style to the footpath which cut off the corner). Up and up and up heading north to Challacombe where we headed west down and more up and up again to Parsonage Farm. It’s like being on top of the world up there with stunning views to south east and west. A bit of exhaustion and muscle ache had set in by then so I ( and Molly) we’re glad that the last mile was mostly a gentle walk back to Parsonage cross and across a footpath back to Chumleigh. The route was absolutely packed with wild daffodils and cultivated escapees. I really recommend this route to any who don’t mind the challenge of steep Devon Hills. It’s packed with interest!  I meant to add :  wild garlic in abundance, blackthorn blossom, and a song thrush singing it’s heart out too. 4.8 miles today. Whew!

DAY 21

I thought we would combine our walk today with a Tesco, click and collect from Crediton!  So we extended another of our favourite walks around Kennerleigh and ended up having quite an adventure. Parking by Manor Farm, we did a short footpath loop east of the road through Higher Woodbeer with its very interesting cow shed and the glorious village pond with orange willows, daffodils and Canada Geese. Onto the main road again and crossing over, we took the path through Lower Woodbeer garden (which is beautiful) and through a gate onto an upturned pudding basin shaped hill with a path going all the way round. (maybe you can track this from the map photos, but as is often the case our route was on two bits of the map! I have tried to mark the route in purple on the map). We took the southerly path and climbed round into higher meadows with stunning views over to Dartmoor and back over Kennerleigh. The meadow was covered in large patches of blue Germaniser speedwell like little blue gemstones scattered in the grass. The path took us north along the high ridge above and to the west of the Binneford Water valley bringing us down to continue the valley alongside the water through a very secluded meadow towards Creedy Farm. The high tree lined path is also lined with bright yellow gorse, wild daffodils and primroses. It is indeed a stunning walk at this time of the year. I would highly recommend it. When we met the lane near Creedy Farm we branched East on an old byroad aiming to complete a triangle back through Wolfardisworthy (Wolsery). We were advised by a local man out gardening, that the old Barton Farm might not be passable due to large amounts of slurry in the lane but that the rest of the lane was beautiful with wildflowers.  He said we could do a field bypass at that point if necessary. The lane was(is) indeed fabulous with the little twinkly Binneford water beside us. We climbed once again to the top of the ridge with fantastic views and distinctive very red clay soil particular to that part of Devon. Then we met with the slurry and the farmer filling his tractor with fuel. After a brief and not very helpful exchange we retraced our steps and cut across a red muddy track which took the point off the triangle and landed us on the lane by Penhay Farm. The lane back west to Woolsery followed another little unnamed stream and although we had hoped to make it into Woolsery to see the church and the pretty village we were suddenly running out of time and had to hasten back towards Creedy Farm again and then over the meadow paths back to the very muddy yard of the farm where we had parked. Climbing over a heap of swedes on the way. We were muddy up to our knees and Molly had to be bathed which she hates. Just made it to collect the Tesco shopping! 5.8 miles.