Two Dogs and an Awning

Tag: Tarka Trail

  • Gammaton Cross and Halfpenny Bridge

    Gammaton Cross and Halfpenny Bridge

    One of the things about returning to a CL site is that we are familiar with the local area and will have done walks we want to repeat.  Seabreeze CL being located so close to the Northam Burrows has seen us out with Crosby early in the morning for at least three miles just wandering around the open access land.

    The last two days has also seen us repeat walks from previous visits.  On Wednesday we walked from the site along the South West Coastal path to Westwood Ho! and then up to Kipling Tor, you can see details of that route here. Yesterday saw us heading off to Great Torrington to walk a section of the Rolle Canal and the Tarka Trail, I have walked this route a few times and details can be found here.

    Today Lynnie is meeting her cousins in Appledore whilst I take Crosby out from Great Torrington on a quest to bag an Ordnance Survey Trig Pillar.  My starting point is the large car park on Great Torrington Common and I begin by heading north west on the common and then gradually descending on a path towards the A386.

    Just before reaching the road I turn right on a track and then take a left across a stream, keeping to the left along the base of Furzebeam Hill and then after a couple of hundred yards turn right on a footpath heading east uphill.

    I stay with this path to meet a junction of paths at the top of the hill, here I turn right following a path besides the edge of the common.

    I stay with this path as it turns to the left to join a minor road where I turn right and head downhill to a four way junction where I turn left and follow a minor road signposted for Gammaton and soon cross a bridge.  My route now stays with this lane for three miles to reach Gammaton.  Along the way there are a number of ancient milestones harking back to the days when this would have been a major route to Bideford and Barnstaple.  Thankfully now it is a very quiet lane and I only meet a handful of cars.

    At Gammaton Cross I go straight over and soon fork right to reach the Gammaton Cross Ordnance Survey Trig Pillar.  This is the 241st I have bagged and like many in this part of Devon is situated on top of the hedge line and is overgrown.

    From the trig I retrace my steps to Gammaton Cross and go straight over, after passing a milestone I fork right on a lane signposted to Weare Giffard.

    After a few hundred yards at a fork in the road I keep left still heading for Weare Giffard and stay with the signs to the village as I pass junctions heading steadily downhill.  This is another very quiet lane and I see even less cars that I did on the lane up from Great Torrington.  In Weare Gifford I turn right and follow the road as it leads through the village.  Just after passing a playing field I stop on a stone bench for lunch whilst enjoying a fine view of the River Torridge.

    Resuming my walk I stay with the road leading through the village to reach Holy Trinity church, which was built in the 13th century and enlarged in the 15th century.

    Back on the road I continue through the village and soon get a fine view of the Halfpenny Bridge spanning the River Torridge.  Built in 1835 the bridge apparently gets its name from the toll fee that was payable to cross.

    At a junction of roads I turn left and cross the Halfpenny Bridge to reach the houses dotted around Annery Kiln.  The place derives its name from the large lime kiln that was built here as part of the Annery Estate.  The cottages were built to house the kiln workers. Its location was chosen to be  close to the Torridge at the furthest navigable point on the tidal estuary.  Later, in 1827 when the Rolle Canal was built that served as the transportation point for the limestone and coal required in the kiln.

    After passing under a disused railway bridge I join the Tarka Trail besides the A386 and head in a southerly direction towards Great Torrington.

    The route is easy to follow and I stay with the Tarka Trail crossing the River Torridge on a couple of occasions.

    On reaching the old Railway Station I leave the Tarka Trail and cross the road, turning left to walk up the hill on the pavement besides the A386 returning to my starting place in the car park.  It has been a fine day out, despite doing a lot of walking on tarmac the lanes have been quiet and there have been some good views.

    To follow this walk you will need Ordnance Survey Explorer Map OL 139 – Bideford Ilfracome and Barnstable

    You can view this 12  mile walk on OS Maps and download the GPX File Here

    23th April 2021

    © Two Dogs and an Awning (2021)

    All information on this site is provided free of charge and in good faith and no liability is accepted in respect of damage, loss or injury which might result from it.  To the best of my knowledge the routes are entirely on public rights of way or within areas that are open for public access.
    Walking can be hazardous and is done entirely at your own risk.  It is your responsibility to check your route and navigate using a map and compass.

  • Trig Hunting on Exmoor in the Rain

    Trig Hunting on Exmoor in the Rain

    After bagging Withypool Common trig point yesterday at Brightworthy Barrow I plan to add two more to my list today and have the trigs at Shoulsbury Castle and Five Barrows in my sights.  The starting point for my walk is a parking area besides the B3358 just a few hundred yards to the south east of Goat Hill Bridge (Grid Ref: SS724403).

    It is another of those days when I know I will get wet at some point, but leaving the car the sky is clear and there looks to be no imminent threat of rain.  I start along the road to cross Goat Hill Bridge and then continue uphill to reach the Edgerley Stone.

    This is an ancient boundary stone marking the border of Somerset and Devon. According to the Historic England website it is recorded on maps of Exmoor as far back as 1207 but remains in good condition.  On the stone is a clear Ordnance Survey benchmark and the names F Issac and F Bray are carved on the stone.  

    After passing the stone I continue along the road, now in Devon, and after a hundred yards take a bridleway on the left signposted to Mole’s Chamber.

    I have joined the Tarka Trail, a long distance path covering 180 miles in Somerset and Devon, it is a circular route and I have previously walked long sections of it around Bideford and Great Torrington.

    As I start heading uphill the wind that has been battering me for a while is suddenly accompanied by horizontal rain.  So after a quick rummage in the rucksack my full waterproof gear is put on.  The path is easy to follow and continues through a gate and heads down towards Lew Combe.

    It was my intention to take a turning on the right and follow the hedge line up along the edge of the access land to reach Shoulsbury Castle and the OS trig pillar.  However, the ground is very boggy and the route goes west straight into the wind and rain, which is now interspersed with hail. It is not often that I abandon a route to a trig, but I decide there is no enjoyment in walking straight into a hail storm.  The trig has been there for many years and should still be there when I visit again in 2021 so I stay with the track and start to head uphill.

    I reach the Sloley Stone, another boundary stone marking the border between Devon and Somerset and it also once marked the western edge of the Forest of Exmoor.  There are records of this stone dating back to 1678.

    There is a footpath on the left towards Mole’s Chamber, but instead I stay with the Tarka Trail to pass a barn and then reach a minor road where I turn left.

    Following the road, still on the route of the Tarka Trail, I gradually ascend gaining panoramic views across the moor which are impressive even in the poor visibility.  

    I stay with the road to reach a gateway to Five Barrows ancient monument. 

    Going through the gate I follow a boggy path with a fence to my right, as I head up I spot cattle.  Usually if cattle are some way off I am not too bothered, but these take what looks like an unhealthy interest in us.  So I decide not to risk an encounter with a frisky herd whilst I have Crosby with me and instead turn around and retrace my steps back downhill to the road.  In doing so I abandon any hope of bagging Five Barrows Trig Pillar today.  At the road I turn right and head towards Kinsford Gate.

    On reaching Kinsford Gate I turn left at the crossroads and follow the road downhill to cross a stream.  The road then rises and I stay with it to pass the entrances to Kinsford and Emmett’s Grange.  At a Restricted By-Way signed to Cornham Farm on the left I leave the road and head onto the moor.

    This is an easy path and it is also an attractive route as it descends into Burcombe heading towards a river.

    I cross the river via a footbridge.  This is a very tranquil spot and fully makes up for the disappointment of missing out on two trigs today.

    After crossing the footbridge I follow a path to a gate and go through to follow an uphill farm track giving fine views of the river below.

    At a gate I follow the way-markers to the west side of Cornham Farm and then go through a couple of gates to reach the farm driveway where I turn left and walk towards the B3358.

    On reaching the road I have two choices, either to follow my original plan and head straight across to walk a route around the moor and back to Goat Hill Bridge, or turn left and walk along the road.  My preferred option would be to avoid the road, but the walk has taken longer than I anticipated and I am not confident I will get around the moorland route before the light fails.  So reluctantly I turn left and walk besides the road for a mile and a half to get back to my starting point.  Fortunately there is very little traffic so it is not too bad.

    I arrive back at the car just as another band of rain is coming in, so hastily Crosby and I are in the car and heading back to Minehead to plan tomorrow’s trip out.  My walk has covered 8.5 miles and has been enjoyable despite not reaching the planned trig points and walking further on roads than originally planned.

    You can view this 8.5 mile walk on OS Maps and download the GPX File Here

    To follow our walk you will need Ordnance Survey Outdoor Explorer Map OS9 Exmoor

    28th October 2020

    © Two Dogs and an Awning (2020)

    All information on this site is provided free of charge and in good faith and no liability is accepted in respect of damage, loss or injury which might result from it.  To the best of my knowledge the routes are entirely on public rights of way or within areas that are open for public access.
    Walking can be hazardous and is done entirely at your own risk.  It is your responsibility to check your route and navigate using a map and compass.

  • Along the Tarka Trail from East Yarde

    Along the Tarka Trail from East Yarde

    Today Crosby and I are back on the Tarka Trail, our starting point is the small hamlet of East Yarde a few miles outside of Great Torrington.
    (more…)

  • The Rolle Canal and Tarka Trail from Great Torrington

    The Rolle Canal and Tarka Trail from Great Torrington

    On our last visit to Seabreeze CL in September 2017 I went for an interesting walk along a section of the Tarka Trail from Great Torrington.  On that occasion Lynnie didn’t join me, instead she had a wander around Bideford.  I have enticed her to join me today with the promise of ice cream from the Hockings’ van that parks at Great Torrington common.
    (more…)

  • Along the Tarka Trail from Great Torrington

    Along the Tarka Trail from Great Torrington

    Today is another day when I am out on my own with the dogs. Lynnie has decided to spend the afternoon wandering around Bideford before visiting her Uncle. When we stayed at Seabreeze last year we walked sections of the Tarka Trail, this afternoon I plan to explore some more of it.
    (more…)

  • Powers Off

    Powers Off

    A rainy morning in North Devon so I take the boys for their early morning walk, forty minutes walking the lanes as there are no footpaths close by, then it’s a leisurely breakfast and catch up on a few jobs.

    (more…)

  • Surfs Up

    Surfs Up

    There are a few minor challenges to our new lifestyle, obviously the space we occupy is significantly smaller than being at home. Whilst the facilities in the van are good there is a limit to the amount of hot water that you can get in the shower, so there is no hanging about and we both miss the luxury of just being able to stand in the shower knowing that it will not suddenly run cold.

    (more…)