The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking, trekking, and climbing the world

Inland walks in Devon

Apart from the five days hiking along the South West Coast Path from my most recent blog post, I spent the last four weeks walking some of the many inland paths, including some of the more popular walks in Exmoor and Dartmoor National Parks, as well as some local walks that required less driving time. From these dozen or so walks, I have distilled the following photos that I hope will give a flavor of the variety of Devon’s landscapes and nature.

Local Walks

In contrast to a 45 minutes to an hour plus drive necessary from my AirBnb in the mid-Devon village of Cheriton Fitzpaine for the closer of the national park walks, the local walks ranged from one right outside my door to about a 30 minute drive to reach the Exe River in the lovely city of Exeter.

A country lane on a Coombland Circular walk, about 20 minutes from my home
Surprisingly, bluebells were still in bloom at the end of May in Coombland
A typical Devon countryside vista seen on a circular walk from my house in Cheriton Fitzpaine
A field of barley near Cheriton Fitzpaine
View of the River Exe at the Quay in the city of Exeter. A 6 mile loop walk along the river was a great way to experience this lovely cathedral city.
The River Exe from Belle Isle Park in Exeter. This one park prohibits cycling and dogs, and as such is a peaceful oasis.
Countess Wear paper mill building along the river just south of Exeter. Some structures here date from the 17th century.
Gentrified apartments along the river in Exeter

Exmoor National Park

From my mid-Devon AirBnb in Cheriton Fitzpaine, I was about equidistant from the two national parks, the more wooded Exmoor and the higher, more rugged-feeling Dartmoor.

Exmoor, formerly a royal forest and hunting ground, is an area of wooded vales and hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon counties, named for the River Exe, whose source is in near its center. It was designated a national park in 1954.

Vista with a herd of about 40 Roe Deer, seen on a circular hike around Dunkery Beacon, the high point in Exmoor. This hike was technically in Somerset, not Devon.
Exmoor Ponies near Dunkery Beacon
Tarr Steps and Tarr Farm near the start of a circular walk to the village of Withypool. At 54 meters in length, the late medieval Tarr Steps is by far the longest clapper bridge in England.
The River Barle between Tarr Farm and Withypool. The long distance Two Moors Path follows the river here, connecting the south and north Devon coasts.
St Andrews church in the village of Withypool
A Withypool Cafe scone with jam and cold cream. A great snack break! And no, I didn’t consume all that cream.

Dartmoor National Park

Covering about 370 square miles, Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon that has been protected by National Park status since 1951. The landscape consists of moorland capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors. While it provides innumerable hiking opportunities, but because of its size I focused my efforts on the eastern and northern portions that were closer to my home.

View towards Yes Tor and High Willhays from near the trailhead at the (disused) Meldon Quarries
High Willhays summit cairn vista. At 621 meters (2,039 feet), it is the highest point in the park, indeed in all of southern England. This and the following photo were taken with my Panasonic Lumix. All others were taken using my Samsung A52 phone.
Vista with clouds on the descent from High Willhays. Far more dramatic than a blue sky!
Teign Gorge through which its namesake river flows. I did a 9 mile loop walk with Maggie through the gorge and on the hillsides above.
Dartmoor ponies grazing, hopefully not on the foxglove!
Teign River reflection in Teign Gorge
Fingle Bridge from the nearby cafe where we re-hydrated with a well earned soda water and lime
A house in the village of Scorriton at the start of a 9 mile circular walk I did last week up onto Holne Moor
PUDC boundary standing stone on Ryder’s Hill. The Paignton and Urban District stones, placed about every 200 meters, mark the catchment boundary of the nearby Venford Reservoir. (No, I did not know that at the time).
Cottongrass on Holne moor. My walk encompassed three separate hills, the highest of which was Ryder’s Hill.
Wild Dartmoor ponies near Ryder’s Hill summit.
Haytor (r) and Haytor rocks (l) from the Haytor car park. This short (5 mile) circular walk featured some very interesting scrambling opportunities and seemed much longer than the actual mileage.
View from Haytor towards the west. Maggie can be seen on the lower left.
The Vagabond Hiker standing on a rock slab at Houndtor. (Photo courtesy of Maggie).
Maggie at a Dartmoor stream near Houndtor. The riparian landscape provided a stark contrast to the nearby uplands.

When this blog posts, I will be in the midst of trekking in Norway, in the highest and one of the most rugged mountain ranges that country boasts: The Jotunheimen. Those eight days will be the subject of my next blog. Until then, enjoy the great outdoors wherever you happen to be.

The Vagabond Hiker

Comments

  1. Wow you can tell they get their fair share of rain there! Beautifully green. Looks like some good places to practice mindfulness.

    Looking forward to the Norway trip! I’d love to go there!

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