Walking on Exmoor

Bidding farewell to the Old Vicarage we spent some time on the outskirts of Barnstaple locating a bridleway that would lead us to Smoky House Lane and the beginning of our track to Challacombe. The track proved to quite muddy as it was popular with trail bike riders and hence very slow and at times difficult to follow. Nevertheless it proved to be quite different from that we had become. accustomed to as it was mostly through soft woodland of oaks and chestnuts.

Later that morning we climbed steeply out of the Yeo valley to enjoy lunch at Bratton Flemming at the White Hart. After crossing the Bray valley we climbed uphill through Challacome to our overnight destination at Twitchen Farm - a property over 400 years old.

The following morning we had our first taste of Exmoor and it proved a very rewarding experience. The cultivation gradually gave way to moorland with remnants of beech tree windbreaks and characteristic mounded field boundaries. Other walkers were rare apart from occasional groups of schoolchildren on navigation exercises as part of a D of E award but who all asked us to loacte them on a map and point them in the right direction - the blind leading the blind. The weather was perfect, the larks were in full cry and we came across wild moorland cattle, Exmoor ponies and even spotted a herd of red deer - thanks to a friendly truck driver.
The Tarka Trail (our path) climbed to crest of the Exmoor Ridge at Woodbarrow Gate to the source of the River Exe and crossed the Two Moors Way into Devon. After a lunch at Simonsbath we headed up past Warren Farm to rejoin the Trail via the very steep Postman's Path. This was followed by a stroll across Elsworthy Moor to be collected by Richard at Larkbarrow Corner. Overnight at Exford.

As the weather was still clear we resumed our route the following day by crossing the high moors over Almsworthy Common and Exford Common to visit Dunkery Beacon the highest point on Exmoor which gave great views but a bit misty. The track then led us off the moor through rough pasture anda pleasant path through Blagdon wood to Wheddon Cross for lunch.
Our path out of the town was marked by a confrontation with a rather aggressive tractor driver with a full load of hay who completely blocked our path due to the very high and nettle-ridden hedges both sides of the road. Frances and David butied themselves in the hedge while I took off down the road back into the town with the tractor in hot pursuit. The narrow roads are often quite hazardous!

The remainder of the day's walk took us through Luxborough and on to Lype Hill where we stopped and returned to Exford for the night. The country here was clearly the venue for hunting and shooting (refined!!) as we heard the sound of gunshots and we sighted a number of hunting dogs. We spoke with the owner of Chargon House and were informed that the property was mentioned in the Doomsday Book and included at one time 18 villages in the area. We were also informed that the holding is now a 22 acre farm and a 600 acre shoot!!

Resuming the following day the path took us on a very tranquil path through Langridge Wood, a descent back to the Washford River and then to the quiet village of Roadwater. From Roadwater it was a mixture of field paths (quite overgrown and difficult to follow thanks to uncooperative farmers) and a descent via parkland to Nettlecombe Court in a beautiful location with its own church - formerly the seat of the Raleighs and now a field centre. The day was hot at about 30 degrees and very humid, our brows were dripping and the horse flies in abundance!!

A slow journey on to Monsilver for a late lunch at the Notley Arms followed by a circuitous but more easily travelled route to Bicknoller at the foot of the Quantocks. Again Bicknoller a pretty little village with a 15th century church. Before reaching Bicknoller we crossed the rail track for the newly preserved steam railway running between Minehead and Taunton.
Today is a much-needed rest day. Spent the day catching up on emails and visiting nearby Dunster Castle with its magnificent buildings and gardens, the quaint village of Dunster and the coastal town of Minehead.