We left the general route
description last time at Withypool where the Exe Valley Way begins to coincide
with the Two Moors Way… so that’s where this instalment will kick off.
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The Two Moors Way is a
long-distance path that runs from Lynmouth on the coast of North Devon,
crossing parts of both Exmoor and Dartmoor, finishing in Ivybridge in South
Devon. The total length of the trail is about 103 miles (166 km), and some
sections are difficult in poor weather. I won’t be walking the whole length.
I’ll start up in Withypool which is a small village in Somerset, near
the centre of Exmoor National Park and close to the border with Devon. From
there I’ll walk south along the River Barle to the Tarr Steps. The Tarr Steps
is a clapper bridge that possibly dates to around 1000 BC. The stone slabs
weigh up to 1-2 tons apiece. According to local legend, they were placed by the
devil to win a bet. The bridge is 180 feet (55 m) long and has 17 spans.
Crossing the Tarr Steps will lead me to the small village of Hawkridge, then
turning south west towards the village of Knowstone.
From there it’s a zig-zagged southerly route as far as the village of Witheridge which is situated almost equidistant from Dartmoor and Exmoor. As such Witheridge has earned the
nickname the Gateway to the Two Moors Way.
From Witheridge its westward to Morchard
Bishop, a village with a population of less than a thousand people which is
reputed to be the bustling hub of activity in this area of the world – so a
good place to stop for a pint in my book! Another jagged southerly route will
eventually find me at Hittisleigh, a small village known as the birthplace of
Samuel Bellamy the eighteenth-century pirate.
Then it is onwards to the village
of Drewsteignton and then over Sharp Tor and Hunters Tor past Castle Drogo
before moving further south towards the small town of Chagford.
Rather than stroll into Chagford I will link up with the Dartmoor Way just north of the town which will lead me counter-intuitively north-west.
The Dartmoor Way is a route
around Dartmoor which links hamlets, villages and towns with a variety of
scenery including wild upland, sheltered valleys and quiet lanes. As I head
northwest I’ll first come to the village of Throwleigh and then a bit farther
still the village of Sticklepath. Why am I going to be heading north-west when
surely I should be heading south? Well, whilst Sticklepath might be technically
on Dartmoor, it is easier to follow the established footpaths skirting the
edges of the moors than it is to try and strike out across the moors where
there are no established paths – along this section not only are you guided by
the Dartmoor Way but also by the Tarka Trail with which it coincides.
Sticklepath is only a short
distance from Okehampton, an ancient settlement founded around 980 AD and today
a thriving town in West Devon.
Okehampton is also the point at
which I pick up the Two Castles Trail. The Trail follows river valleys, ridge
roads, open downland and woods away from the northern edges of Dartmoor, linking
the imposing Norman castles at Okehampton and Launceston. What’s more the Trail
coincides with the West Devon Way between Okehampton and Bridestowe which means
I’m bagging another established footpath at the same time. Plus, it represents
the point at which I turn sharply southwest again.
The first notable settlement I’ll
pass as I clip the northwest corner of Dartmoor will be the village of
Bridestowe, then westwards on to the village of Lewdon which is dissected by
the A30 and then further west still the village of Lifton, one of the first in
the west of Devon to be founded by the Saxons, and of strategic importance to
them because of its location on a major route close to the border with Cornwall.
A little further west and I will reach the end of the Two Castles Trail at
Launceston.
Launceston Castle, which dominates the town, is a Norman castle of
motte-and-bailey design, and was built by Robert, Count of Mortain
(half-brother of William the Conqueror) ca. 1070 to dominate the surrounding
area.
From Launceston I go off piste
properly for the first time and for quite a while. I’ll head south towards Daws House and South
Petherwin, then sharply west towards Polyphant and Altarnum. Unlike the
indomitable looming Dartmoor, this time round I’m going to carry on westwards
across the open access land of Bodmin Moor – making sure to keep my eyes peeled
for any beastie that mat be lurking there – and finding the time to climb to
the top of Brown Willy (well it would be rude not to wouldn’t it) before descending
to St Breward.
Turning south from St Breward
I’ll soon come to my next established footpath, the Camel Trail. As the name
suggests the trail follows the Camel River, along a disused and resurfaced
railway line that provides a recreational route for walkers, cyclists and horse
riders. The trail is flat, running from Wenford Bridge to Padstow via Bodmin
and Wadebridge. It is 17.3 miles (27.8 km) long and used by an estimated
400,000 users each year – so it should be an easy stretch for me to traverse compared
all that has come before. I’ll join it near Wenfordbridge and follow it through
the Great Shell Wood, southwest down to Hellandbridge, through a great deal of
forest to the north-western outskirts of Bodmin itself.
From here I then strangely will
follow the river northwest (again as a result of a more clearly marked trail)
towards the town of Wadebridge. From there the trail follows the estuary of the
River Camel towards Padstow Bay and into the heart of the town and fishing port
of Padstow itself.
This is where I will leave this
instalment as all that remains is the South West Coastal Path – the final home
stretch of the journey!
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