Last Saturday I walked Exeter's Green Circle.
It was a glorious day and it seemed a waste to spend it inside. So I set off with a friend to stroll the ~13 miles circumnavigation of Exeter. It's a very random circle shape following as much of Exeter green space as it can. As I live on the canal it was only a mere stroll before I picked up my start at the bridge.
We pretty soon lost the path as the signage is a little hit and miss and I hadn't discovered a large scale route to download. I was working off a small scale map-like-object and instinct, which meant we ended up in the wrong bit of Marsh Barton. But it didn't take long to sort ourselves in Alphington and we were off towards the A30, heading northwest across fields just before reaching it.
We passed the Twisted Oak Pub. Am I right to think this is the tree after which the pub is named?
Then we were up into the hills with views across to Ide.
We got lost again, but not for long, and headed along the back of Exwick, across the river and up into St Davids. The views across into the university were lovely.
Except I was distracted by a War Department boundary stone. There must have been a MOD depot or barracks around here once.
The route then takes you up into the university where we totally lost the signs - I'm missing the ease of the SW Coast Path, large scale routes and the acorn signs! - so we jumped a hedge and sort of made it up as we went along for a bit.
The route meanders through Mincinglake Valley Park, down through Polsloe Bridge (full of memories!), and eventually Ludwell Valley Park. We couldn't cross the river at the Crematorium due to flood defence works but I followed my nose and we made it back to our starting point as the sun was starting to dip.
What a lovely stroll.
It was a glorious day and it seemed a waste to spend it inside. So I set off with a friend to stroll the ~13 miles circumnavigation of Exeter. It's a very random circle shape following as much of Exeter green space as it can. As I live on the canal it was only a mere stroll before I picked up my start at the bridge.
We pretty soon lost the path as the signage is a little hit and miss and I hadn't discovered a large scale route to download. I was working off a small scale map-like-object and instinct, which meant we ended up in the wrong bit of Marsh Barton. But it didn't take long to sort ourselves in Alphington and we were off towards the A30, heading northwest across fields just before reaching it.
We passed the Twisted Oak Pub. Am I right to think this is the tree after which the pub is named?
Then we were up into the hills with views across to Ide.
We got lost again, but not for long, and headed along the back of Exwick, across the river and up into St Davids. The views across into the university were lovely.
Except I was distracted by a War Department boundary stone. There must have been a MOD depot or barracks around here once.
The route then takes you up into the university where we totally lost the signs - I'm missing the ease of the SW Coast Path, large scale routes and the acorn signs! - so we jumped a hedge and sort of made it up as we went along for a bit.
The route meanders through Mincinglake Valley Park, down through Polsloe Bridge (full of memories!), and eventually Ludwell Valley Park. We couldn't cross the river at the Crematorium due to flood defence works but I followed my nose and we made it back to our starting point as the sun was starting to dip.
What a lovely stroll.
