If we go again we have decided that eight days, is not enough, given the amount of driving to get there.

Today we went to the Swans Nest for lunch, which we enjoyed. After lunch we carried on down to Powderham. Here we sat and had a coffee while watching various birds, feeding on the mud at low tide. Although it was a lovely sunny day, there was a very cold wind.

Day out with Gill to Lympstone with a Picnic Lunch

On Bank holiday Thursday we took a picnic lunch, to Lympstone sat by the harbour wall.

Picnic lunch at St Lawrence Castle ( Haldon Belvedere )

On Bank Holiday Friday we took a picnic lunch, to St Lawrence Castle known locally as Haldon Belvedere. Todays trip was all on quiet country roads, but not all as quiet as the lane in the last photo. From the Belvedere we followed the lane towards Longdown as far as Windy Cross, where we turned right down to Idestone then on to Ide and home.

Solo trip to Starcross

Todays solo trip was purely a test of the new batteries, for my 4 wheeled Tramper. No photos today just traveling as fast as conditions allowed. Followed the River Exe down to Starcross, following quiet Devon lanes on the return trip. Traveling via Kenton, Chiverstone Farm to Exminster where I rejoined the Exe Estuary Trail back to Exeter.

With respect to my Accessible walks, there are a few more walks on the estate to be mapped out at a later date to be added to the list.

With the tide going out, there were lots of birds on the mud. So along with all the woodland birds, there was a lot to see and hear on both the routes we did.

With the unusually warm weather for October, the autumn colour is going to be late this year.

Although we were on the Saltram Estate less than 3 hours, it was a lovely time with weather being so good. There is a cycle route that links with Plymbridge Woods, so I have plenty of possible routes to look at in the future.

The main purpose of the day, was to monitor how far Normans new batteries would take him. Today we did just over the 19 miles, which was an improvement on his previous best.

We parked at Clearbrook as it is approximately half way, along the length of the Drakes Trail. This reduced the maximum distance we were from our vans, if we had problems with the scooters.

Although Gill and I do some of the cycle paths in Devon & Cornwall, 3 or 4 times a year, sometimes more I always enjoy the views as every season is different.

We have been to Yelverton many times, but never been around the Harrowbeer RAF Station. So today we spent time having a closer look around the area, before returning to the Drake Trail.

During the Dartmoor Walking Festival one of our WAGs group, commented on the fact that she and her friends climbed the rock as children. Today the current generation of children, are enjoying climbing the rock.

Having rejoined the Drakes Trail, I was looking in the trees when I spotted this little fella.

Although we had a wet start to the day, we had a really nice day. Gill and I finished the day, with a nice meal at the Twisted Oak on our way home.

Sunday Afternoon : Semington to Bradford upon Avon

As it was a Sunday there was a lot of activity on the Canal, as well as the towpath. As the towpath is a national cycle route, we were surprised how narrow the  path was in places.

Although it was busy, we still had plenty of times, with just us and nature. We kept seeing family groups of Ducks, Moorhens and other water loving birds, as we made our way along the Towpath

The approach to this bridge was steep from both sides, and a bit rough due to water erosion. Due to this and other minor issues, I will be grading the routes as Level 2 / 3 on my Accessible walks page

Monday : Semington to Caen Hill Locks

Today we parked up at the same point as yesterday, but headed east towards Devizes. When improvements were made to the A350 a new Aqueduct was put in, which include strips of vegetation on both sides of the canal

This family of Swans were busy preening, and as they did not want to move we had to go round them.

This is one of the points where the canal is wider, so that the boats can turn around. The towpath on todays section, was much more mobility scooter friendly. Which meant that it was easier to pass cyclists and walkers.

This was the main focus of todays trip, the Caen Hill locks which look more impressive to the eye, than any photo can show.

We ended up talking to boat owners and volunteers of the Canal & Rivers Trust, about the locks. We learnt a lot about the history of the canal, along with todays recreational use of it.

Although each of the 16 locks on the main climb, has its own reservoir, water supply was still a problem. So a few years ago they installed an electric pump, which moves a few million gallons a day.

This is two photos of the same boat, so the owner has a good sense of humour. At one point there were a few boats moored on the opposite side of the canal from the towpath. The owners had their little garden, including garden sheds.

While we had sunshine on Sunday, it was grey and overcast on Monday apart from the final 10 minutes back to the van. Despite all the boat activity, there was plenty of bird life, mainly Mallards, Moorhens and Swans.

TUESDAY We had booked lunch at the Robin Hood pub, based purely on its location close to the southern end of the Malvern Hills. After our lunch with the landlady’s permission we left the van in the pub car park.

We had a look at the path to Gullet Quarry, then decided to see how far we could get up Swinyard Hill. We had to abandon the route just over half way up, as rain over the years had washed out a gully that was difficult to cross.

We could hear thunder in the distance, on the way up. Once we had turned round we could see the storm approaching. We put on our waterproofs, and decided to try getting back to the van. We still had 2 miles to go, when the rain started and it was torrential so we were rather damp by the time we got back to the van.

WEDNESDAY The day of the wedding, we got there in the end, as Sat Nav was telling me to look right, when the venue was on the left.

As the photos show we did have mainly sunshine, with a couple of thunder showers. We enjoyed the day, despite the lack of comfortable seating. The location was stunning with the lake, and the old barn where we had the wedding, the wedding breakfast and the evening music.

THURSDAY We went from the hotel on the buggies, to explore the North Hill area today. When Gill and I are on our own, we tend to be careful as to the difficulty of a route. The path up to North Hill is quite rough and steep in places. So again we took the decision  to abandon the walk, but we got high enough to enjoy the views over the town and the Severn valley

Below are a couple of photos of some of the local wildlife. Both photos were taken on the Link Common where we had our picnic lunch.

There is an arial walkway in the canopy of the trees alongside the lake. With the bird feeder hanging from a tree at the end of the walkway.

I have mapped 3 walks starting from the Rangers Office, one is 0.9 miles around the Lake. Another one around the Lake, and part of the cycle path with a distance of 1.3 miles. The third one was to Newton Abbot, alongside the Canal and railway line, with a distance of 9.7 miles.

We had a picnic salad for lunch, sat alongside the stream running under the bridge in the photo above.

The information board gives details of the journey of the granite, from the quarries around Haytor down to the port at Teignmouth.

We had a very enjoyable day, but very tiring being out in the very hot conditions.

We stopped in Topsham Recreational Ground, for a coffee seeking the shade of the trees alongside the river.

The way this Robin was sitting on the path, I thought it was injured in some way. But as soon as I got too close, it flew up into a nearby bush.

On our return journey we saw the pair of Black Swans, by the jetty below St Margarets Church Topsham.

We went into St George V playing fields, to seek shade for our afternoon brew on the way home

I like the skyline of Exeter from the cycle path, between Ducks Marsh Bridge and Trews Wear. We had a lovely Sunday Lunch at the Puffing Billy, and an enjoyable journey there and back. With the drinks stop, it takes just under 2 hours each way, so we were out for nearly 6 hours.

We set of north from Dunmere towards Wensford Bridge, turning back at the end of the traffic free section by the Snails Pace Cafe. On the way back Norman became concerned about the voltage reading on his buggy, aroud the 10 mile point of the journey. A little while later his buggy cut out completely, after a few basic checks, we had no choice but to tow him back to Dunmere. I always carry a tow rope, in case Gill or I ever have any problems, we had to use it at Avon Dam a few weeks ago when I had a problem.

After getting Normans buggy loaded into his van, we agreed that Gill and I would continue with our trip heading west towards Wadebridge and Padstow. Although very disappointed for Norman, we had a lovely trip to Wadebridge and back. In the morning it was overcast and quite cool, but with the sun deciding to shine at lunchtime, we had a very pleasant afternoon.

When we got back to the van, we phoned Norman, to see how he had got on. The problem was with one of the new batteries, and he had already emailed the suppliers to notify them of his problem. Being creatures of habit, as we left Dunmere we phoned the Twisted Oak to see if we could get a table. Fortunately for us the could fit us in, so having a very short journey home after our meal.

We stopped for a cuppa near the Belvedere, but could not go in the grounds due to a private function. When we finished our cuppa, we agreed to do the longer route home. As I had already done 24 miles, since the last charge, the last few miles we had to keep an eye on the amount of charge we had left. Being a Weekend the road across Haldon and down Jackdaw Hill was busier than a weekday with traffic.

Doing the 1.8 miles between the top of Jackdaw Hill, and Black Forest Lodge, the batteries were given a nice boost.

Shortly after the above photo was taken, we met up with two vehicles, One towards us and One behind us. We turned round as there was a spot about a hundred yards away, where we could pull in. The car behind us had to reverse about half a mile, but we waited for him before continuing our journey.

Luckily the rest of the journey was uneventful, which is the way we like it. What was planned as a 2 to 3 hour trip, turned out to be over 5 hours, but with sunshine most of the time, it was a lovely afternoon and early evening.