Clumberdoodle Archie’s Favourite Ivybridge Walks

Clumberdoodle Archie’s Favourite Ivybridge Walks

We are so lucky living where we do down here in glorious Ivybridge in Devon that Archie our Clumberdoodle has some beautiful walks that we enjoy from our house. Therefore during lockdown we have been able to continue walking around this lovely area without the need to get into a car. I thought I would share some photos and videos of Archie enjoying his local environment at different times of the year.

Henlake Down – Archie’s 2nd home as this is the walk we do almost daily

This is our most popular walk that we do most days.  Henlake Down is  just a short walk from our house and is a small piece of open moorland and from here on a clear day you can see out to sea.   The only downside of this walk is that you have to access it by walking up a farm lane which is quite steep.  In the Winter it gets very muddy and I mean very muddy, so a pair of wellies is a must.

Sheep and cattle can also be found grazing up here from Springtime, so dog walkers beware.

Throughout the year the scenery changes from snow in the winter (when we are lucky enough to have some, and is Archie’s favourite weather)  to bluebells in the spring when it is like walking on a blue carpet, to thick undergrowth and ferns in the summer.

PAWNOTE

I have to say though that this used to be a beautiful place to walk, where we only used to meet the same people up here and you never used to see any litter.   How things have changed with the expansion of  Ivybridge  as it is now a lot busier and along with that it is being spoilt by litter being left.

I walked up there the other day only to find discarded cans, bottles, a McColls carrier bag and a box left in undergrowth, but clearly visible from the path.   I can only assume that youngsters have decided to take cans of drink up here and then cannot be bothered to take the empties home to dispose of responsibly.  After all they carried it up there which must have been quite heavy when the cans and bottles were full, and would have been a lot lighter to carry it home and dispose of responsibly.

Obviously these people do not care about their own environment that they live in.  This not only blights this once lovely piece of moorland but can be dangerous to the animals, not only the sheep who graze up here but other wildlife including deer who call this their home.

Also if you are accessing Henlake by the farm lane the latches on the two gates leading up to Henlake are being left open.  Latches are there for a reason and should be used at all times, especially as there are sheep grazing up here.  If you are new people going up here please treat it with respect.

Longtimber Woods and another regular walk

This again is a local walk that we can do from our house which is a lovely wooded walk running alongside the River Erme.  We can access it by road or by walking over Henlake and down to the river.  There is also the King’s Gutter which is a long gulley further up the side of a hill that runs parallel to the river.  You can access the river in a couple of places along here but if you go right to the end and down the very steep steps you can turn right and come back along the river or go left over the stile and then follow the woods right out to Harford.

Again walking in Longtimber Woods the scenery changes throughout the seasons.

Harford Moor a day out

Although we can walk to this bit of moor from various routes from our house it is a round trip of around 7 miles, so this walk makes a lovely day out.  We take a back pack filled with picnic stuff or as there is no driving involved can sometimes include a bottle of wine and some French bread and pate.   Sat in the sunshine enjoying the view, who needs to go to France?   Walking back can be a lot easier after a bottle of wine!!!

From high vantage points on a clear day you can see out to sea which is quite a spectacular view.  You can walk up to Western Beacon where you get a lovely view of Ivybridge and the surrounding area.

You can access the famous Two Moors Way  which cuts through this part of Dartmoor but starts from Wembury on the South Coast and links Dartmoor and Exmoor  finishing at Lynmouth on the North Coast.

There is also the Puffing Billy Track which you can walk or cycle along which winds it’s way through this part of the moors.  Along the way you pass Butterbrook Reservoir,  although there is nothing to actually see  as it is surrounded by fencing and tall trees.

Again we have been up here in all weathers.

Here are some more photos that we actually took on a walk up to Harford just recently on the 7th February 2021.  It was bitterly cold and a howling gale and the video shows the panoramic view of the stunning scenery you see from up here.

These are the walks we can do from our house, but there are also some other lovely walks only a short drive away where we live in this glorious area of the South Hams in Devon, perhaps that could be another post, so keep an eye out.

Clumberdoodle Archie’s Favourite Ivybridge Walks