Two satisfying Willand runs

Running barefoot through grassy meadows is hard to beat, and my first run this session satisfied. Through my favourite Culm river water meadows from Culmstock to Uffculme, just under 12 miles including getting there and back.

Culm water meadows

My second entailed running barefoot through grassy meadows in summer rain and getting soaked, an experience which is even harder to beat. The grassy bit started and finished in Uplowman (at bottom left in my map), going north past "Wood" to "Murley Farm" then south-east over the hill "Gulmoor" to Whitnage then heading west. Virtually all of this was through grassy meadows with not a soul about. Just under 13 miles including getting there and back.

Uplowman paths

At Whitnage I had intended to strike the road but could not find the right-of-way, so ended up returning west to Uplowman. From Lowman Cross (top left in next map) I headed home-ward south and over the major road A361 then took the footpath east to Sampford Peverell only to find it had been re-routed due to an "incident" over Connigar Hill where it joined the marked footpath above "Boobery" on the map. I desperately wanted to know what the "incident" entailed... From Stampford I took my usual route via Tiverton Parkway railway station back home.

Connigar Hill

Here are some photos

Inquisitive cows in Culm meadows

Near Murley Farm

View from summit near Gulmoor

Where the path was re-routed

From Connigar Hill

Stampford Peverell

More lump and beautiful Devon

The final touches on that bowl I found in a lump of firewood - the elegant punctures rule this bowl out for wine drinking, but turn it into a knitting yarn bowl. I cannot vouch for the two small holes in addition to the spiral - but that's how they are.

And now in mid Devon again, running barefoot through sticky mud in Hunkin Wood and my favourite Culm river meadows and enjoying the daffodils.

 

Turkey Tail

We are in Willand again and I have been set the task of collecting Turkey Tail fungus (TT) which, I am told, has desirable medical properties and is plentiful. So I added this task to my existing tendency to go for runs, barefoot. Having visited the pop-up cafe in Bridwell Park to buy cake from their Covid-19 takeaway service and finding that at present they welcome folk to exercise in their private grounds (hoping it will increase sales of cake), I added this place to my run-list and discovered the seemingly one and only instance of Turkey Tail in the whole of this part of Devon. 

nicely rotted timber, but no TT

remains of Culm Valley light railway

rotten wood, fungus, but I think it's not TT

An ideal habitat, but could not find TT

Beautiful, dead, inaccessible, no TT

Ha! Some bracket fungus, but not TT

A stag in Bridwell Park

My former swimming place, note the noose

Noose from other side (how did I get there?)

Could this be TT?  Apparently not

or this?

wrong shape

might be, but we erred on side of caution

certainly not

Ha! At last! We harvested this

Strange pyramid in Bridwell Park

This monument was strange, ugly and out of keeping IMHO. My research yielded only one hit which claims that some 250m east of the house stands a pyramid composed of stalagmites, which incorporates a trefoiled piscina. I reckon the piscina (a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church) had been removed and there was no sign of a church nearby either. Mysterious.  The marquee in the background was part of the "pop-up cafe" before Covid-19 came along.

The lake at Bridwell

More TT

Wellington again

During our last visit to Willand I attempted the Wellington monument and kind of implied that I would actually get there some other time. And so I did. I started the barefoot running aspect of our visit to Ali's mum with a warm-up along the Exe valley whilst Ali was doing what she likes best: shopping...

...and then a few days later the opportunity came - fair weather, no need for lunch because we had taken Ali's mum to Knightshayes (National Trust) tea shop wherein lieth fruit scones, and so I set off telling myself there was no shame should I fail to make it all the way. And made it there and back. To check out the scaffolding, I told my alter ego (the less adventurous one).

The whole track

The interesting part

I figured I must have run (the term includes some walking) over 20 miles so, on returning and checking my cell phone, I was a bit miffed that I had "only" clocked up 19.55 miles.  With elevation gain 620m and average speed moving 5.3 mph.

I used footpaths where feasible and some were exceedingly muddy, but I had my waterproof bare feet on so a quick wash in the river Culm where I left it at Uffculme sorted that.

In case you have not been following my Wellington monument interest, it is currently the subject of a major restoration program and is completely covered in scaffolding.  Worth a visit just to see the amount of effort they have expended so far.

The outward route was by road to Black Down Common (home of the Culmstock Beacon) and thence to the monument. Then returning via a very pleasant footpath to within a stone's throw of Hemyock, at least it would have been more pleasant if less muddy, then to Culmstock from which I followed the river footpath via Hunkin Wood to Uffculme.  As usual you can click on the images to enlarge them.

This detail is a tunnel to protect pedestrian access to a footpath going North towards the town of Wellington.  BTW in my first post I supposed the town got its name from the first duke. In fact the town preceded himself and he was named after it.

The Culm valley looking towards the West

Within a stone's throw

In Hunkin Wood

Me (and the river Culm)

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Willand and Wellington

The Duke of Wellington got around. I fact there have been nine of him, the latest being still alive. But it was the first that most people know about and who won the victory at Waterloo in 1815. There are various monuments and other miscellania in memory of that victory - one in Phoenix Park, Dublin at 62m high, another in Trim, Co Meath, much to the chagrin of some of the locals. And the Wellington Monument, 53m high, near where Ali's mum lives and the nearby town named after the monument one supposes.  When driving to her home I habitually look out for the monument which is clearly visible from the M5, and this time I noted it was covered in scaffolding and reckoned it was worth a visit on foot. Google reckoned it was about 9.5 miles away so would be quite a challenge barefoot running.

Part of my track, monument off top right

I set off kind of hiding my intent from my alter ego (or one of them) for fear of the goal being considered too much especially in the winter. I told myself I could be just going to Uffculme. But at each crossroads I persisted in the general direction of the monument. In the event I was saved by a road closure towards the end - the road was closed presumably because of works on the monument renovation.  So I clocked up only 16.83 miles with elevation gain 484m. But I figured I could have made it there and back so, maybe in the summer...

A few days previous I had run 7.3 miles, this time to explore hitherto uncharted territory south-east of her home. Nothing of much consequence but opening up some ideas for my next visit.

Here I ascended Black Down Common, home of Culmstock Beacon, but I resisted the temptation to backtrack to the Beacon and ploughed on towards the monument.  The common is definitely worth another visit.

Black Down Common

View to the north

Note the ice!

The monument in the distance - here I turned back

Descent into sunset

Culm Davy church

Back along the river Culm and through Hunkin Wood

Approaching Uffculme

Uffculme square

Sunset at Bristol airport