Two Moors Way : Chagford to Morchard Bishop

Contents : TWO MOORS WAY


		Introduction
		Day 1
		Day 2
		Day 3
		Day 4
		Day 5

THE TWO MOORS WAY STRETCHES ACROSS DARTMOOR AND EXMOOR

NATIONAL TRAILS GUIDES UK - DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS & GALLERIES

Day 3 :: Farms and Tracks :: Chagford to Morchard Bishop :: 19 miles

Rejoining the Two Moors Way just beyond Rushford Bridge the path follows the Teign, entering woodland by the weir before Dogmarsh Bridge. The weir has an islelet, upon which is a sculpture. At Dogmarsh Bridge the path leads under the A382 and enters National Trust land, part of the Castle Drogo estate. After following the Teign for a while the path turns acutely left to rise to a far higher elevation beneath the castle and following the precipitous contours of the cliff face. This section, between Hunter’s Tor and Sharp Tor is known as Hunter’s Path.

The views over the valley were magnificent, a deciduous grandeur. After passing Sharp Tor there was a sharp left bend away from the valley and up into Drewsteignton, a small attractive village with a picturesque church having immaculately maintained grounds.

Church cottage, at the entrance to the churchyard, was purchased by public prescription and presented to the church for the use of the caretaker. In the village centre the Drewsteignton Inn proudly outshone the cluster of buildings, with its beautiful thatched roof.

From Drewsteignton we swiftly followed the road down the steep hill to Vete Mill. The bridge over the river provided a platform from where to observe the gently gurgling river passing below on its way to join the River Teign at Prestonbury Common. There was a profusion of flowers growing in the verge here, particularly wild pansies. A most attractive streamlet ran alongside the mill, shaded on each side by low-growing greenery, and having an attractive lawned area to its side.



Drewsteignton Inn		Drewsteignton church yard

We were welcomed by an adorable golden retriever, who after attracting our attention with its sincere smile and wagging tail, led us directly to the narrow track of the Two Moors Way at the side of the Mill, and then bade us follow for some way up the path. We saw to it that she was suitably rewarded with pets and cuddles (or rather, Carol did).



River at Vete Mill		Two Moor Way towards Winscombe

We were on the path to Winscombe. It took us gently uphill and our retriever friend walked ahead of us, sniffing and scuffling among the fallen leaves at the side of the track. The path itself comprised a soft, narrow earthy track, bounded on each side by green woodland plants. Short thin trees grew from its sides, growing inward from the banks so that they stretched on each side towards each other, forming a natural tunnel. The trees had not yet fully foliated but once they did the tunnel would be complete. As we advanced along the path and neared Winscombe Farm the earth became increasingly cloying.

When at length we reached Winscombe Farm our path merged with a lane which led us in the direction of the A30. The lane was bordered by hedgerows adorned with the most beautiful preponderance of white wild flowers and housed many, many songbirds, each singing above the other in a happy and joyous way, as though vibrating with a life and vitality no doubt brought upon by the beaming sun. Looking back to Winscombe we had a clear view across the green patchwork fields, the Teign valley, and to the hills beyond. The singing of the songbirds lulled us gently into a state of serenity and peace.

In utter contrast to the peaceful lane the crossing of the A30 was thunderously noisy, with the whooshing and droning of speeding traffic zipping below us. On our road two horses were ridden past, with a steady clippity clop, their riders obviously enrapt in the glories of the hazy, lazy atmosphere of the day. Almost immediately after crossing the A30 we turned right into a small cul-de-sac which took us to a field stile where we turned sharp left to follow the hedgerow of the field to another stile which next led us over an electrified fence.

We entered many different fields, laid to pasture and dotted with sheep. In the distance we could see the hills and farms beyond West Ford, the ford that crosses the River Yeo. We knew we should be walking in the direction of Hill Farm and were steadily heading towards it.



Heading towards West Ford		Stile mid-way to West Ford from A30

We began to close in on West Ford, crossing fields without a discernible track. For a while direction finding was easy, but soon we made a serious blunder, sending us utterly in the wrong direction. Unfortunately, we did not pick up on this for some time, because we found the same geographic features following the wrong path as we were expecting to find on the correct path. We entered a field, where there was no proper path, save for a farmer’s tractor trail which led ahead and slightly to our left, down to the River Yeo and to a ford. This is what we were expecting and so we crossed the ford, entering woodland and then progressed steeply uphill until emerging near the top of a large field. Here, however, we could not correlate the map with what we saw and guessed that we must have gone astray. Backtracking to the ford and re-crossing we then split up to each search along the river in different directions, looking for another ford.

It was I who found the correct ford. We ought to have turned sharp right at the top of and entrance to this field, rather than proceeding ahead and slightly to our left. Once the correct route had been spotted it was easy to trace the path back to the field entrance. For now I had another problem. Carol was nowhere to be seen. I climbed back to the top of our field (quite a steep climb) and could see Carol some considerable distance away, and beyond my audible range. I did try yelling to her, but in vain.

At length I was able to attract her attention and she made her way, in a somewhat dilatory manner, in the direction to which I pointed, and we met up at the stile leading into a copse that stretched along the banks of a tributary to the River Yeo.



Stile to cross tributary to River Yeo		Footbridge over tributary to River Yeo

Upon crossing the stile we immediately crossed a small wooden footbridge taking us across the small tributary. The footbridge was more in the ilk of a plank of wood with a metal railing to one side. There was an interesting view along the course of the tributary, in both directions. It was shallow and narrow and there were many fallen trees crossing it.



West Ford		Leaving road beyond West Ford

As we approached the stile we were met with the most ferocious barking from what we considered to be a number of huge vicious dogs. We were more than a little surprised to see that all the clamour and barking originated from two very small dogs hidden within the security of their garden fence at the side of the stile.

The stile took us to a grassy, hilly field, which we climbed in the direction of Hill Farm, crossing a stile into another field near to the farm. Here there was an unusual agricultural mound of some kind. I could not guess its purpose. We passed to the left of this, and just beyond the farm, further to our left, was a stile leading to a muddy path and gate. Pheasants were all around us, disappearing as we approached, into the trees.



Clump of oaks near Whitethorn Farm		Exit from the field beyond the oaks

We then entered a field alongside a barbed wire fence in the direction of Whitethorn Farm. Our field contained a clump of oak trees that appeared to stand out from their surroundings. Approaching them we realised we were by-passing our exit from the field and were compelled to turn sharp left and slightly back to pick up the stile from the field and onto a very muddy track.

Leaving the track by a wooden gate we emerged onto a grassy field and followed a wire fence to a clump of yellow gorse and a stile which led us to a substantial stretch of duck boarding over very boggy ground, and into Whitethorn Farm. Looking back in the direction of Hill Farm we shared a pleasant panorama of gently rolling, green fields sky-lined with deciduous trees. In the foreground was an avenue of yellow gorse dissected by a line of trees marching up to the sky-line.

At the farm we turned left onto a lane that took us to Hittisleigh. The lane, with its central ridge of grass, was enclosed by tall hedgerows in need of a trim, and way-side flowers. The lane emerged between two thatched cottages onto a larger minor road. Carol immediately fell in love with a cottage on the corner of the junction. This was named Grove Cottage, and Carol insisted upon me taking a photograph of her posing beside it.

Turning right at the cottages we proceeded along the road into and through Hittsleigh Barton, by-passing its attractive church which rose above its occluded position beyond the houses as we walked past them. This was a narrow, silent, winding road with very few vehicles upon it. Each side of it were flowering hedgerows which appeared to stretch on forever.



Looking back to Hill Farm		Duck boarding at Whitethorn Farm

We arrived at Howard’s Cross, a road junction where an alternative route of the Two Moors Way led off to the left to complete a circuit down to and along the Troney Valley and back up to our road at Road Down. We continued forward, passing Road Down, until reaching a very acute road junction which took us steeply downhill towards Newbury.

Our lane down to Newbury contained a central ridge of grass, and its hedgerow highways flowered white, giving shelter to incessantly chattering song birds. When we reached the valley bottom we turned right at a junction and crossed, at a ford, the River Troney. Our path led through double wooden gates on our right, just before reaching the ford. However, we thought the path continued uphill and only after walking for a further 20 minutes did we suspect we had taken the wrong route. We confirmed our suspicions by looking at the address on an envelope in a wooden mailbox on a farm gate.

We grudgingly re-traced our steps to reach the double gates and passed within them, passing amidst the docile sheep that grazed all around, and followed a track along the edge of the field. Our path, in actuality, lay on the other side of an avenue of trees, and we had missed it because it had been partially fenced off.

After crossing to a narrow green lane we proceeded steeply uphill, along a very muddy and tortuous route. In places the mud had been completely eroded away to expose the sandstones and mudstones that lie beneath. We struggled uphill as the green lane narrowed, became more enclosed and grew steeper. As we toiled the cloying mud sucked at our feet like glue, making the lifting of one foot arduous while the other foot, pushing off, failed to grip, and slipped backwards. This made walking very difficult and at times it was necessary to walk with legs wide apart, in an attempt to avoid the muddiest sections of the path. As we walked I could feel my thigh muscles burning with the force of my effort, and perspiration oozed from my pores, spilling from my face onto my legs, walking, as I was, with my body well forward and bent over my thighs. Flies, attracted to the odiferous eking of our perspiration, hovered menacingly, biting when the opportunity occurred, and so in addition to the toil of our legs and feet our arms were continually swatting.

As we neared the crown of the green lane we passed through a wooden gate, and the lane started to open out, emerging, at another gate, onto a wide green field bounded by gorse. We followed the gorse from field to field until reaching a busy minor road, where we turned right towards Colebrook.



Nearing Newbury		Two Moors Way leaves Newbury at gates

From here the path followed the road for about a ½ mile before turning off to the left along a lane and then a track through Horwell Wood, crossing a single track railway and from thence along a green lane to a road at Whelmstone Cross. The road opposite then led the way past Whelmstone Barton towards Ford Farm, turning off just before the farm, to the left, and proceeding past Paschoe House and Appledore Farm to reach the road to Bow.



Approaching Westcombe Hill House		Emergence onto fields of West Walton Farm

Doglegging left along the road and right to take a path across fields the Two Moors Way then passed the Combe Fish Ponds to reach Clannaborough Barton, where there was a good view of a church rising above a cluster of dwellings. Turning left at Clannaborough to walk along the side of a small copse of trees led to the busy A3072 Bow to Copplestone road

A right turn on the A3072, for a very short stretch led to a lane on the left to Lammacott Farm, shortly after which there were a number of fields to traverse before reaching a lane at Barn Shelley. Down St Mary, a small attractive hill top village lay just to the left. The road is traveled for a short duration to the right before crossing another field to the equally busy A377 running from Lapford to Copplestone. Crossing this led to a track beyond, alongside a railway line which was followed to Shobrooke Bridge and then over fields to Slade to join a road at Peter’s green, through to Woodgate and then across fields to emerge in Church Street in Morchard Bishop

Morchard Bishop was a considerably larger conurbation than any other we had seen today. Some parts were very attractive and others more dour. But we had no more walking to do today and could now return to our cottage to eat and rest.


Day 2	Day 4

Author - Roy McKee

National Trail Guides UK