Axmlym one

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Leaving Axminster train station the walk was spoilt by traffic until we turned onto the footpath by the fire station, from then on it was a very pleasant walk.

I walked this route from Axminster on a beautifully clear day; it has some excellent views along the way and was easy to follow. There was one section that could be very muddy in wet weather but would be possible to avoid using a short section of minor road walking and another short section where the vegetation (nettles and thistles) was rather overgrown. Apart from these the paths were clear and easy to walk along. To complement the downloaded route we also used two excellent large scale maps (1:12,500) produced by Croydecycle (www.croydecycle.co.uk) - one entitled Musbury & Axminster, the other Lyme Regis.
We varied the end of the route as it arrived in Lyme Regis in order to pass Town Mill where there is an excellent microbrewery at which we were able to procure bottles of beer to consume on the beach with fish & chips following a dip in the sea.

Very much enjoyed this walk and almost all of it worked perfectly from the downloaded copy we took from the Slow Ways website. We walked from Axminster to Lyme Regis. There is a long uphill section from Whyke Green up to Trinity Hill but then it is more or less downhill the rest of the way. Beautiful view of the old railway viaduct as you descend into Uplyme. Once you arrive in Uplyme the last section is very well waymarked (follow the East Devon Way waymarkers) through the Lim Valley. At the end we did not join Coombe Street as the route shows, but walked on along the river side and went through the delightful Town Mill area with its artisan shops and eating places before rejoining Coombe Street.

Apart from the long way round Axminster (which I ignored and went direct through the centre to save time) this was a glorious walk through the Dorset and East Devon countryside. I went in the reverse direction - from Uplyme where I was staying to Axminster - marked up the route on an OS online map (saved offline) which proved essential. Walked slowly up the hills, as carrying a big pack, took a couple of wrong turnings and had to find my way back - easy with the OS map to guide me and so took a third more time than recommended even with the shortcut through Axminster. Took and marked up photos at places another walker might go wrong. These do not cover the section between Lyme Regis and Uplyme as that is well marked.

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