Bovchu one

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Date: 14th May 2024
Start Time: 11:30
End Time: 14:30
Start Location: Bovey Tracey - Bus Stop opposite the Cromwell Arms.
End Location: Chudleigh - Bus Stop opposite the war memorial
Distance: 8.2 Miles / 13.2 Km
Ascent: 679 ft / 207m
Weather: Sunny / Cloudy – no rain.
Terrain: Mostly tarmac lanes and cycleway (around 6 miles) with two miles of paths with a little mud along the Teign and down into Chudleigh.

Summary:
• Easy route from Bovey Tracey to Chudleigh with one nasty bit of road.
• Pretty Flat for first 5.5 miles and then uphill for a couple of miles until the descent into Chudleigh.
• Mostly Tarmac with 6 miles on lanes or cycleways.
• Some mud on river paths.
• Follow the Bovey and the Teign rivers for a little way

The Route
I downloaded the GPS route which was easy to follow.
I took the 38 bus from Chudleigh to Bovey and headed out of Bovey along Station road to the footpath just before the main car park which leads to Indio road and then onto Newton road. Just before reaching the A382 take the Templer way on left. Follow the Templer Way to the A38 and use the bridge to cross which is the first climb!. (NB There is a short cycleway before the A38 at SX 835 763 that takes you off the Newton Road).

En route to the A38 you will pass over a disused railway and then past the sewage works which was less pleasant!

Having crossed the bridge ignore the permissive path to the right and then come off the Templer way and follow the cycleway, emerging at the corner of a minor road. Turn Left (back on the Templer Way) and follow this to the Railway bridge at Leygreen (Ignore right turn at Venniford cottages, SX 856 751). Go under the bridge and turn left onto a narrow lane for 50 yards to turn left back signposted Stover Trail under the railway. Continue onto a footpath signposted Heritage trail (ignoring the Templer way / Cycleway which parallels the old railway).

NB This path is the first non-tarmac part of the route.

Follow the clear path alongside the Teign (NB The track on the ground deviates from the OS map due to river shifts) until a footbridge that crosses the river at SX 852 747.

Cross the bridge and follow the path left back along the Teign upstream until reaching a lane at New Bridge. Note the Bovey joining the Teign at SX 848 755. This path can be muddy and note the path turns right at SX 848 762 where the finger post is (was?) broken and pointed the wrong way.

The noise you can hear from the right is the Clay Works and the occasional Tonka toy can be seen.

The next bit is the worst of the route as it is 400 yards (350m) of a narrow lane with fast and some large vehicles with no pavement / verge. It is also the start of the second section or tarmac of around 2 miles – I can see no easy way avoid this on this route,

On Reaching Rixley Park Corner (Masons Kings site) cross the B3193 with care! And continue up the hill to Gappah. At the crossroad at Gappah take the left-hand lane and continue uphill along a quiet lane These lanes are not particularly steep but they are persistent. I found them very agreeable to walk along with excellent views back over Dartmoor from the lower section and from a field gate at the top and met only one car in its roughly 2 mile length.

Turn left onto a footpath on the left (SX 870 786) with great views over Chudleigh and which is a nice though steep (and possibly slippery) path through woods and fields down to Chudleigh. At the bottom of the field hill take the left path, go through a brown kissing gate and on into Chudleigh.

Following the GPS route you emerge at the War memorial.

There are several pubs and cafes but the only one I could find open at 3pm on a Tuesday in May was the Bishop Lacey and had a fine celebratory pint of Morland bitter and packet of dry roasted..

Overall a good route apart from the 400 yds from New bridge to Masons Kings. There is also a lot of tarmac which is handy following the rain we have had but will not be for all.

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