Bucipp two

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Bucipp here.

This is a variation on Bucipp one to avoid an access issue near Landscove.

Buckfastleigh and Ipplepen have good public transport links, grocery shops, cafés and pubs, and there are several pubs en route. Also an excellent community shop in Broadhempston with café and cakes!

The route is not fully accessible, with steep slopes, some stiles and steps, but is typical of the landscape and can’t be avoided.

I walked this in January after days of heavy rain so I was expecting it to be wet underfoot. There was water running down the steeper paths and some large puddles, but still passable in walking boots. The Am Brook water meadow lived up to its name though, so I would recommend walking this route when conditions less likely to cause flooding. It will be good to see what dry-weather reviews make of it.

As mentioned in the overview, it is difficult to find a nice route out of Buckfastleigh towards Ipplepen. However, the first section in Buckfastleigh takes an interesting route along public footpaths past disused lime kilns and quarry which is special for bats. It was a nice change to walking on pavement at the start. Nice old holloway back down to the road and good views of Buckfast Abbey from the river bridge.

You do need to take a bit of care on the bridge over the A38 - there is pavement and wide verge alongside the road but you need to cross the top of the slip roads. Visibility is very good though and quickly onto off-road routes.

The route then follows mostly byways and bridleways, with some short and very quiet lane sections, to Woolston Green in Landscove. Amazing views over the surrounding countryside.

From Woolston Green the route follows a public footpath through Beara (pedestrian gap next to electric gate which probably shouldn’t be there - photo 8 - but well signed and easy to follow through yard- photo 9) then quiet lanes to Broadhempston - a good refreshment stop (can recommend the cake from the, extremely well-stocked, community shop!

The route then follows public footpaths to Torbryan. There was no livestock at the time I walked it but the fields are clearly grazed at times. As mentioned above, the Am Brook water meadow (photo 12 although doesn’t show it very well) was completely saturated! The water channels, which I think could normally be stepped over easily, were overflowing and I had to detour off the line of the path to find a better crossing point, stooping under an electric fence in the process. I almost got away without overtopping my walking boots, but a misstep in the very last few metres called for the spare socks. Still, not bad given the conditions. It would be good to see what it’s like normally. [I did go back a few days later when reviewing Ashipp, and it was a lot easier - still a lot of water about, but I didn’t really need to deviate from the path and I didn’t get wet feet!]

Uneventful lane walking from Torbryan (great looking pub here, but not sure if open) to Ipplepen. Note that there is a discrepancy between path shown on OS map and what’s on the ground - the map shows a footpath leading east from Orley Common on the northern side of and parallel to the Orley road. In fact a well-established off-road footpath starts from the Common on the southern side of the road (starting in by the gates to Orley House - photo 13) running through a strip of woodland, which is part of the Common and therefore access land, and inside the wall next to the road, before becoming pavement. A public footpath is then signed on the northern side of the road partway along. It is all well-defined and signed so easy to follow. Nice little footpath around the back of the church avoids some pavement walking through the village.

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