Honcol one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

This is a great Slow Way! I actually walked it back in February..

I've nothing to add to Helen or Tim's great reviews.

I suspect that someone will be able to suggest a more direct version, but this one is still ace.

This is an excellent walk, passing through different landscapes in the beautiful East Devon countryside. It is not accessible for wheeled users, having a number of stiles. It also has some steep gradients in places, although these are typical of the area. Colyton and Honiton (walked in that direction) both have refreshment opportunities but there are none on route. There is one crossing of the A35 near Honiton, but visibility was good.

The route leaves Colyton along the East Devon Way, following a footpath on the banks of the River Coly, which is well signed and waymarked. Note that there has recently been some erosion of the bank near Bonehayne - a pedestrian gate in a fence has fallen, leaving a gap (photo 4) - just take a bit of care as there was still some fence wire that could cause a trip (reported to highway authority, and as it’s a popular promoted route it is likely to be fixed quickly).

The slowway continues on the East Devon Way, along quiet lanes, as far as the small village of Northleigh. Past the village it follows a field footpath up a rather steep hill (photo 7) - for a less steep alternative you could stay on the minor road, which loops up and round to rejoin the slowway route at the top of the hill.

The route picks up the ridgeway road to Honiton for a short distance before turning off onto a field footpath (sheep in field) and down into a valley in the parish of Offwell. This is a beautiful section, through ancient woodland, holloways and old farmsteads - it has a real sense of history. It climbs up again, past the interesting Bishops Tower, to cross the A35. The route then descends into the town of Honiton, passing along an unmetalled road and through field footpaths.

A really enjoyable walk in a quiet, peaceful corner of East Devon.

An excellent route, enjoyable throughout. Includes riverside walking, forest paths, one particularly steep hill and any road walking was pretty quiet. At one place it was necessary to cross the A35, but it was safe to do so there. There are stiles to cross, but the signage was pretty good. There are cafes and pubs in both Colyton and Honiton, however there are no refreshment opportunities along the route which never enters any village of any size.

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