Brampford Speke Circular

Brampford Speke Church - The Old Station House - Stationmaster's House

The walk starts near St Peter's Church in Brampford Speke. The church is not the prettiest, but it does have a medieval tower and great views of the River Exe. The Exe is magnificent any time of the year as it meanders its way through the arable fields and meadows right the way along the Exe Valley.

The walk follows the Exe Valley Way for about a mile, with the river twisting and turning, not knowing what is around the next corner. The river has several families of swans and on a good clear day the kingfishers can be seen darting in and out of the banks, or fishing in the river. The walk is mostly along grassy field-tracks and country lanes, with two stiles and eight kissing-gates. When walking along the riverbank you will see the water meadows and the ox-bow lake made by the flow of the river; at this point you can often see the herons wading in the water. The whole area is just a jigsaw puzzle of arable land and open fields which also once inspired the Devon historian W G Hoskins, who wrote the Devon history volume. Also when looking out across the horizon you can catch a glimpse of a wind generator and due to the level ground the wind can whip across the open landscape. It is interesting to see that the land was once criss-crossed with railway lines. There are the remains of the old lines and the railway bridge piers can still be seen in the river. Further along are the old station house and stationmaster's house.

After reaching the boundary of Rewe Village the lane takes you right back to the final stretch of the walk to Stoke Canon level-crossing which is the railway line from Exeter to Tiverton. The path turns away from the level-crossing, going right back onto the dismantled railway line which goes down through a small copse before emerging back into the water meadow. At this point it is better to take the high path, because the lower path can be under water if the river is high, or it may be very boggy, so go over the little footbridge and then back over the River Exe to the starting point.

England - South West England - Devon - River Walk

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Walk id: 4534

Walk grade

Gentle Stroll

Length

3.5 Miles

Height gain

18 Metres

Duration

1 Hours 26 Mins

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