Post by Dave on Aug 29, 2010 20:23:19 GMT
29th August 2010
This was not the afternoon walk we had planed to do today and only ended up doing it due to being stuck in a lane not far from our home for a very long time. We drove up the road to Sainsbury’s to fill up the car with petrol and had to wait ages to get any as over half the pumps had run out of lead-free petrol
While we were waiting to get onto a pump a number of fire engines went racing past on the main Brixham Road and then a police car blocked the road off just past the traffic lights where you turn to get into Sainsbury’s. So once filled up we turned left out of Sainsbury’s onto the lanes that come out on the Paignton to Stoke Gabriel road so we could then drive along Long Road that is a very narrow lane that comes out by the new South Devon Tec Collage (old Nortel site) at which point it opens up into a wide two lane road.
Well it seems everyone else had the same idea and to make matters worst cars coming down from Windy Corner were stopped from going passed the traffic lights on the Brixham Road at the junction of Long Road. The result was a lane that seldom sees hardly any cars using it got well and truly blocked right in the middle of it.
I had about 20 cars behind me and more joining all the time and 10 in front that could go nowhere as there were 20 or more cars trying to come the other way. It was a stalemate with the drivers who came down Long Lane past the Collage not wanting to reverse what was a fairly long way back to the wide part of the road. It was no good those going my way trying to reverse anywhere as it was only lanes behind us.
So everyone was out of their cars and debates were going on (adult ones I hasten to add) to try and find away out of this jam. In the end the car drivers coming the other way conceded and they all started going backwards and after nearly an hour stuck in the lane we finally were on our way again.
So now there was not enough time left to do our walk and so I said to Carol we will just park in Broadsands car park and walk to Churston Cove as we have never been there before. We did not walk the same way Stuartb did when he went there but did come back that way.
Instead of walking from the car park to Elberry Cove over the downs we walked up the lane near the car park that goes up past a farm and onto a path that runs along the top of Elberry Cove. At the top of the path we turned left and instead of staying on the path took another one that took us across the fairways on the Churston golf coarse (there is a public right of way across it but you must only walk between the yellow posts) What a lot of ground the golf coarse takes up and I can see why so many are against some of being used for a new housing estate.
It’s then out a gate and onto a narrow pathway that eventually comes out on to a road that takes you through the Churston Village. It s very tiny but does have a church and the wonderful Churston Court where that Davybeat once entertained 200 free mansions.
Just a few yards past the village we saw a sign pointing down a track for the Grove and Churston Cove and so we went over the very high style and set off down the track. Some time later we came to an area where there was a large stone walk and two signs one to go straight onto Brixham and one down through the wood to Churston Cove, so we took that one.
The woods were very dark in places and there were many fallen trees and some we walked past were creaking loudly as the wind blew them about and so we joked around as we walked along pretending this or that tree was about to fall on us.
Then I was really excited to come across an old kiln right in the middle of the Woods, my picture of it is not too good and I only took the one as a young couple who looked in love were sat on the top of it. I later learned it was one of two but we only saw the one.
We walked on and it looked to us that a hundred yards or so further along the path was more brickwork of some sort but what a surprise when we got closer to see a group of tree stumps had been sculptured by some one and some had faces on them and others things like dragons. It was sad to see the vandals had started a fire in one or two of them and you just end up thinking what did they get out of ruining something that was a bit special in such a deserted wood.
We soon came out into the open right on the Beach at Churston Cove and what a delightful cove it is, no sand just pebbles and very few people on it and the water looked so lovely and inviting even to one who was a backward swimmer when he joined the navy and still is.
We looked up at the cliff on the right and saw a path that takes you to the top of it, well heights are not my thing and nor is walking on steps over hanging a cliff face but I said to Carol I’ll give them a go and I just kept as far over to the right of them as I could and only looked downwards at the next step. Have to say once up the top and feeling nice and safe I was glad we walked up them as the view of the Cove from up there was just lovely.
So now we are on the path that Stuartb walked on to get to the Cove and soon I was saying hello to one of our directors at our club who was walking the other way from us with his wife and two dogs. It was a nice long walk back to the car park and we felt some rain drops on our head but we didn’t care and stood by a gate and looked into a field and watched half a dozen wild rabbits having fun just playing around.
At last back in the car and time to check in on the forum and boy I wish I hadn’t, shame some could not just have fun like those rabbits in the field and not turn what was a good match thread into something that will just turn people off from ever wanting to come on here and read our views.
The fairways
Churston Villiage
The church
Churston Court
The track to the Grove
Down into the wood we go
The kiln
Those tree stumps
Churston Cove
This was not the afternoon walk we had planed to do today and only ended up doing it due to being stuck in a lane not far from our home for a very long time. We drove up the road to Sainsbury’s to fill up the car with petrol and had to wait ages to get any as over half the pumps had run out of lead-free petrol
While we were waiting to get onto a pump a number of fire engines went racing past on the main Brixham Road and then a police car blocked the road off just past the traffic lights where you turn to get into Sainsbury’s. So once filled up we turned left out of Sainsbury’s onto the lanes that come out on the Paignton to Stoke Gabriel road so we could then drive along Long Road that is a very narrow lane that comes out by the new South Devon Tec Collage (old Nortel site) at which point it opens up into a wide two lane road.
Well it seems everyone else had the same idea and to make matters worst cars coming down from Windy Corner were stopped from going passed the traffic lights on the Brixham Road at the junction of Long Road. The result was a lane that seldom sees hardly any cars using it got well and truly blocked right in the middle of it.
I had about 20 cars behind me and more joining all the time and 10 in front that could go nowhere as there were 20 or more cars trying to come the other way. It was a stalemate with the drivers who came down Long Lane past the Collage not wanting to reverse what was a fairly long way back to the wide part of the road. It was no good those going my way trying to reverse anywhere as it was only lanes behind us.
So everyone was out of their cars and debates were going on (adult ones I hasten to add) to try and find away out of this jam. In the end the car drivers coming the other way conceded and they all started going backwards and after nearly an hour stuck in the lane we finally were on our way again.
So now there was not enough time left to do our walk and so I said to Carol we will just park in Broadsands car park and walk to Churston Cove as we have never been there before. We did not walk the same way Stuartb did when he went there but did come back that way.
Instead of walking from the car park to Elberry Cove over the downs we walked up the lane near the car park that goes up past a farm and onto a path that runs along the top of Elberry Cove. At the top of the path we turned left and instead of staying on the path took another one that took us across the fairways on the Churston golf coarse (there is a public right of way across it but you must only walk between the yellow posts) What a lot of ground the golf coarse takes up and I can see why so many are against some of being used for a new housing estate.
It’s then out a gate and onto a narrow pathway that eventually comes out on to a road that takes you through the Churston Village. It s very tiny but does have a church and the wonderful Churston Court where that Davybeat once entertained 200 free mansions.
Just a few yards past the village we saw a sign pointing down a track for the Grove and Churston Cove and so we went over the very high style and set off down the track. Some time later we came to an area where there was a large stone walk and two signs one to go straight onto Brixham and one down through the wood to Churston Cove, so we took that one.
The woods were very dark in places and there were many fallen trees and some we walked past were creaking loudly as the wind blew them about and so we joked around as we walked along pretending this or that tree was about to fall on us.
Then I was really excited to come across an old kiln right in the middle of the Woods, my picture of it is not too good and I only took the one as a young couple who looked in love were sat on the top of it. I later learned it was one of two but we only saw the one.
We walked on and it looked to us that a hundred yards or so further along the path was more brickwork of some sort but what a surprise when we got closer to see a group of tree stumps had been sculptured by some one and some had faces on them and others things like dragons. It was sad to see the vandals had started a fire in one or two of them and you just end up thinking what did they get out of ruining something that was a bit special in such a deserted wood.
We soon came out into the open right on the Beach at Churston Cove and what a delightful cove it is, no sand just pebbles and very few people on it and the water looked so lovely and inviting even to one who was a backward swimmer when he joined the navy and still is.
We looked up at the cliff on the right and saw a path that takes you to the top of it, well heights are not my thing and nor is walking on steps over hanging a cliff face but I said to Carol I’ll give them a go and I just kept as far over to the right of them as I could and only looked downwards at the next step. Have to say once up the top and feeling nice and safe I was glad we walked up them as the view of the Cove from up there was just lovely.
So now we are on the path that Stuartb walked on to get to the Cove and soon I was saying hello to one of our directors at our club who was walking the other way from us with his wife and two dogs. It was a nice long walk back to the car park and we felt some rain drops on our head but we didn’t care and stood by a gate and looked into a field and watched half a dozen wild rabbits having fun just playing around.
At last back in the car and time to check in on the forum and boy I wish I hadn’t, shame some could not just have fun like those rabbits in the field and not turn what was a good match thread into something that will just turn people off from ever wanting to come on here and read our views.
The fairways
Churston Villiage
The church
Churston Court
The track to the Grove
Down into the wood we go
The kiln
Those tree stumps
Churston Cove
) this is one of my favourite walks except that we carry on to the common and then down to Churston Cove from the Fishcombe end.