By: Blonde One
Another local walk that I’ve recently discovered is Hackney Marshes (in South Devon not London). It’s a Nature Reserve managed by the local council and is a small area containing a network of flat pathways around some really interesting and diverse habitats. There are ponds, meadows, woodlands, orchards and hedgerows providing habitat to numerous land, air and water creatures, as well as the wild plants that grow there.
There are plenty of benches to stop and rest and enjoy a bit of quiet time, as well as notice boards giving information about the location and maps. One slight fly in the ointment on my visit was a notice board with it’s ‘You Are Here’ dot removed! It was a good exercise in map reading to work out where we were.
The area itself, as you can see from the map, is very small but perfect for an hour long walk, with or without a dog. The Passage House Inn was open for a quick pit stop on the way round and there was an interesting full size cow sculpture. If industrial history is your thing the canal area provides some interest of industry gone by.
Copyright Ordnance Survey
I see there is a distance footpath too – Templar Way did you see anything of that?
The Templer Way is a fabulous walk. It goes from Haytor all the way down to Teignmouth (including a walk on the foreshore if the tide is right). It follows the route quarried stone used to take on its way (often to London), first along a stone tramway and then a disused but beautifully cleared canal. You can of course walk it the other way but that would be a lot of uphill!