Simone Stanbrook-Byrne finds a tucked-away, undulating walk just off the edge of Exmoor
Just off the southern edge of Exmoor is an area of remote and deeply undulating countryside with villages that aren’t necessarily on the way to anywhere but are a delight to find if you seek them out. Molland is one such, with its early Georgian church surrounded by a churchyard that was voted Devon’s Best in 2019. Wildlife is welcome here: spring flowers are abundant and, pleasingly, the grass is left unmown while they flourish. Inside the porch I found a sign welcoming back the swallows who nest above the light. A rare Pyrenean lily also grows nearby, possibly brought here by monks, but I didn’t find that.
It’s worth taking time before or after the walk to visit this lovely light church – as Princess Anne once did. The oak door is astonishingly heavy to open and you will be hard-pressed to find a right-angle anywhere around the walls and stone-flagged floors. There are some substantial memorials, many to the Courtenays who came to Molland in the 15th century and were descendants of the Earls of Devon. One of the biggest memorials is to a previous royalist vicar who was forced out of office during the Reformation.
The walk is up and down, the views are superb and there are lots of birds to look and listen out for. Enjoy it.
THE WALK:
1. From the layby below the church walk through the village, The London Inn is on your right and the village hall on the left. The road passes a green phone box next to what was once the village shop.
About 200m from the church you reach a road junction at a high grassy triangle, Molland Cross. Go right towards Bickingcott and continue through the village; the road starts to climb past various cottages. Just as the road starts to drop again look for the footpath going left across a stile. Take note of the direction of the fingerpost and follow this, heading obliquely right downhill through the field, passing a fenced waterworks, to reach a wet and muddy area at the bottom of the field where a stream flows. The path crosses through this. Beyond the mud walk uphill alongside the right-hand hedge to reach a gate at the top, about 50m from the stream. There’s a good view back to Molland from here.
2. Beyond the gate turn right on a surfaced drive and in a few metres go left along the drive to Little Champson. Go through a gate and keep straight ahead, passing the house, then walking between two barns. Follow the left-hand hedge through a small field and at the end swing left to find a blue-arrowed post by a gate. Enter the next field and bear right, now following the right-hand hedge along the bottom of this long field.
In about 250m the path passes through a fenceline and continues in exactly the same direction. As the hedge on the right ends, keep ahead across the open field; down to the right is a good example of a well-laid hedge – a traditional method of hedge management. When we were there a line of small white pegs marked the line of the bridleway – whether they will stay there remains to be seen. The ground slopes away down to the right, towards a stream, and you’re aiming for the chimney and gable end of a house up on the hill ahead: Lower Hill. Enjoy the extensive views to the right as you amble.
3. The path climbs to reach Lower Hill at a fingerpost. From here turn left, staying in the same field and following the right-hand fence, with the environs of the house beyond it. The path passes through a gateway, keep ahead up to a prominent fingerpost, approaching the buildings of Higher Hill.
From the fingerpost follow the track to a gate beside Higher Hill – this is a collection of barns, rather than habitation. Cross the cattle grid then bend left with the track, walking through the field alongside the left-hand hedge. There are good views all around: over to the right is the distant windfarm near the North Devon Link Road.
4. The track leaves the field and reaches a crossing track; turn sharp right along this hedged track: South Down Lane. This lovely old way is marked as a ‘county road’, the definition of which I have often wondered about. Suggestive of something much busier than this green lane, a County Road is an obsolete term that appeared in the Local Government Act of 1929 and, although discontinued in 1972, is still used in some areas. It denotes a ‘highway’, which can include foot - and bridlepaths, maintainable at public expense. After ferreting through a few mind-bending legal websites, I discovered this little nugget from GLEAM, the Green Lanes Environmental Action Movement.
South Down Lane drops steadily and, depending on the density of its hedges, gives lovely views across the valley of the River Yeo, through which the Devon and Somerset Railway once steamed.
5. South Down Lane eventually deposits you down to the road. Turn left along the road, heading towards woodland and passing Abbot’s Park in about a quarter-of-a-mile, an historic place (privately owned) that has its roots in the late Middle Ages. In another 300m the road reaches Abbot’s Cross with its grassy triangle. Keep straight on, along the right-hand option towards Bottreaux Mill and Yeo Mill – the sign had come to grief when we passed.
6. Within a quarter-of-a-mile of Abbot’s Cross, just before another road junction, there is a broad splay on the left, where gates enter the woodland. Go through these (the bridleway sign is a few metres further along on the left). Inside the gates you’re faced by two broad forestry tracks: take the one heading left, up through the trees. Listen out for the high-pitched ‘tzee’ of goldcrests, our smallest bird, up in the conifers, and watch out for beautiful, iridescent dor beetles – don’t tread on them, they have an important job to do. Without them we’d be ‘up to our neck in it’.
In almost 300m the track swings right, still climbing. It rises to a blue-arrowed post, keep ahead, soon bending left with the track. You find yourself walking along the edge of Scrubbed Wood, an open field visible to the right; the path is soft underfoot with decades of pine needles – a lovely, fragrant stretch of the walk.
Down to the left in the trees, the fencing encloses an area used for rearing pheasants for shooting; you may see lots about and also, possibly, red-legged partridges, endearing little birds who, in my humble opinion, are much better alive than dead.
7. The track rises to a gate into a field, where there’s a view ahead to Molland. Go through the gate and follow the right-hand hedge to a fingerpost. From this go left, still in the same field, along a track. Follow this for 350m to the end of the field and, as you near the end, if you’re not being pursued by friendly cows and have the capacity to appreciate it, there’s a lovely, tree-framed view over your left shoulder.
At the end of the field go through a gate, descend to the road and turn right. Follow the road past Molland House, then Molland Cross, and keep going until you are once more back at the church.
While you’re here…
THINGS TO DO WHILE YOU’RE IN THE AREA
1: South Molton is about eight miles away and has an excellent, and extensive, traditional pannier market, usually on Thursdays and Saturdays.
2: Quince Honey Farm is just outside South Molton: a family attraction and a good place to learn about bees and honey.
3: The Poltimore Arms at North Molton, has an observatory and offers a star-gazing experience, taking advantage of Exmoor’s Dark Sky status – this needs to be booked in advance.
4: Wild Woods Tapas Bar is five miles away and opens later in the day for an out-of-the-way dining experience.
(check individual websites for details)
COMPASS POINTS
Start point & parking: Outside St Mary’s Church, Molland. Postcode: EX36 3NG; grid ref: SS808283. There is a roadside layby, as well as parking for those visiting the pub/church
Maps (it straddles two): OS Explorer 114 Exeter & the Exe Valley AND OS Explorer 127 South Molton and Chulmleigh. Both 1:25 000
Distance: 4 miles
Terrain: Field and woodland paths and tracks; some quiet road walking. Expect mud
Exertion: Moderate
Dog friendliness: Animals grazing, some road walking, some stiles. The pub is dog-friendly
Refreshments: The London Inn, Molland, EX36 3NG (01769 550269). Please ring to check they are open – the times on the website may not always apply.
LOOK OUT FOR
Historic church
Dor beetles
Huge views
Listen for…. goldcrests in the conifers
Simone Stanbrook-Byrne has written a selection of West Country guides including Circular Walks in North Devon
