Note that all maps on this site are only indicative. You should
never set out without the correct OS map.
Ever heard of the East Devon Pebble
Beds? Don't worry, not many people have - but they are well worth
visiting tucked away in their beautiful but strange and ancient
looking corner of the kingdom.
The East Devon Pebble Beds are nationally famous due to the fact
they provide a home for all sorts of rare flora and fauna - and
you can find a prime example of the genre by travelling along the
A3052 from Exeter towards the village of Newton Poppleford.
Basic Hike: a figure-of-eight around north and
south Aylesbeare Common with a bit of Harpford Common thrown in
for good measure, but you could just do the RSPB Reserve Visitor's
Trail.
Recommended map: Ordnance Survey Explorer 115.
Distance and Going: Six miles for the longer
hike, three for the Visitor Trail. Good level going.
When you reach the Halfway Inn you
will know you have entered the demesne of the elusive Dartford Warbler.
This brown little fellow with a long tail is just one of the reasons
why the RSPB runs a reserve at Aylesbeare Common. There are other
reasons, but apart from the warblers, nightjars and stonechats,
this is a rare chunk of ancient heathland that plays home to the
largest number of butterfly species to be found in any RSPB reserve.
Incredible really, to be just a few miles outside Exeter and into
such a great swathe of nature-rich wilderness. The fields of South
Devon suddenly give way to heath and somehow the countryside is
reminiscent of the landscape explored by Winnie the Pooh and his
friend Christopher Robin, and the other denizens of that friendly
forest including all Rabbit's friends and relations.
Aylesbeare Common has that look about it and because it is well
endowed with paths it is easy to embark on your own exploration.
Not knowing anything about the place, we started by turning our
backs on the RSPB reserve and heading south from the car park towards
the distant sea.
We could sea its blue horizon glimmering
way out past Budleigh Salterton. Having crossed the lane a footpath
swung left and off we went across the heath, and after a mile or
so we came to a sort of border of this magic land. But that was
all right because we were able to follow another path east, back
across the lane and into a particularly picturesque corner of the
Common.
This is where you begin to realise how high up you are, because
a valley opens up below the heath to your right, and in it is the
pretty village of Newton Poppleford, looking like a collection of
doll's houses far below. Why Newton should be suffixed with wonderful
sounding Poppleford, I do not know. In fact I have very little knowledge
of the place save for one rather trivial fact. And that is that
long ago I interviewed a man who lived there who was responsible
for setting all the questions to be found in the first editions
of Trivial Pursuit. While we are meandering our way aimlessly up
the eastern edge of the Common, allow me to furnish you with a few
details about heathland in general. You wouldn't know it to look
at them, but this is a man-made environment which has been with
us since Neolithic times.
Low intensive agriculture. That's the
phrase. The gist of it was (no pun intended: 'gist' also means right
to graze) that the well-to-do snapped up the fertile valley land,
while the poor old paupers were told they could put a few mangy
cattle and sheep up on the common where nothing much would grow.
These higher areas developed a very special mix of plants, thanks
to this low intensive agriculture, which in turn became the favoured
home of many birds, animals and insects. Of course, modern agricultural
techniques, not to mention quarrying and housing, have bitten into
the heathlands causing them to shrink at an alarming rate. That's
why the RSPB has a reserve, so that at least 184 hectares can remain
traditionally heathy without threat. The Society takes an active
role in maintaining this delicate environment by allowing non-intensive
grazing and occasionally cutting back the gorse.
But we haven't reached the reserve
yet, so far we've only got you back to the A3052 - so find the path
that leads back up towards the car park. Make your way across the
road and you will be introduced to an excellent visitor's trail
around the reserve. Actually there are two - a short one and a longer
one.
By following the painted posts we were able to enjoy a three mile
circular tour of the more northerly corners of Aylesbeare Common,
and a good deal of Harpford Common too.
As it was a mild day we were lucky enough to spot a couple of
the famous Dartford Warblers - apparently they make themselves scarce
when it gets cold. We didn't see, or hear, the nightjars as they
were away in Africa or somewhere.
Nor did we see any of the 38 species of butterfly which have been
spotted in the reserve since 1997. These, by-the-way, include the
brimstone, silver washed fritillary, grayling and silver-studded
blue.
There are also 23 species of dragonflies
and damselflies which merrily haunt the pools around the reserve
and 450 species of plants have been recorded hereabouts.
We saw the ling heather and the bell heather, but did not examine
their rarer crossed-leaved heath cousin because, to tell the truth,
we couldn't find it. Nor were we able to spot the sundew, bog asphodel,
dodder, heath milkwort and heath dog violets that all live hereabouts.
However, it's an excellent hike and we can happily recommend it
not only because it is packed with nature, but because it is an
exceedingly pleasant tract of Old England.
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