Exmoor Walk - Landacre Bridge

Landacre Bridge, along the Barle, to Simonsbath and back

On a bright Friday morning in mid-July we arrived at Landacre Bridge over the River Barle in mid Exmoor; we planned a circular walk from the bridge to Simonsbath and back, a route of about fourteen and half kilometres.  The weather forecast was partly cloudy on a brisk south-westerly breeze with possible showers over high ground.  There had been two

The view upstream on the River Barle

from Landacre Bridge

centimetres of rain over previous Sunday and Monday but no rain over Exmoor during the past three days so the river was running low water and the open ground was firm and dry.

We set off up Landacre Lane for one kilometre, climbing 100 metres, to join the Two Moors Way travelling westwards and, before dropping back down to the side of the Barle, had a clear view down river beyond Landacre Bridge and Sherdon Rock across the river. 

The Barle Valley in the centre with Landacre

Bridge just visible

At the riverside we saw Pickedstones plantation of conifers ahead of us and heard the sound of chain saws working, the lumberjacks were at work, and we soon came across the warning notices.  The path was very muddy under foot where spring water crossed it, particularly through the plantation where we stopped to watch a tree felled. The hillside wood under Pickedstones Farm was being much more than thinned out.  The farm was built by the Knight family around the middle of the 19^th century, and we suspected that the conifers had been there for about a hundred years.  As we left the plantation the track opened up on a ford and footbridge over the Barle to Horsen Farm and another footbridge over a stream, White

Footbridge over Barle to Horsen Farm

Water, flowing down a deep gorge joining the Barle from the north.  Where the waters met the undergrowth was lush with low grass, fern, montbretia and foxgloves and blue damselflies and brown dragonflies hovered over the rushing water and perched on the water plants.  We agreed that it would be a spectacular spot to return to in late summer when the montbretia would be in flower.

After crossing the bridge over White Water, the track was less well marked, but the iron-age hillfort at Cow Castle in front of us to guide our way.  We walked beneath Cow Castle over a col between a small rock outcrop and the hillfort and found our way back down to the riverside and the Two Moors Way.  Cow Castle, nothing to do with cattle for its name is said to derive from the Celtic ‘Cae’ meaning ‘field’, is a scheduled historic monument details of which can be found at http://www.exmoorher.co.uk/hbsmr-web/record.aspx?UID=MSO6797-Cow-Castle-south-of-Winstitchen.  As we followed the[BK1]  track along the Barle under Winstitchen, through a line of beach trees and over a reinforced stretch of path where the rocky bank had been cut away and stone slabs laid to maintain a passable route, we could see the remains of buildings of Wheal Eliza.  These mid-19^th century mine workings were one of Frederick Knight’s failed enterprises, possibly motivated by the location of Cow Castle, for the extraction of iron ore and its carriage to perhaps Lynmouth for shipment to Wales.  From this point the track widened and led towards Birchcleave Wood protecting the eastside of Simonsbath. 

We took a light lunch of and ham, eggs and chips and lentil and ham soup with a chunk of bread at Boevey’s Tea Rooms; James Boevey bought Exmoor Forest in mid-17^th century and built the first house in Simonsbath, hence the name of the tea room.  Refreshed with tea and coffee, we started the return journey of our circular walk from Landacre Bridge with a pleasant 80 metre climb through Birchcleave Wood towards Winstitchen Farm.  Belying its name, Birchcleave Wood is a beech wood, planted by the Knight family in mid-19^th century, at over three hundred and fifty metres elevation sustaining a multitude of butterflies sunbathing in the clearings by the path and reportedly a home to Green Woodpeckers but we saw none.  Had we been able to identify the butterflies we might have dallied fifteen minutes to record them for the big butterfly count.  As we passed Winstitchen Farm we noticed that the cloud base had dropped and thickened since this forenoon, and Exmoor mist mizzled on us, forcing a short delay to our progress across the top of the Winstitchen plateau.  Dropping down into the White Water valley and climbing up Picked Stones we had a clear view of Cow Castle and the signs of the Iron Age fort on its summit.

Cow Castle from the East with Horsen

in the background

We continued East following the contours, crossed the lane to Pickedstones Farm, on a temporary path and re-joined the bridleway that took us to the Two Moors Way and Landacre Lane.  After two hours walking from Simonsbath we were grateful for the last kilometre downhill to Landacre Bridge and the River Barle, returning to our morning departure point at 5pm.

Landacre Bridge over the River Barle

looking downstream

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