Bucks Mill AONB Walk
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Devon’s Areas of Bucks Mill North Devon Walk Trade and Settlement Trade and Settlement Outstanding Natural Beauty Start/Finish: Bucks Mills car park (7 miles west of This leafl et is part of a series of themed trails in Devon’s Areas Bideford off the A39) of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB); helping you get out Distance: 5.5 miles (9.0 km) there, enjoy, and learn more about the landscape around you. Circular walk: Yes Grade: Moderate Trail themes include Terrain: Coast path, public rights of way, surfaced road. Mostly reasonable underfoot. Some slippery stretches on Coast in Confl ict, coast path in wet weather Man and the Landscape, Obstacles and steep gradients: 3 fl ights of steps; 1 Trade and Settlement and stile; 1 steep climb A Colourful Landscape. Accessibility: This route is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs Have a look at these websites for further leafl ets in the series, and ideas for other ways of enjoying yourself out and about! Public transport: Bus service 319 from Barnstaple and Bideford to Bucks Cross. From Bucks Cross turn down www.northdevon-aonb.org.uk, past post offi ce signed ‘Bucks Mills ¾’. Walk start point ¾ See mile on right. Public Transport Information Call Traveline www.southdevonaonb.org.uk and on 0871 200 22 33 or www.traveline.info www.discoverdevon.com Toilets: No public toilets on walk route Parking: Bucks Mills car park. Free Other Facilities: Public payphone in Bucks Mills, to right ArAreaea ooff OuOutstandingtstanding NaNaturaltural BeBeautyauty iiss ththee GoGovernment’svernment’s where walk route turns onto coast path from village street designation for Britain’s fi nest landscapes; there are 40 in England and Wales. Together with Dartmoor and Exmoor Accommodation: Please contact Bideford Tourist National Parks, Devon’s 5 AONBs cover 35% of the county. Information Centre 01237 477676 or bidefordtic@ AONBs share a common commitment to secure sustainable torridge.gov.uk or www.discoverdevon.com. living landscapes. Each AONB has been designated for special OS map: Explorer 126 Grid ref: SS 358232 attention because of the quality of their fl ora, fauna, cultural Countryside Code: When walking in the AONB always and historical heritage, as well as beautiful scenery. follow the Countryside Code, which is dedicated to helping Their care has been entrusted to local authorities, members of the public respect, protect and enjoy the organisations, community groups, individuals who live and countryside. Follow the link for more information work in them and those who value them. www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk The National Trust own and manage extensive tracts of coastline along the North Devon coast including Peppercombe Valley, Worthygate and Sloo Woods, which it manages for wildlife and access for people to enjoy. Directions 1. Take short path, from bottom corner of car park by village information panel, down to road. Turn right down road through village (1,2) 2. Continue straight on down Tarmac pathway (3,4) to old quay and beach (5). Afterwards, retrace your steps to here up to and through village. Trade and Settlement 7. After another 250 metres Wembury to Plymouth Wembury to Plymouth Trade and Settlement look for a footpath on your Trade and Settlement In the Early Stone Age Devon was sparsely right signed to Northway turn populated by nomadic hunter-gatherers. right and proceed up a steep Much has changed since then. The land has footpath to the road. been permamently lived in through the later Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age; seen 8. On reaching a surfaced road, Roman invasion, Anglo-Saxon settlement, turn left, then at the next road Viking raiders and Norman Conquest. These junction turn right by Northway have all left their mark on the landscape, Holiday Cottages from Prehistoric barrows and Iron Age hillforts 9. After about ½ mile look for a to Norman castles but the land has remained public footpath on your left, settled and farmed to the present day. just passed an old concrete Through this succession of infl uence, and 3. Just before Old Coastguard structure and before Sloo beyond, the Devon we see today has taken Cottage turn left by red Farm. (10) shape. Villages, hamlets and farms have telephone box, signed ‘Coast To visit Hoops Inn (500m evolved. Towns have grown up, and centres Path Peppercombe 2 miles’. Bear detour each way) cross road of trade and power have developed, faded, right up steps after 20 metres. to right. Follow public footpath and shifted. 4. At junction near top of climb, around fi eld edge, signed This rural county has always had agriculture bear left signed ‘Peppercombe ‘Holwell ½m’. Beyond next stile at its heart. But other industries have made their mark. 2 miles’ (6) bear right down to car park and pub. Afterwards, retrace Men have long burrowed deep into the Devon earth to extract 5. Follow the path through the your steps back up through car valuable tin, copper, silver, lead, and arsenic. Boat building, woods and after 2 miles, (7) lime burning, cloth making, and the woollen trade all helped descend into Peppercombe bring affl uence. And Devon’s stream sides are dotted with the Valley at the main track turn old mills that once ground grain, or made paper and textiles. left and follow the path across Lastly, we cannot forget the contribution made by Devon’s the fi eld and down through ‘free traders’, the smugglers of old. some woods to the beach (8). Meanwhile, Devon’s coast has always provided the county with Afterwards retrace your steps. a portal to the wide world. For centuries, galleons, schooners, 6. Continue over the bridge clippers and cutters have plied their trades in and out of the and up the main track of county’s ports. There is even persuasive evidence that tin was Peppercombe Valley (9), after being traded with visiting Phoenician and Greek galleys in the 250 metres the track divides Bronze Age. bear right here and continue Today’s Devon,home to three quarters of a million people, has up the lane passed the Old roots sunk deep into a long and fascinating history. Coastguard Cottages. North North Devon 2 Devon park. Follow path to stile, and the Braunds were said to be Wales was brought here by ship The Gut is a slender ‘corridor’ then left around fi eld edge. descended from survivors of and burnt in the kilns. Lime was of sand visible at all but high Turn left along road. a wrecked ship of the Spanish used as a fertiliser to “sweeten tide. Explosives and hard Armada. In fact, it is now 10. After ½ mile, just beyond the soil” as well as being used labour cleared this channel thought that prehistoric Iberian the second of two sharp left for mortars and whitewash for through the coastal rock. The immigrants who settled in hand bends, turn right past buildings. Lime production was result allowed coastal trading these parts are the most likely ‘Lower Worthygate’ sign on important to North Devon’s vessels to beach themselves source of the family’s famously wall. Follow public footpath economy and agriculture, but here, unload their cargoes, and Mediterranean looks. fi ngerpost down drive. it had its dangers. The heat of refl oat again on the next tide. 2. Part of the name Bucks Mills the kilns and the caustic nature 11. Turn right in front of the houses 6. The magical oak woods along stems from the village mill. of the lime made for some and walk through farm. Bear the coast path here may Corn was ground here, and the gruesome accidents. right up ramp and follow public be very old. Too steep and mill was powered by the lively footpath fi ngerpost down left inaccessible to be cleared and stream which tumbles down side of barn. Path follows fi eld worked, coastal woodland such the valley. The origin of ‘Bucks’ edge and drops down through as this has escaped the plough Wembury to Plymouth Wembury to Plymouth Trade and Settlement lies in the Saxon term for a Trade and Settlement woods to follow stream. for centuries or even longer. homestead, ‘Buccas Htwise’. 12. Where path emerges at road, Human infl uence has often 3. The tiny cabin to the right of turn immediately left up been limited to small scale the path down to the beach footpath back to car park (11) coppicing, and the age of the was for 50 years the summer woods makes for tremendous residence of the artists Judith natural diversity. During the Points of Interest Ackland and Mary Stella spring these woodlands are a Edwards. Their nationally riot of colour, no wonder they 1. At one time more or less every acclaimed work included are considered to be one of the resident in Bucks Mills held the many beautiful evocations of best habitats in Britain. surname Braund, or was related the North Devon landscape, to the family. A ferocious which were known for their 5. For many centuries the small attitude to newcomers ensured distinctively gentle and boats of Bucks Mills landed the valley remained a Braund timeless quality. plump catches of herring, stronghold for many centuries. mackerel, lobsters, and King’s Cottage on the right prawns, and the community at the bottom of the village relied heavily on fi shing. A was once the home of Captain curved quay built in 1598 James Braund, known as the once provided protection and ‘King’ of Bucks Mills. embarkation for the fi shing fl eet A distinctive clan, known and other vessels. That quay for their dark hair and eyes, is now long gone, its demise hastened by the erosion of the cliff behind it.