Clockwise around Harberton
This is a circular walk of just over 2 miles (3.5km) going beyond Screw Lane to Belsford, up Watery Lane and back down to the village. Total ascent is 435ft (133m). The walk is designed clockwise so you go up Watery Lane, not down – it’s safer to cope with loose boulders and the slippery hollowed out track when ascending this section.
1. To start this walk head westwards up the hill past the Harberton bus stop with the row of Wesley Place houses on your right. Beyond the speed limit sign and the very high banks to your left, Tristford Farm and its barns are next on your right. Further up is The Manor, originally The Vicarage, with its imposing gates and prominent Edward VII era post box in the wall. Just a little further up on your left, built into the stone boundary wall at ground level are two niches, which some think were originally constructed to hold milk churn stands, along with recesses set in the stonework for possible racks and dairy shelving.
2. At Triangle Cross take the right turn, signposted Belsford. About 100 metres further on is an old slate-roofed pig pen on your right and then shortly after, the first glimpse of the Harbourne Valley through a gate on the left. Carry straight on at Mill Cross, with Screw Lane on your right and the lane down to Belsford Corn Mill on your left. If you look back, as the road begins to climb between high hedges on either side, a glimpse of Dundridge can be seen. After a bend where the incline steepens, if you look behind again you can spot the (present day) Vicarage and Bridge Farm buildings aligning. At the barn entrance further up there is a spectacular view down the Harbourne Valley with Leigh Woods hillside looking imposing on the left. A little further up the road, where two sets of gates are close together, there are Dartmoor views to the west including Ugborough Beacon and Three Barrows. Distant Eastern White Barrow is directly ahead as the lane starts to drop down steeply and we see glimpses through the trees of the hamlet of Belsford.
3. Where the lane bends sharply left over the stream, turn right onto the beginning of the uphill stony track of Watery Lane. It’s very rocky, seriously uneven and washed away in parts. Stout footwear required and, if your balance isn’t brilliant, a walking pole is handy. Immediately on your left there is a pond fed by springs and behind there are several recently planted belts of trees. The way is stony and loose but after a gentle climb it becomes easier underfoot and, as it levels out, a second pond can be seen, this time on the right. Just before a double kink in the lane, there’s an old oak and three ash trees on your left, after which there’s another big oak on the right. Soon, conditions underfoot deteriorate up another stretch of rocky footpath with more oaks on the right looking splendid on a sunny day. Views open up behind as you climb gradually uphill where there are higher banks either side covered in primroses, stitchwort, violets, campions, bugle, celandine, yellow dead nettle, blackthorn blossom and dandelion during the spring.
4. At the very top, when you meet the road, turning right takes you back to Harberton. Wild garlic grows well on the left verge as you walk up and past Tristford reservoir on your right. On top of the hill, near Copperthorn Cross, the views to the east open up across to Marldon and Torquay. Then it’s downhill all the way to Harberton past three view gates, the last one framing the church. After Tristford’s West Lodge, there are tall trees in a narrow strip of woodland bounded by a stone wall, all on your left. Go straight over at Gill’s Cross; the junction with Dark Lane and Screw Lane. Pass the Vicarage on your right and then the Parish Hall leading you back into the village of Harberton.
April 2020