Post by Dave on Sept 13, 2010 16:47:36 GMT
The Fingles Bridge Walk
When Carol and I have used the book we have to go on any walks they have mostly turned out just fine, the odd walk we have had a few problems following the instructions, but only because they have not been very clear.
It’s the unplanned walks that has often caused us to have a few problems, or finding that we have ended up miles from where the car was parked. Carol walks far more than I do so the thought of a long walk back to the car is not a problem for her, its just me who sets off like a spring chicken and returns like a knackered worn out old man.
Our only plan for the day on Wednesday was to visit Castle Drogo, but as in all these places you can read all there is to read on the walls, walk as slowly as you can around the rooms, but you then find yourself outside again and can’t believe its only O clock and you still have lots of time left.
The castle car park is some way from the castle, you park and then walk down a long drive to it, then you go and pay (or show your National Trust Pass) and they give you a guide to the castle etc.You are also told that there is a nice walk behind the castle that goes along the ridge of the valley and is another and nicer way back to the car park.
All finished at the castle we took this path and were soon enjoying some mighty fine views both down and up the valley. We then got to the point where you can see the path that leads to the car park, but I also saw a signpost. One said Iron Bridge and the other one said Fingles Bridge.
Well lets be honest if you were going to go to one which one would you choose? I thought so Fingles Bridge, it just has a better sound to it and I checked with Carol if she fancied going to Fingles Bridge, the only thing not on the sign was how far it was.
My legs really did feel very young indeed and we took the path to Fingles Bridge, once again the views were excellent and we thought that deep on the valley floor there might have been a river. We could not see it or hear it, but it did look there was one small area we could see through the trees that might be water.
We must have walking for about 45 minutes when we saw a couple coming toward us, real walkers the ones all dressed and shoed correctly for walking. “How much further to Fingles Bridge” I asked., “ about another 30 minutes” came back the reply, “ its OK going down but it its much harder coming back” the man said.
I’m sure he looked at us and how we were dressed and just feared we were not walkers and would have problems getting back up to the top of the valley later. A bit later we came to a sign that showed we needed to take another path that clearly was going to take us to the bottom of the valley. We took the path and with every step we were going down hill and as is always the case, going down hill is not hard work on the old legs.
We then came out on to a road just up from Fingles Bridge, we turned right and there were many cars parked in what is a parking area on one side of the road, I think most were in the pub and restaurant at the bridge, a really nice place to want to stop and have a meal that’s for sure. We had a look around and walked over the bridge and you enter a really nice meadow beside the river, the only thing was we were now on the wrong side of the river as regards getting back to the castle and the car park where our car was.
So Carol and I had a chat, what shall we do? Go back the way we came, up that big steep path? Go back over the bridge and walk along the riverside and then try and find a path back up the valley closer to the castle? Or carry on walking on the wrong side.
Well we knew there had to be another bridge somewhere down stream of the castle as we had seen the sign to it; yes it was called Iron Bridge. The thing was it was nice and flat on this side and looked like much easier walking for me.
Minds made up we carried on walking beside the river only on the wrong side, most pleasant indeed and then after 20 minutes or so I stopped a young couple walking toward us. “Have you seen a bridge over the river in you travels” I asked, NO came the reply we only walked down as far as the old mill about another 25 minutes from here.
So we knew that any bridge was going to be much further away that we thought, we then came to a part in the river that had big boulders going across it. It was hard to get to the first one and I ended up putting my leg in the river and getting a very wet foot. Carol had no such problems and was soon halfway across, only to find the gap between the boulders in the middle was far too big to jump across and the river was very fast at that point.
So she came back, but I had to go and check it myself as it seemed the only way to get back across the river, unless we wanted to walk miles more to find Iron Bridge. Always listen to a woman is the best advise I can give you and I slipped on the boulder in the middle and nearly went into the fast rushing water complete with my camera, if that had got damaged I would not have been a happy boy.
A bit later on we came to the old mill the young couple had told us they had come from, nothing really special about it and nothing to say what went on there, but took a few pictures and carried on in search of our bridge. The path now had changed into one with muddy pools everywhere and it became imposable to pick a way along it that would keep our shows clean.
We then came to a shut gate and opened it and starting walking along a wide lane that had a high wall running riverside, some distance later a small sign pointed to a gap in the wall, we went thought the gap and had to go down a few steps and there was Iron Bridge. Carol went to the waters edge to try and clean her shoes off.
She was sat on a boulder partly in the river, once she had done her shoes I went and done mine, only while sat on the boulder doing one shoe, I forgot I had two legs as one slowly slipped into the river, result another soaking wet foot. Over the bridge we went and no sign of the castle, we had ended up way down past the castle, so we just followed the signs to it.
After another 20 minutes I could see the castle it looked so close, but the sign on the path said it was half a mile away, it also said this way to Fingles Bridge, no bloody thank you I said out loud.. It might have been better to have tried and walked up the big steep bank to the castle as the path takes you gently around the hillside to get to it. Still we were able to look back down into the valley and see the old mill from way up high. Did we really walk that far, were we down there some time ago and wondering if we would ever get back to the car?
Once back at the castle we decided just to walk back up the drive and not the nice path that gives you such nice views over the valley, just in case I had any more good ideas.
Map showing the walk we made
