Post by Dave on Sept 13, 2010 18:25:40 GMT
The Rock, The Cave,Waterfall And The Apologies
Its days like today and the situation I ended up putting Carol in that I thank my lucky stars just how lucky I got 18 years ago when she agreed to come on a first date with me. She never gets angry or cross, never moans and does not suffer from any mood swings, Carol is the sweetest natured person I have ever known and if that was not the case she would have been shouting at me at the top of her voice this afternoon “ that’s another fine mess you got us in David”
Holiday week or not, Friday is Carol’s big shop of the week day and so that had to be done this morning and then the phone never stopped ringing and a few people called at the house and so we decided to have some lunch at home due to the time and go out after that.
I knew I should not have trusted any information on the days out site I found, it was one I had never seen before and one I can’t find again for some reason after looking for it again when I got home. It had Sorely Tunnel listed as a day out and that was closed a few years ago and the place we went today I expect has not had any paying customers for years. I do remember driving past this place many years ago and seeing all the signs they had up, but they were no longer there when we drove into the very tiny car park today.
The alarm bells started ringing when we went into the shop and asked for two tickets, The man looked shocked and we felt he was doing his best to put us off by telling us about the river of rain that ran through the place last night and how its wild and overgrown as its natural and left to its own devices. What he really meant is the venture never really worked and was a complete flop and that’s why it’s now overgrown and best describe as a jungle.
The website describe a place that had pleasant gardens to walk around complete with a large pond, cave with lights in it and a waterfall, don’t even ask about that waterfall or the dangers we encountered just trying to get even a peep of it.
Well we were there and Carol and I are up for most things and while I felt she had some reservations about carrying on with this adventure we gave the man no indication we were about to change our mind and he then said its half price to day so that’s £1.50 each please. He said there was a guide book somewhere and set about looking for it in a pile of books and when he found one he had to shake the dust of it before he handed it to us.
Before I go any further I had better tell you where we went, the place is just before you enter the town of Chudleigh on the main road on the right hand side and the only signs on it today were “The Rock Garden Centre. Well there is a hut come shop and a few racks with some plants on them and that’s it apart from the gate that leads those lucky enough to have tickets into the gardens.
So through the gate we went and we did come to a very nice looking pond that had the largest koi carp in it I have ever seen, we looked at the book as it had a map in it not that we were able to make any real sense of it the whole afternoon. The sign by the pond had fallen over but we were able to work out we should walk the path on the right side of the pond first.
We beat back the brambles and went up some poorly made steps afraid to hold on to the handrail as it looked rotten and had moved so much when we first tried it. We came to an abrupt end on top of the rock due to a fence stopping us falling over the edge and down a deep drop below that would have meant a certain death for us both and so had to go back down again. At the bottom I told Carol to wait where she was and I would check out the path a bit further on and this time I nearly ended up going over the top of another cliff as there was no fence or any warning signs at all.
So it was back to the pond and this time go left and we came to places known as “Little Africa, Sleepy Hallow and the glen” we then found the cave with lights in it and I started to go in but it was so very narrow and it did not look like it was going to open up into some grand cavern and so we made our way back up onto the path.
We then came to an open grassed area with a large rock face running around it, this was known as the adventure area, only no adventures had taken place there for years and the book told us to turn up some steps by the hanging tyres, only they must have rotted away years ago as they were nowhere to been seen.
We did find the steps and after going up then we must have been on the very top of Chudleigh Rock and the instructions told us to go through a gate off their land and onto land that belongs to Lord Courtney. We walked along a bit and nearly went yet again off the top of the rock and turned back and found a very slippery path that went downwards to another path that crossed it at the bottom..
We looked to our right and the path looked far to dangerous and decided to turn left and walk that one, only we soon came out onto a road and so we went back on that path again and went the other way.
We heard the waterfall alright but could hardly see it perched up high on this very dangerous path and while it might have been possible to get down to it, to do so we would have had to risk life and limb as the decent made slippery slope in Bradley Woods look like an ant hill.
I encouraged Carol to follow me and try and get further along the path, I was to latter find out she in fact was rather scared and feared I would slip off the path and fall deep into the valley below, she even had gone through in her mind apparently just what she was going to do if that had of happened.
I nearly went over three times and when it was all over my left arm had three cuts on it as well as my left hand, done as I grabbed hold of small trees to stop myself going over. We did come to a place I had once been before when I was 14 years old, I had been taken there by a girl I had asked out at the Ram Roast Fair. That day she was in the gymkhana (they are no longer a part of the Ram Roast Fair) She lived in Chudleigh and I took the bus out to see her.
I sure don’t remember it being as bad to get there as it was today, but then at 14 years old things don’t seem half as dangerous as they do when your 55 years old I guess. The place I have always known as Chudleigh Cave and there were three rock climbers on the face of the rock, you could go into the cave before and while it got very narrow you could get through it and out a very much smaller entrance. It has a grill on it now as does the other entrance and it was here I knew I should not make Carol go any further as it was very clear she was not enjoying one second of our time in the location we were in.
It seemed harder going back and all the time we saw the big drop on right to the valley below and were so glad we got back to the road still in one piece. We went back to the road as we did not want to risk walking up the slippery path to the top of the rock, No far better to then walk back to the main road and walk down that way to go and get to our car.
Feeling rather dirty I said to Carol we will go to Bovey Tracey and park in the car park just below the Riverside Inn so I could freshen myself up in the toilets and then we could have a walk around and later get a meal in Bovey. I was hoping our very favourite eating place in Bovey would have been rebuilt by now as it suffered a very bad fire about two years ago,
Sadly having a look at it I don’t think it will ever be rebuild, it was called the Old Thatched Inn and is on the other side of the car park and looking through the door windows we could see all the back of it has gone and there is nothing left of the inside at all. Such a shame such an old building has been destroyed and maybe its best not to rebuild it as it could never be the same as it was before.
What I never knew before until a few moths ago was that the Bovey Tracey old railway station building is still in tack and alive and well as a heritage centre and so off we went in search of it. I had seen a picture of it standing beside the road and went that way to get a shot of it and then discovered by coming back to the roundabout and going up a side road I could get to the front of it.
With a few good shots of the station in the bag I noticed a gateway that lead into the large parkland area that Carol and I had walked through on our Bovey walk that can be found on this board. It was at this point Carol’s mobile was ringing and it did not take me too long to work out it was her best friend calling and it was likely to be a very long call.
So I went through the gate will Carol following like a sheep like and dropping further behind me and I just headed for the old railway line as on our last walk we only went a short way along it before talking the riverside walk path.
I soon came to a new fence that was not there the last time we were there and was able to find a gap to have a peep and discovered its Bovey’s new football ground. Thinking back I remember when we were last there it was all mud and diggers etc were working on the site but I did not have a clue then they were working to level the site for the football club to use.
Out the gate across the road we went and on to the old railway line and Carol was still talking away on the phone and she’s got the cheek to say I could talk for England. We walked a good long way along the track until we came to a bridge over it and as it was now 5.45pm and once again we had walked far more miles than we had planned, we turned around and started walking back to Bovey Tracey.
The Riverside inn does a bargain £3.50 carvery and we had decided before we went in not to have one as the last time it was not that special. But since our last time there they have build a new carvery area and it was very busy and looked so much fresher than it did the last time and so we changed our minds and ordered two carverys and two J2o’s.
Have to say it was a great cavery this time with meat that melted in the mouth and gravy so thick, just how we like it and now full up and worn out after our day that was meant to be an easy day, we headed back home to Paignton.
I said all my sorrys to Carol on the way home and she just smiled and told me all she had really been worried about was that she might lose me forever if I had gone over the edge deep into the valley below. It’s good to know someone would miss me should such a thing ever happen to me.
