Through the woods at Buckland Abbey

Sunday 3 May

A day of showers and brighter spells saw us driving out for a coffee and some air. Yesterday we had vegetated after a couple of days driving to Devon.

First stop was the village of Buckland Monarcorum, to have a look round a local art exhibition - there were some attractive landscapes, notably by a Richard Mabey who is the author and illustrator of  a book of local walks - he is not the man who wrote Food for Free, I think.

A stroll downhill into the village with its impressive church, and quaint houses - and we still hadn't had any caffeine. Nearby was Buckland Abbey, once an abbey, then home to Sir Richard Grenville and later to Sir Francis Drake, now a National Trust property.

It was certain to have a cafe, and a fine situation. 

We paid the dues to go into the garden and grounds and enjoyed a coffee and scone. The staff on reception  recommended a three mile long estate walk through bluebell woods. One of the most beautiful woodland walks - especially at this time of year. Spring flowers in abundance - celandines, a few wood anemones, pink campion, yellow dead nettle, wild garlic, herb robert, and masses of bluebells - though not at their peak yet.

The woods are steep and full of mosses of all kinds, ferns and trees showing new leaves. At the bottom of the slopes flows the Tavy, and we joines a riverside path for a short distance, and saw a family of ducklings with their mother.

We met no one on the woodland part of the walk, and there were no more than a few drops of rain.

My phone app tells me we climbed the equivalent of 27 flights of stairs!