Devon Walks: Aylesbeare Common

In the last post we mentioned the wonderful Taste East Devon food festival - so we thought we’d add this walk as an ideal way of earning your lunch, so to speak… It’s not too far but you will be feeling ready for a good lunch or supper after you\ve strolled around this lovely scenic part of the East Devon countryside.

The East Devon Pebble Beds are nationally famous, providing a home for all sorts of rare flora and fauna.

To be honest I didn't know exactly where we were as we drove south towards the English Channel the other day. I knew we'd just passed a crossroads at the top of a hill, and I seem to remember seeing a Halfway Inn. So how was I to know that we had entered the demesne of the elusive Dartford Warbler? Until I saw one.

For those who don't know it, this is a brown feathered little fellow with a long tail, and it is just one of the reasons why the RSPB runs a reserve at Aylesbeare Common. There are other reasons, but apart from the warblers, nightjars and stonechats, this is a rare chunk of ancient heathland that plays home to the largest number of butterfly species to be found in any RSPB reserve.

Incredible really, to be just a few miles outside Exeter and into such a great swathe of nature-rich wilderness. That's why we pulled over: the fields of South Devon had suddenly given way to heath and somehow the countryside reminded me of the area near the North Pole. By which I mean the North Pole explored by Winnie the Pooh and his friend Christopher Robin, and the other denizens of that friendly forest including all Rabbit's friends and relations.

Aylesbeare Common has that look about it, and because it is well endowed with paths, we were soon enjoying our own exploration. Not knowing anything about the place, we started by turning our backs on the RSPB reserve and heading south from the car park towards the distant sea.

We could sea its blue horizon glimmering way out past Budleigh Salterton. Having crossed the lane a footpath swung left and off we went across the heath, and after a mile or so we came to a sort of border of this magic land. But that was all right because we were able to follow another path east, back across the lane and into a particularly picturesque corner of the Common.

This is where you begin to realise how high up you are, because a valley opens up below the heath to your right, and in it is the pretty village of Newton Poppleford, looking like a collection of doll's houses far below.

Why Newton should be suffixed with wonderful sounding Poppleford, I do not know. In fact I have very little knowledge of the place save for one rather trivial fact. And that is that long ago I interviewed a man who lived there who was responsible for setting all the questions to be found in the first editions of Trivial Pursuit.

While we are meandering our way aimlessly up the eastern edge of the Common, allow me to furnish you with a few details about heathland in general. You wouldn't know it to look at them, but they are man-made environments which have been with us since Neolithic times.

Low intensive agriculture. That's the phrase. The gist of it was (no pun intended: 'gist' also means right to graze) that the well-to-do snapped up the fertile valley land, while the poor old paupers were told they could put a few manky cattle and sheep up on the common where nothing much would grow.

Anyway, the point is that these areas developed a very special mix of plants, thanks to this low intensive agriculture, which in turn became the favoured home of many birds, animals and insects. Of course, modern agricultural techniques, not to mention quarrying and housing, have bitten into the heathlands causing them to shrink at an alarming rate.

That's why the RSPB has a reserve, so that at least 184 hectares can remain traditionally heathy without threat. The Society takes an active role in maintaining this delicate environment by allowing non-intensive grazing and occasionally cutting back the gorse.

The pebbles in an East Devon Pebblebed

But we haven't reached the reserve yet, simply because I didn't know it was there. So far I've only got you back to the A3052, but there's no need to risk life and limb on this busy road as a path will lead you back up towards the car park.

That's where I happened to see the RSPB sign and, making my way across the main road, found that there is an excellent Visitor's Trail around the reserve. By following the green topped posts we were able to enjoy a three mile circular tour of the more northerly corners of Aylesbeare Common, and a good deal of Harpford Common too.

Cobwebs in the gorse on Aylesbeare Common

It's an excellent hike and I can happily recommend it not only because it is packed with nature, but because it is an exceedingly pleasant tract of Old England.

As it was a mild day I was lucky enough to spot a couple of the famous Dartford Warblers - apparently they make themselves scarce when it gets cold. Obviously I didn't see, or hear, the nightjars as they were away in Africa or somewhere, and won't be back until June.

Nor did I see any of the 38 species of butterfly which have been spotted in the reserve since 1997. These, by-the-way, include the brimstone, silver washed fritillary, grayling and silver-studded blue.

I can also admit to finding the skies uncluttered by the 23 species of dragonflies and damselflies which merrily haunt the pools around the reserve. Nor did I count anything like the 450 species of plants which have been recorded hereabouts.

I saw the ling heather and the bell heather, but did not examine their rarer crossed-leaved heath cousin as I wouldn't know it if I fell over it. Nor would I be able to identify sundew, bog asphodel, dodder, heath milkwort and heath dog violet.

But believe me, they are all out there on Aylesbeare Common. Somewhere.

And next time you're down Exeter way, maybe you should be too.

How to get there: A3052 east from Exeter, you'll recognise the heath just before Newton Poppleford

Basic Hike: Martin did a figure-of-eight around north and south Aylesbeare Common with a bit of Harpford Common thrown in for good measure, but you could just do the RSPB Reserve Visitor's Trail.

Recommended map: Ordnance Survey Explorer 115.

Distance and Going: Six miles for the longer hike, three for Visitor Trail. Good level going.