Time to turn over a new leaf? If that’s the kind of mood New Year has instilled in you, then perhaps your might be looking for places to discover and explore which are just a little different from the usual zones you enjoy. Walking in locations that are different to the norm can be as refreshing as visiting a foreign country - and Braunton Burrows is certainly no exception to that rule.

The Burrows do not disappoint - their massive 2,400 acres boast no fewer than 477 different species of flowering plant, some of which are as rare as hen’s teeth. There are also 33 different species of butterflies and 18 different types of dragonfly and damselfly - many of which are in evidence at this time of the year.

In short, the Burrows is one of the most weird and wonderful areas open to the public anywhere in the West Country. In fact, it is the second largest dune area in Britain. It belongs to the Christie Estate (same people who own Glynebourne of operatic fame) and they have been good enough to keep the place open to the public.

And by open, I mean you can wander where'er ye will. 

To get to the Burrows you take one of several lanes that meander across an area reminiscent of the Somerset Levels. Rhynes divide fields and reeds bend in the breeze. These lanes eventually join forces to terminate in a car park which serves the main area of dunes.

An interpretation board tells you all about the dune systems, which are far more complex than you may think - and it also tells you not to enter the area if the red flag is flying.

The military occasionally stage manoeuvres among the dunes: “We are actually very grateful for the MOD presence,” I was once told by on e of the local Biosphere rangers. “It has helped to control or slow down the vegetation. It’s the fact that they can come in with their four-wheel-drive vehicles. We are able to say to the army that we need that bit scuffed up a bit - so they drive their Land Rovers or Vikings over that part and it opens up the sand, which starts a succession which allows those early pioneer plants to come in.”

The Army’s messing about in the dunes is also good news for walkers because easy-to-follow tracks have been created running hither and thither allowing you to explore just about every single corner of the huge sandy expanse. 

One of the walks I’ve done several times in the Burrows is to proceed along the track from the car park and, where it turns right under a sign saying "Coast Path", carry straight on, aiming at the nearest dune.

I recall that the first time I did this it was my intention to go to the sea. I thought - no problem, cross the dune and there it'll be. And, having crossed one huge Saharan hill, I was confronted by another even bigger one. And so on. The dunes go on and on. After a while you begin to think you're halfway to Timbuktu, but eventually you hear distant surf pierced by the weeping cry of oyster-catcher.

Although you are free to roam, it is best to try and keep to the paths and tracks. This place is famous for its rich flora and is, according to one guide: “A species-rich calcareous dune grassland with good examples of a variety of important communities. The short turf areas are extremely rich in herbs and lichens, including a number of nationally rare species. Flowering herbs such as large thyme Thymus pulegioides, common restharrow Ononis repens and common bird’s-foot-trefoil Lotus corniculatus are locally dominant.”

Among all that foliage there are adders - in fact one year I was walking here I was told that no fewer than 13 dogs had been bitten by snake in the Burrows during a single summer.

Eventually we reached the great beach that swept us south past Airy Point towards Crow Point, and certainly no snakes were in evidence as we made our way back up north through the midwinter dunes recently. 

There are various ways of doing this return leg of the walk. The South West Coast Path takes a detour down through the wandering sands to dip a toe into the Taw and Torridge estuaries at a place marked on the OS map with the word ‘Groynes”. It’s as if the long distance trail wants to see where it will be many miles from now having marched all the way east around Chivenor air-base and up to Barnstaple, before returning west back around Instow then Bideford before gaining Appledore and Northam Burrows, whose dunes lie just half a mile away from the Braunton groynes.  

By following the coast path east up through the dunes we skipped the southerly corner of Crow Point and eventually came to the corner where the long distance trail enters the Torridge-Taw estuary zone. By following the path north you can march directly back up to the car park - or you may wish to meander through the dunes instead, which is much more fun.

Some 150,000 people visit the place each year, but according to local wardens there’s always somewhere you can get away from other folk - and feel as though you are exploring somewhere very foreign and exotic indeed.   

Fact File

Basic Hike: across the centre of Braunton Burrows to reach the flats of Saunton Sands, the south down the coast and to Airy Point before returning through the dunes.

Distance and going: five miles - easy going if you don’t mind walking in sand.

Recommended Map: Ordnance Survey Explorer 139.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

Squires Fish and Chips

Squires Fish and Chips in nearby Braunton is one of the best chippies in the west. Simple as that. Michael Squires oversees a deep fried kingdom second to none and I never pass this part of North Devon without calling in.

Laid back lay-by 

If you do partake of Squires’ fish-n-chips but don’t want to sit in their excellent restaurant on Braunton’s main street, I’d recommend a lay-by with views. In fact I reckon the series of lay-bys on the Braunton-to-Croyde road are the best of their kind when it comes to stunning maritime panoramas.   

Buxom Barnstaple

If your route to or from this walk takes you through Barnstaple, do call in to town for a quick visit. I get the feeling not enough people do (maybe thanks to out-of-town megastores) which maybe is why there are no butchers in Butchers’ Row any longer. But Barnstaple is a place of great interest and charm.