 | Exeter Off the Beaten Path | Tips 1 - 10 of 20 |  |
Popular Off the Beaten Path | Other Off the Beaten Path Tips | All Tips (20) For those of you who have visited me elsewhere on this site it may come as no surprise to find out that I do enjoy a good walk. For those of you who haven't visited me elsewhere.......do so now...........I MEAN NOW!!........'cos if you don't I'm not going to continue with this tip.
OK, now that you've got an idea of where I'm coming from, I'll continue.....a good walk always involves a destination, and strangely enough the destination, for me, invariably involves a pub or restaurant and this walk is no different. The destination in this case is the Double Locks Hotel, a pub that does quite reasonable food and absolutely excellent beer.
If you go down to the river from the city centre there are various bridges which will take you across river to the Exeter Canal, along which are the old towpaths (from the days before the infernal combusting engine when horses did all the towing of the barges). Follow the path (either side of the canal) and about a mile ( a proper DEVON MILE!) out of the city there is a pair of canal locks and the aforementioned pub. This is one of my favourite walks, it usually takes me about 30 mins to get there and sometimes several hours to get back, but I have yet to fall into the canal - oh! dear! that's tempting fate!!
If this piques your curiosity have a look at the travelogue. Leave a Comment
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In the northern tower of the cathedral, under the clock, there is a very old and tiny door. In the very old and tiny door there is an even tinier circular hole. Why?
Apparently, the bell rope hung there, its end greased with wax. Mice liked the wax. They ran about in the cathedral and the monks did not enjoy walking over them when they rse for early-morning prayers. So it was decided that there should be a cathedral cat, and the cat needed a hole so it could get at the mice who ate the wax.............
This is supposed to be the origin of the nursery rhyme 'Hickory, dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock............' . It might be; it's a good story anyway! Leave a Comment
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Medieval monks were allowed to use 'misericords' (small wooden ledges to rest one's buttocks on) to keep themselves focused and comfortable through the long hours of prayer. Many were beautifully carved. The one in the picture has been put on show because it is an interesting example of how the Medieval mind worked. The woodcarver had probably never seen an elephant, and obviously did not know what its feet looked like. So he gave it the feet he thought it would have; if you look closely, you'll see this elephant has the hooves of an ox! Leave a Comment
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If you are in Exeter there are some really nice walks down by the river,if you dont feel like walking you can take a ferry ride and see some of the country side. Leave a Comment
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One of the many unique features of Branscombe's church is this fragment of a wall painting. It shows an embracing couple being impaled by a skeletal demon.
Apparently there used to be a whole series of these murals, depicting the punishments for the Seven Deadly Sins. Leave a Comment
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The Blackdown Hills of east Devon are famous for their many ancient churches and quaint towns. Many hundreds of miles of narrow lanes lined by tall hedges twist through the hills.
Along one of those lanes between Ottery St. Mary and Seaton you might come across Southleigh, where you'll find this old church. It overlooks a field where dairy cows graze during the day. Leave a Comment
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Halfway between Seaton and Sidmouth is the scraggly village of Branscombe, a long string of houses tumbling down a deep but narrow valley.
At the top end of the village, about a mile from the pebble beach, is this church. Leave a Comment
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On to Colyton, a small town a few miles north of the large resort town of Seaton. Antique doubledecker trams connect the towns.
Colyton's church is quite impressive. The flamboyant tower and windvane can be seen for miles.Inside Colyton's church is a chapel dedicated to an old local aristocratic family where you'll see several extravagant monuments. Leave a Comment
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All these churches proved too much for our friend Leigh...
This is an empty coffin propped up outside the doors of Branscombe's church. Leave a Comment
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Unsurprisingly, Northleigh is just a couple miles north of Southleigh.
The church here is atop a hill with views over the surrounding village and farms. Its white rendered tower makes for a distinctive landmark. Leave a Comment
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