A Ramble in The Dunsford Nature Reserve And Lunch in The Royal Oak

The Village c1960
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Today I joined a group of friends on an organized ramble through the Dunsford nature reserve run by the Devon Wildlife Trust. My friends are all dancers and musicians with Heather and Gorse Clog Dancers but on this occasion we were happy to enjoy a five mile circular walk on a beautiful early Spring sunny Devon day instead of our more usual dancing at a pub!

We started our ramble at Steps Bridge, close to where we parked our cars in the Dartmoor National Park car park next to the Youth Hostel. The reserve entrance is just past the Exeter side of the bridge and we followed the footpath and bridlepath along the valley floor, from Steps Bridge to the Clifford Bridge where we played “Pooh Sticks” (just shows how grown up Morris Dancers can be!).

By the time we returned to Steps Bridge it was lunchtime and we were feeling quite thirsty so we all made our way to The Royal Oak in Dunsford for lunch and a beer or two! The pub is at the top of the street close to the church shown in this view of Dunsford.

This was a really lovely day out and I hope to return and take this walk again as it was lovely to see so many snowdrops. Perhaps in a few weeks time I might see all the wild daffodils too. The Devon Wildlife Trust had several notice boards along the footpath describing the flora and fauna but I didn’t see the deer.