Dam – what a walk!
STARTING high above the beautiful Lake Wimbleball reservoir,
the walk heads down through heather, gorse and bracken on
Haddon Hill to the lake shore and then along, over the dramatic
dam and up the west side through beautiful wildflower
meadows.
An inland path follows a small valley. Then it's a steep
climb up the hill to the trig on Haddon Hill and gently back
down to the start. Follow the directions carefully,
particularly on the hill as it's a tricky web of paths made by
humans and horses and it's easy to get confused. It took me
several attempts to get the route right!
There are a couple of stiles. You could stop for refreshment
at the lakeside cafe just past the sailing club. A good dog day
out, too.
START
From the car park, cross the stile tucked back under trees
by the toilet building. Go straight across, bearing very
slightly right to reach a crossing Tarmac track – Lady
Harriet's Drive. There may be a large tractor tyre on the
side.
The drive was a planned route built in about 1800 in honour
of Lady Harriet Acland of Pixton Park who rescued and cared for
her wounded husband after he was captured by the French during
the war in America.
Follow the next directions very carefully. Turn left on the
drive for 38 single paces and turn right on a small path going
slightly back on yourself, (or you could just stay on Lady
Harriet's Drive dropping down all the way to the dam, but it's
not nearly as attractive.
Keep straight on through the heather, gorse and bracken,
taking no side-paths, and gently begin to drop into the valley.
Reach a small grove of silver birches and bend a little left
and the path becomes more definite, dropping down more under
birches.
1. CROSSING PATH
Reach a broad crossing path and turn right for a few paces.
Then turn left under an avenue of birches, continuing downhill
in the same direction. Go into a mixed woodland and reach a
crossing track and signpost.
2. SIGNPOST
Turn left on the bridleway in the direction of the dam. Go
through a gate and on into the open where you start to see the
lake in its full glory. At a bend, just before the track starts
to ascend, turn right on a small path to a stile. Once over,
follow the path left close by the lake edge all the way to the
dam.
3. DAM
Cross this amazing structure. To appreciate the full height
(50m), look over the wall on the left on to the wooded valley
of the River Haddeo which was dammed to create the lake
reservoir. The dam was constructed between 1974 and 1979 using
aggregate and sand from local quarries to maintain the pinkish
hue of the local soils.
Managed by the South West Lakes Trust, Wimbleball Lake is
Exmoor's largest reservoir. The lake, stocked with rainbow
trout, attracts fishermen as well as watersports enthusiasts.
There are herons, kingfishers, buzzards and kestrels to be seen
on the shores of the lake. On the far side, turn right through
a gate and continue on the permitted lake-edge path through
woodland and wild flower meadows. There are several seats on
the way.
4. FARMHOUSE
Go over a footbridge and pass in front of a farmhouse.
Continue on, passing a tiled viewing platform of some kind
being built when I was here. Start to approach the sailing and
watersports area.
5. SAILING CLUB
Pass above the club buildings and come alongside the public
parking. You have a choice here – either go on to the cafe or
miss it out.
For the cafe, go straight across following the sign, either
through the play area or go on down to the shore past a wood
store and up to the cafe which is near the campsite. From the
cafe, you can go up the drive on to the lane and turn left and
go along to a wooden gate on your right, just past a house on
the left. Follow from "GATE". (The lake cafe is open from 11am
to 5pm daily in summer. Call 01398 371460).
To miss the cafe, turn left up the stony drive, walking on
the grass at the side. Go over a cattle grid on to a lane and
turn right for a few yards. Just past a house on the right,
reach a wooden gate on the left.
6. GATE
Go through the wooden gate, which isn't signed. Follow the
left hedge straight on to the corner of the field. Take the
left-hand of two gates, following the bridleway to Hartford.
Along this next section you may encounter two or three muddy
patches after rain. Once through the gate, turn left along the
top edge of the field with pleasant views over the valley of
the small River Pulham. Go through a gate and continue as
before. At the end of this field, ignore a gate on the left,
and stay in the field following the left hedge, a typical Devon
bank, and drop down into the valley. Continue to follow the
left hedge and go through a gate. Here fork right downhill.
Come alongside the river and follow it all the way to a
footbridge.
7. FOOTBRIDGE
Cross and turn left with the river on your left for a short
while. Then the river meanders away. Just continue on the path
to reach a lane. Turn left downhill into the valley of the
River Haddeo staying on the lane.
8. CONCRETE PATH
Ignore the first footpath and after another few yards, go
left through a gate on the second path marked to Haddon Hill,
crossing two bridges and following the concrete path. A
bridleway joins from the right. Go through a gate and join Lady
Harriet's Drive again. Maintain direction. Ignore a side-turn
and start to climb.
9. STEPS
After about five or six minutes before the top, go right on
the marked footpath up steps in the wall, thankfully with a
good handrail! Cross a stile and follow the path through oak
woodland. Keep on to a stile on to a crossing track on the edge
of the open land of Haddon Hill again.
10. HADDON HILL
Go straight across up a small path marked to Haddon Hill,
ignoring an initial small crossing path. Continue ahead
climbing up through the bracken to a broader crossing path.
Turn left on the main path going up (not sharp left) and ignore
all side-paths and climb quite steeply on the path which winds
its way uphill. The path does become a little narrower, but is
still a proper path and not just a horse route. Reach a wide
crossing track.
Turn right on the track which goes along on the flat for a
while giving good views right over the valley. Stay on the
track as it bends its way up – don't worry that you are going
back on yourself at one point. This is exactly what you should
be doing! Just opposite a wooden telegraph pole, down the hill
on the right, your track bends left uphill climbing steeply.
Shortly, at a bit of a junction of paths, fork left still
climbing. The path in parts becomes narrower and slightly
overgrown with heather but stick with it all the way until you
go through short wooden posts on to the main track across
Haddon Hill.
11. TRIG
Ahead of you is a trig point at 355m, worth going to for the
amazing views south. Turn left on the track which drops down
off the hill and after about 10 minutes comes to the car
park.
Comments