For this festive weekend away, we’ll be travelling down to the Devon city of Exeter, where we’ll be visiting the Cathedral’s Christmas market. We’ll be doing three walks around the Exeter area, with two of them being based around the River Exe estuary. Like with some of the walks we do in Berkshire, these walks will pass other stations along the way, and so there’ll be options to drop out any of the walks if needed.
If you’re interested in coming, please complete this form to secure your place, as well as showing your interest on Meetup, by Friday 15th November. The trip is limited to 31 places, including the trip leader. Everyone’s welcome to sign up to this trip, regardless of how much walking experience you have or how long you’ve been a Ramblers member. Like with other BW trips, you have to be a member of the Ramblers to take part, but members of other groups are also very welcome to join us.
The Exeter Cathedral Christmas Market
The Exeter Cathedral Christmas Market is typically open between 10:00 and 21:00 on a Friday and Saturday, and between 11:00 and 17:00 on a Sunday, and it takes place on Exeter’s Cathedral Green under the illuminated Medieval façade of Exeter Cathedral. It has a wonderful atmosphere, with paths that are decked out with fairly lights as well as being sprinkled with the seasonal sights and smells of over 100 festive chalets. All of them showcase a wide range of suppliers who offer and sell crafts and gifts as well as seasonal food and drink, who range from the local area to an international level. Global street food, which is served from various pop-up restaurants, cafés and bars, can also be enjoyed alongside local West Country produce, unique hand-crafted gifts, decorations and a lot more. On top of this, there’s also free admission to the Cathedral to visit the interior with its Medieval architecture as well as the Advent services.
Itinerary
Friday’s walk: Topsham to Exmouth, 6.5 miles, easy – 14:10 start.
- Description: This walk will take us along the eastern edge of the Exe estuary via Exton and Lympstone.
- Meeting point: Topsham station
- Driving information:
- 27 spaces available.
- Location: Tappers Close Car Park, Tapper’s Close.
- Postcode to follow: EX3 0DS.
- Recommended train: Exeter St David’s: 13:51 departure / Exeter Central: 13:55 departure. Arrival time into Topsham: 14:07.
- End of walk pub stop: The Powder Monkey.
Friday evening social (venue TBC).
Saturday’s walk: Joint walk with the Devon Bootlegs Ramblers from Exeter St David’s station to Dawlish Warren station, 12.4 miles, easy/moderate. – 09:30 start.
- Description: This walk will take us along the Exeter Ship canal before taking us along the western edge of the Exe estuary via Powderham and Starcross.
- Meeting point: Exeter St David’s station
- Driving information:
- Short stay only at St David’s car park.
- Closest recommended car park: The Imperial pub.
- 50 spaces available.
- Location: B3183 New North Road.
- Postcode to follow: EX4 4AH
- Estimated finishing time: 14:45.
- Lunch: Grounds of The Turf café.
- End of walk pub stop: The Boathouse Bar & Grill.
Sunday’s walk: Teignmouth to Dawlish Warren, 5.2 miles, easy – 09:45 start.
- Description: This final walk will take us parallel the railway through Dawlish, which comes with a view of Lyme Bay.
- Meeting point: Teignmouth station
- Driving information:
- 80 spaces available (Parking fees apply).
- Location: Teignmouth Station Car Park, Exeter Road.
- Postcode to follow: TQ14 8PG.
- Recommended train: 09:24 departure arriving in Teignmouth at 09:43.
- Estimated finishing time: 12:15.
- End of walk pub stop: The Boathouse Bar & Grill.
NOTE: These are all linear walks – if you choose to drive, you will need to take a train to return to your car at the end, or park at the end and take a train to the start of the walk.
Accommodation:
You’ll need to book your own accommodation for the Friday and Saturday nights. Here are some suggestions for you to book:
- Globe Backpackers, Holloway Road (Near Exeter Quay).
- Premier Inn Exeter Central St Davids (Next to St David’s station).
- Premier Inn Exeter City Centre (Near the Cathedral).
Travel to / from Exeter:
By train:
If you plan to do the walk on Friday afternoon, the recommended service from Reading is the 11:01 GWR departure that arrives at Exeter St David’s at 13:07. For those who live in the Newbury area, this same train will depart from Newbury station at 11:16.
For those who live in South Oxfordshire, it’ll be easier to get the train from Didcot Parkway, which sees regular GWR departures towards Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway. At either of these stations, you then change for a CrossCountry service towards Exeter St David’s, and going this route will take you just over 2 hours. After the walk on Sunday, there’s a regular number of trains departing from St David’s station towards Newbury, Reading, and for those who needed it, Didcot Parkway.
By car:
If you plan to drive, the fastest route from Reading is along the M4 towards Swindon, Bath and Bristol, where you’ll reach junction 20. Here, turn off the M4 to join the M5, and follow this towards Taunton and Exeter. An alternative route to the M5 would be to head towards the M3, where you then travel southbound to junction 8 (just after Basingstoke) to join the A303 to Taunton, and you then join the M5 at junction 25.
To get into Exeter city centre, exit the M5 at either junction 29 or 30, which will be dependent on how busy the traffic is and where you’re staying. However, like with any city, parking in central Exeter can be tricky at times, and some of the inner-city hotels may have limited parking spaces. Because of this, it may be easier to book accommodation further out of the city if you’re bringing your car with you.