Cycle Eggesford to Meshaw
It was great to get out on my electric bike on Friday morning for BikeWeekUK. I cycled from Chulmleigh to the DWT Meshaw Moor reserve. I rode back via Chawleigh (and the newly re-opened Earl of Portsmouth pub), Eggesford Station (stopping to buy veg at the Plant Shed) and Heywood Wood
I didn't allow enough time to search for Heath Fritillary butterflies. I did see Meadow Browns, Painted Ladies and a Mother Shipton moth amongst the profusion of wild flowers at this Culm Grassland site.
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One Bus From Exeter
How far can you travel on One Bus From Exeter? In about an hour you can get to Honiton, Sidmouth, Exmouth, Dawlish, Teignmouth, Newton Abbot, Bovey Tracey, Moretenhampstead, Chagford, Okehampton, North Tawton, Chulmleigh, Witheridge, Tiverton, or Willand. You won't need to find a parking space - and you won't have to return to your car. You can walk along the East Devon Way, or the South West Coast Path, or the Exe Valley Way and return by another bus. Find the quiet places. Avoid the traffic congestion of last year. Step more lightly on the Earth.
Back in the early 2000s, I walked the Tarka Trail and the North Devon part of the South West Coast Path in sections. I would get a bus to a town or village on the Tarka Trail, walk 5 to 10 miles and then return on another bus. One Bus from Exeter is a return to that idea. One Bus From Exeter was to going to start with step 4 out of national lockdown, however infection rates are still high. Use this site to plan your walks, look at the Covid19 data on the Devon Dashboard, listen to the science and exercise your personal responsibility. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do
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Propensity to Cycle Tool
The Propensity to Cycle Tool (PCT) was designed to assist transport planners and policy makers to prioritise investments and interventions to promote cycling. The PCT answers the question: 'where is cycling currently common and where does cycling have the greatest potential to grow?'. The PCT can be used at different scales.
First, the PCT is a strategic planning tool. Different visions of the future are represented through various scenarios of change, including the Department for Transport’s draft Cycling Delivery Plan target to double cycling in a decade and the more ambitious ‘Go Dutch’ scenario, whereby cycling levels equivalent to the Netherlands are reached in England and Wales (allowing for English and Welsh hilliness and trip distances). By showing what the rate of cycling could feasibly look like in different parts of cities and regions, and illustrating the associated increase in cycle use on the road network, the PCT should inform policies that seek a wider shift towards sustainable transport.
Second, the PCT can also be used at a smaller scale. The scenario level of commuter cycling along a particular road can be used to estimate future mode share for cycling on that corridor. This can be compared with current allocation of space to different modes, and used to consider re -allocation from less sustainable modes to cater for cycling growth. In other cases, low current or potential flows may indicate a barrier, such as a major road or rail line, causing severance and lengthening trips. This could be addressed through new infrastructure such as a pedestrian and cycle bridge.
https://www.pct.bike/m/?r=devon
Lovelace, R., Goodman, A., Aldred, R., Berkoff, N., Abbas, A., Woodcock, J., 2017.The Propensity to Cycle Tool: An open source online system for sustainable transport planning. Journal of Transport and Land Use. 10:1, 505–528, DOI: 10.5198/jtlu.2016.862.
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Marsh Barton Railway Station (opening 2022)
Marsh Barton railway station is a station under construction in the Marsh Barton area of Exeter, Devon. The station will be located on the Riviera Line between Exeter St Thomas and Starcross stations. Marsh Barton is identified as a strategic employment area in local planning policy, and the new station will support employment development.
Plans for the station were developed by Network Rail and Devon County Council as part of the "Devon Metro" proposal.
Work was due to start on the station in early 2017, and Devon County Council hoped that it would be open in December 2017. Construction work actually began in April 2021, with the station now expected to be open for passengers by the end of 2022.
In an update in April 2020, officers of Devon County Council said that a decision had been made to prioritise this station over a possible reopening of Exminster railway station. Marsh Baton is expected to cost £16 million, with each platform measuring 407 feet (124 m) in order to accommodate 5-car trains.
The station will be located off Clapperbridge Lane East, adjacent to an energy from waste (EfW) plant.
The station will be located between Exeter St Thomas and Starcross railway stations, being served by Great Western only
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsh_Barton_railway_station
https://www.gwr.com/plan-journey/train-times
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gwruk/ (61k)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GWRHelp (777k)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gwruk/ (13k)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/great-western-railway/ (17k)
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DCA - Taw Valley
This is an intricate, complex and varied landscape within a dramatic valley, which contrasts with the surrounding open, elevated farmland. Woodland and slopes combine with bends and spurs in the valley to hide views onward and create constant surprises. Tightly wooded sections unexpectedly open out to display wide vistas across the valley. Around Eggesford, the steep valley sides and mixture of broadleaved and coniferous woodland is evocative of continental Europe. Elsewhere, tranquil parkland gives the valley a soothing atmosphere.
This area comprises the main valley of the River Taw, plus its tributary valleys, including the River Bray, River Mole, Crooked Oak Stream, and Mully Brook. The area forms a rough ‘T’ Shape, surrounded by areas of higher land. The Codden Hill and Wooded Estates and the South Molton Farmland lie to the north, Witheridge and Rackenford Moor to the east and the High Culm Ridges to the west. To the south is the High Taw Farmland.
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/north-devon-area/taw-valley
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policies/landscape/devon-character-areas
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Eggesford Forest
Discover the great historic importance of Eggesford Forest today
Eggesford Forest is home to the very first trees planted by the newly created Forestry Commission in 1919 within Flashdown Wood.
Since then, the forest has continued to gather mementos of the past with several commemorative tree avenues, and a granite stone unveiled by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1956 to mark the millionth acre of Forestry Commission planting.
https://www.forestryengland.uk/eggesford-forest
Eggesford Forest Eggesford EX18 7LD
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forestry.england.uk/ (129k)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Eggesford%20Forest/2003186323043888/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ForestryEngland (40k)
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/forestry-england/ (13k)
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Little Dart Ridge and Valley Walk
Long Distance Walkers Association A link between the Tarka Trail and the Two Moors Way in North Devon. The route combines footpaths and minor lanes following the picturesque valley of the Little Dart River and the surrounding higher land. The walk is accessible by public transport at both ends.
https://ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show_path.php?path_name=Little+Dart+Ridge+and+Valley+Walk
A three mile link to the quiet country market town of Chulmleigh can be taken from just beyond Eggesford
GPS Routes Follow the valley of the Little Dart River on this lovely walk through Devon.
The walk starts at Eggesford Barton near the train station and heads towards Chawleigh and then Leigh Bridge where you join the river. The route continues to West and East Worlington before finishing at Witheridge.
http://www.gps-routes.co.uk/routes/home.nsf/RoutesLinksWalks/ridge-and-valley-walk-walking-route
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North Devon Biosphere
The North Devon Biosphere is a place where people and nature come together in our world-class environment of dunes, grassland and moors, towns and villages, and coast and sea. We are proud to be a UNESCO World Biosphere and our mission is to connect people and nature to inspire a positive future today.
https://www.northdevonbiosphere.org.uk/
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NorthDevonBiosphere/ (2.9k)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ndevonbiosphere (1.2k)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northdevonbiosphere/ (1.4k)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/north-devon-biosphere/ (89)
Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/north-devon-biosphere-34783873553
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Tarka Trail
The Tarka Trail is a series of footpaths and cyclepaths (rail trails) around north Devon, England that follow the route taken by the fictional Tarka the Otter in the book of that name. It covers a total of 180 miles (290 km) in a figure-of-eight route, centred on Barnstaple.
https://www.tarkatrail.org.uk/
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tarka-Trail-2188061954797585 (100)
The 31-mile (50 km) section between Braunton and Meeth is car-free, level and mostly tarmacked, and is shared by pedestrians and cyclists, with horseriding also permitted on part of it. There is a guidebook available for this section.
http://www.exploredevon.info/activities/cycle/tarka-trail-braunton-meeth/
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UN Sustainable Development Goals
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.
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