I cycled past this wood on a e-Bike ride from Chulmleigh to Great Torrington. A great place to visit if you are going to eat at New Inn in Roborough.
This wood spans a small meandering river and is very popular with local people. It is just across the road from the larger Combe Wood that also has public footpaths running through it. There is a circular walk within the wood and the paths are generally in good condition although crossing the river can be tricky when there has been a lot of rain.
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/owlacombe-wood/
https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=16/50.9322/-4.0368
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The estuary is right at the core of the North Devon Biosphere reserve. It is tidal well above both Barnstaple and Bideford, the tides often concentrate birds on shoreline mudbanks as the tide comes in and then again on sandbanks which are exposed as the tide drops. The estuary covers a a very large area (approx 100 square kilometres) and has many different areas of interest.
Birding the Taw and Torridge estuary in January provides a great opportunity to kick-start your New Year list with good numbers and variety of Wildfowl, Waders and Gulls. It’s also guaranteed for Spoonbill and Little Egret. Peregrines regularly hunt along the estuary.
https://www.devonbirds.org/places-to-go/taw-torridge-estuary/
Devon Birds sightings
https://www.devonbirds.org/?s=taw+estuary&id=4361&post_type=birdsighting
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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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A Devon Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve
A top wildlife spot, with exceptional walks through woodland and alongside a classic Devon river. Feeling lucky? Otters are often seen at Halsdon!
https://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/nature-reserves/halsdon
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A Devon Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve
Meeth Quarry is unlike any other Devon Wildlife Trust nature reserve. Its industrial past has dramatically shaped its present. For nearly 100 years it was a series of busy clay quarries and mines. The legacy of this industry has created a very diverse landscape. Today, two enormous lakes and several massive piles of clay spoil dominate its features. Elsewhere there are ponds, woodland, bogs and grasslands. Together these make Meeth nature reserve a home for a diverse range of wildlife and a wonderful place for people to explore on foot, bike or horseback.
150 hectares of rolling landscape, deep water filled lakes and beautiful views
A series of colour-coded trails allows access on foot, bicycle, horseback or mobility scooter. The Quarry adjoins DWT's existing nature reserve at Ash Moor and is adjacent to the Tarka trail for those wishing to explore the area. A three-mile Meeth Quarry Wild Walk acts as great introduction to the area.
https://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/nature-reserves/meeth-quarry
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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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This is a flat, sky-dominated landscape with strong sensory characteristics. The habitats within the mosaic (dunes, beach, saltmarsh, mudflats and farmland) each have unique qualities of pattern, colour and texture which are juxtaposed in different combinations. The salty smell of mudflats and the sea are ever-present, as are the calls of birds. Within the dunes, the landscape feels disorientating, and has a strong sense of enclosure, isolation and wilderness. This contrasts with the open views towards the surrounding settlements, and the time-depth associated with the strip fields at Braunton. The estuary settlements have a strong maritime character, with historic quays and impressive bridges.
This area comprises the estuary of the Taw and Torridge Rivers, and a small margin of land on either side. Northam Burrows and the dune system at Braunton Burrows are also included in the area. This area is distinctive for its flat topography and the dominance of the sea and estuary. To the north are the North Devon Coastal Downs and the North Devon Downs, to the east (beyond Barnstaple) the Codden Hill and Wooded Estates, and to the south the Taw Valley, High Culm Ridges, Torridge Valley and the Bideford Bay Coast.
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/north-devon-area/taw-torridge-estuary
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policies/landscape/devon-character-areas
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The River Torridge flows in a series of looping meanders through dramatic gorges with dark forested sides; through open pastoral valley floors with valley sides cloaked in ancient woodland, and through tidal mudflats echoing to the call of seabirds. The river is home to otters, which dart about in its clear waters, and is overlooked by ancient defences and historic villages perched high above on the valley sides. This is an intricate, complex and varied landscape, with unexpected views suddenly revealed as landform and vegetation open out.
The River Torridge and its tributaries flow generally northwards, emerging in the Taw-Torridge Estuary at Bideford. The longer (south-eastern) branch of the valley lies between the High Culm Ridges and the West Torridge Upland Farmland, extending south as far as the High Taw Farmland. The shorter western tributary valleys of the Yeo and Duntz lie between the Bideford Bay Coast, the Western Culm Plateau and the West Torridge Upland Moorland.
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/west-devon-area/torridge-valley
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policies/landscape/devon-character-areas
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An undulating, agricultural landscape with a strong sense of history and long management. The extensive woodlands, hedgerows and parklands give the area a pastoral character and a verdant, settled quality. Its historic character is enhanced by the stone bridges, linhays, medieval castles, square church towers and prehistoric barrows which are features of the landscape. The lanes are winding and enclosed by colourful flower-rich hedgebanks, but through gaps in the hedgebanks the views from high ground are long and open, stretching away to Dartmoor.
This area comprises elevated farmland to the west of the Torridge Valley, and includes the upper, western reaches of the River Torridge. The boundary with the Torridge Valley is defined by changes in landform and vegetation. To the south (beyond the upper reaches of the River Torridge) is the High Torridge Culm Plateau, and to the west and north there is a gradual transition to the more extensive forests and areas of unimproved grassland of the Western Culm Plateau.
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/torridge-area/west-torridge-upland-farmland
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policies/landscape/devon-character-areas
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This open landscape of pastoral farmland, rough ground and forests has an elemental, empty character, dominated by wet, unenclosed moorland, including Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor in the distance. The colours of the moorland – yellow gorse, purple heather and golden grasses – contrast with the dark green of coniferous plantations and the patchwork of brighter green pastoral fields. The Lew valley has a softer, more enclosed and intimate character, but is not easily accessible. Occasional clustered villages are linked by straight lanes flanked by rush-filled ditches.
This area comprises a relatively flat plateau of land, dominated by Culm grassland, coniferous forests and some pastoral agriculture. It is located between the higher land of the Broadbury Ridges to the south and the West Torridge Upland Farmland to the north (beyond the upper reaches of the River Torridge). To the west is a gradual transition into the Upper Tamar Tributary Valleys and the Western Culm Plateau. To the east (beyond the River Okement) is the High Taw Farmland.
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/torridge-area/high-torridge-culm-plateau
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policies/landscape/devon-character-areas
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