The heavy downpours were a feature of today's train, although we managed to avoid the worst of the them on the train. We hit them just coming over Telegraph Hill, and met them again on the way home.
There was no parking at the venue - bit of a problem - the sports club had installed a new barrier. So we risked in in the P R I V A T E C A R P A R K, but the letters were so spaced out, I didn't notice the work private!
For a while it was just Bollards and me, and the hare, but then Wide & Tight appeared having parked elsewhere, then we spotted WIlf driving past the end of the road. He'd got lost in Newton Abbot and turned up about 10 mins later. Happy Snapper had got the bus down becuase her car wouldn't start, and appeared not long after 11. Then Lady Killer joined us a few minutes into the trail, after getting the train from Crediton.
We had a little loop at the start, which was itself longer that Brillo's previous train ;-). Then going around the other side of the cricket pitch, then across Exeter Road, and up to Broadlands. From there we headed back down to the River Lemon, with the sweetie stop outside of Asda. Brillo then laid a short train to The Market Gate pub, where we had a pint, before heading home.
It was a 3 and a bit mile trail, which was well marked and managed to see a few parts of Newton Abbot that we'd not seen before!
Next week's trail is from the Double Locks in Exeter.
From then on, I think we were all tiring and hot, and we started to follow the main Haldon tracks popular with walkers. Across the road, and, with the on home feeling close, we headed the other way towards the main visitor centre. Amazing views, but with some disappointment that we were going the wrong way. A few minutes wasted trying to find the trail, and then back parallel to the way we'd just come, but further down the valley. 