An evening walk along part of the east devon way; the dirt lane seen in the above photos which meanders across the heathlands around Newton Poppleford and Ayelsbeare. At around 8 in the evening the place is deserted and quiet, apart from the singing of birds. Nice easy levelish walking with good views of the sea, Woodbury common and the hills around Sidmouth.
Despite it seeming to rain plenty lately the ground is very dry here and all the small streams are without water and the rivers down to a trickle. Spring was unusually dry, with it not really raining for about three months and what rain we have had doesn't seem to sink in. It's been very good weather for apple trees apparently with a bumper crop ripening two months early.
On the way back with it getting dark now, or dimsy as it's known, (maybe as in ' it's getting dim see') we encounter a large hare sitting on the path ahead. He moves off into the field and down the hill only to appear again a hundred yards on, sitting on the path again. Once more he jumps through a gap in the hedge and I see him taking large, easy bouncing strides down the hill. Again and for a final time he appears sitting on the path ahead and then moves off. Hares are a rare sight around here, or most places for that matter and you can go many years without meeting one or even never see them at all, so a special encounter indeed.
The evening darkens further and we make our way back along the scented lanes down past the wheat fields to Newton Pop for the bus.
