A special December walk around Higher Larkworthy Farm, Beaworthy, was well attended and more than made up for those that had been cancelled throughout the year.

Arranging the event was Evelyn Sharman. She said: “This is the first year that I have arranged a walk in December. Generally, it’s such a busy month for everyone and I thought that people would be frantically preparing for Christmas. This year I thought that we have missed out on so many things due to COVID that I would organise a walk to try and make up for those that got cancelled.

“We met at Higher Larkworthy Farm on Monday, December 13, with very kind permission from the Kirk family. It is very much a working farm and I am most grateful for their hospitality. We followed the footpath signs that took us through Lower Larkworthy Farm and across the grassy fields.

“Due to the undulating terrain, it was somewhat difficult to work out the route but someone has very cleverly painted a fence post orange which caught our attention. We used the wooden bridge to cross the stream and then walked up hill through the trees. In previous years, this part has always been a bit slippery underfoot but actually it wasn’t too bad.

“Several people were intrigued where we were going to emerge as it’s very easy to lose all sense of direction. We actually joined the lane at Henford and by turning left, we headed towards the village of Ashwater. This involved a particularly steep up hill climb but we enjoyed beautiful rural views along the way. As we approached the brow, we were watched with interest by three horses in the field on the left. They probably heard us before they saw us!

“We ventured left along a track. It’s not a public footpath but the Kirk family had kindly given us permission to return to our cars that way. We admired some very attractive lichen on the trees by the stream. Apparently, this is a good indication of the quality of the air.

“As we approached the farm, everyone agreed that we had been very fortunate with the weather. It was incredibly mild and we didn’t get wet. Not bad for mid December. ”

Evelyn is planning on arranging a walk on Monday, January 10. If anyone would like more details contact Evelyn on 01409 259 848 or email [email protected]