Walk 8: Tiverton
Heath 3Km
Explore the heart of the pretty
village of Tiverton and the old heathland of Tiverton that saw action in the
Civil War .
The map on display at the start in Smithy
Green, the work of a local artist, was erected by the Parish Council to mark
the Millennium and gives a good overview of routes within the parish of
Tiverton. Behind it, in the middle of
the green, the chestnut was planted in 1935 to mark the Silver Jubilee of King
George V. Across Smithy Green, behind a
recently built brick wall is a private house built on the site of the village
smithy, which figures in the records of Beeston Castle as far back as 1303. In
1950 it became a motor repair garage and ceased trading in 1987. On the other side of Huxley Lane is the
Village Hall, built in 1984 to replace a wooden hut on land given to the
village by Lord Tollemarche in 1960.
Next door, Stone Cottage is reputed
to be 300 years old and once was two cottages. 30m further up on your left is
Rose Cottage originally built as a farm, then divided into two premises, at one
end a wheelwrights and a shop at the other end. In the field behind Rose Cottage, a muddy patch marks one of the
principal village wells from which the ladies of the village used to draw water
before mains water was introduced.
On the right, the three Firtree
Cottages were once a single house reputed to be the manor house. The terrace
row on the left, apparently one continuous row dates from two periods. The nearer 4 units, Post Office Row, were
built in late 1890s and remaining 4, Castle View, were added later. The house numbering and discontinuity in the
roofline betray this history. Post
Office Row takes its name from the post office that operated out of number 4
after the original village post office further up Huxley Lane closed in 1920s
The village green with its First
World War memorial and Methodist Chapel in the background, flanked by two pairs
of former estate cottages on either side form a delightful centre to this
pretty village.
Turn right up a tarmac track by a
plain brick dwelling that was the last village post office and general stores
until 1995. The shop entrance used to
be at the side into the low roofed rear, whilst the large window to the right
served as a display window. This ‘old
post office’ took over from the Post Office Row post office
50m up this track through what
seems like a private drive you will find a wooden stile just beyond the barn on
your left. Cross the stile and continue on the same line with the
fence and then a hedge on your right, heading for another stile next to a gate
at the far end of the field. Over the
stile head on a diagonal across the next field on a line to the closer isolated
oak tree and thence to another stile to the left of a high brick wall. To the right of this field you will see the
playing fields and pavilions of Deeside Ramblers, a local hockey club. The lighting posts delineate their recently
built all weather Astroturf pitch.
Over this stile, you will see
another stile in a wooden post and rail fence just to the right of a metal
gate. Head for this stile, skirting the
corner of the brick wall. This brick
wall and the black and white buildings are the remains of Gardenhurst, a large
private residence built on the grand scale in 1886 as a hunting residence but
later pulled down in 1967 after serving variously as a wartime troop billet and
boys boarding school (Hampton House School for Boys 1948 – 1963) to be replaced
with five modern houses. The stables
and lodges remain as private housing.
Continue along the drive past Hampton Cottage (part of the stables and
named after the former school) and emerge onto the A49 by one of the two lodges
to the former Gardenhurst.
Turn left on the footway for a
short distance until you are opposite a lay-by on the other side of this busy
trunk road.
2 Cross over to the stile near the
middle of the lay-by. The next section
of this walk is fully described in Walk 5 from orientation point 2 to
orientation point 3
3 Turn left down Lodge
Lane for 0.5km, ignoring the turn to the right (Moss Lane). The shelterbelt of trees on your left
belongs to Tilstone Lodge and delineates the western perimeter of the estate,
providing a natural passage for wildlife.
At the junction with the busy A51 Nantwich Road, cross over and take
the footway to the right heading for a distant brick bungalow at the
roadside. In 80m,just past a small
brick cottage, take the tarmac track to your left, signed as a footpath to
Tiverton. Ahead Beeston Castle Hill
stands out and forms the focal point for the remainder of the walk. Continue up what appears to be a private
drive to a bungalow and turn right in front of a double garage. Soon the tarmac gives way to a rough track
and in 30m a finger post on your right points the way down a very short green
lane to a footbridge over a deep drain and stile beyond.
4 Cross the stile and the
path runs alongside the wire fence on your right. The path rises gently to the next stile and then the next stile
at the top of the rise is a good example of the sandstone stile although only
one of the three wooden cross bars is still in place. Over this stile, pause to admire the full length of the
Peckforton Ridge, dominated by the high point of Stanners Nab spread out in
front. The silhouette of Peckforton
Castle, finished in 1845 after 10 years construction as the home of Lord
Tollemache, is clearly visible above the trees. The isolated mound of Beeston Castle Hill gives credence to the
local legend of the devil dropping his last stone to create the hill. Continue on the same line keeping to the
right of the farm ahead. Well to the
left you will be able to make out the half-timbering of the Wild Boar Inn now
dominated by its modern extension. This
too has had a varied history, once serving as a boarding school.
At the corner of the field, cross a farm track by way of two stiles and
continue alongside the hedge on your right to another stile at the end of the
field. Across this stile, descend a few
concrete steps to the A49 Whitchurch Road and 50m or so down the hill find your
starting point of Smithy Green. Just
past the entrance to Bank Farm notice the old sand workings long since filled in. Take care crossing this busy trunk road to
your starting point; there have been a number of accidents at this junction
with Huxley Lane.