Middledown and Bubwith Acres Nature Reserve

Description

Start : The layby at ST494533 on the B3135

(D/A) From the layby, turn left and walk along the road verge. Where the road bends to the right, go over the stile on the left (behind the road sign) and follow the faint path up and round the hill to the kissing gate. Follow the track up the hill.

At the top of the hill take the left hand track and then the right hand path up to the metal gate. Go through the gate and follow the path to the left until you reach the wooden gates on the left.

(1) Go through the gates and enter Middledown Nature Reserve. Follow the path across the field to the next gate. Walk across this field and go through one of the two gates into the next field. Follow the path down the hill.

To follow the shorter route, enter Middledown Reserve through the wooden gates, turn left and go through the large gate. From here, follow the path up the hill and across the reserve until you reach Middledown Drove. Turn left and follow the track to point (5) on the map.

Go over the wooden stile at the bottom of the field and enter Bubwith Acres Nature Reserve. Walk down the hill to the wooden stile next to the reserve information board.

In this field follow the fence-line down the hill. At the bottom of the field, go through the metal gate, through the next field, and over the wooden stile onto the track.

(2) Follow the track down the hill until you are nearly at the road, then turn left up the track.

Go through the metal bridle gate and follow the bridleway up the hill.

(3) When you reach another bridle gate between two big stones, go through and follow the bridleway up the hill and through the other bridle gates along the way.

(4) Where the track splits, take the left hand track and continue up the hill. Follow the track to the left onto Middledown Drove and continue.

(5) At the end of the track go through the metal gate and follow the track down to the gate next to the road. Walk along the road verge to return to the layby.(D/A)