14 Devon members met in suburban Plymouth to enjoy a walk which proved it's nearly possible to walk 5 miles entirely within the city boundary avoiding pavements. We soon swapped the urban environment for the peaceful surroundings of Seaton Valley nature reserve. At the bottom of the valley we reached Poole Farm and began a fairly steep ascent of Blunts Lane. We encountered two separate herds of fallow deer with some very impressive antlers on display. At the top of the hill we were surprised to pass a very large tree house constructed around an enormous fir tree. It appeared to be of a very sturdy construction indeed, supported by a metal collar around the trunk. It even had a tiled roof.

Entering Bircham Valley nature reserve we stopped to eat our sandwiches. We appeared to be miles from civilisation but were in fact only a short distance from Plymouths main hospital. Then it was onwards though the woods to Crownhill and an underpass to reach the fort on the high ground on the far side of the dual carriageway. We concluded with a half mile circuit of Crownhill Fort with its massive stone ramparts and deep dry ditches. One of Lord Palmerston's ring of forts built in the 1860's to protect the naval dockyard from a landward attack by the French. It remained a military site until 1986 and is now in the care of the Landmark Trust.

In keeping with tradition we ended the afternoon with refreshments at a nearby garden centre.

Many thanks to Roslynn for leading this walk.

Mike