#Devon sent: a short, epic #train ride into the wintry wonders of the #ExeEstuary | #Exeter holidays | The Guardian
A little local promotion.
#exeter
Beware, this is going to be a long post...
My standard longer #bike ride is a 30 km round trip to #Starcross, which is #village on the west coast of the #ExeEstuary on the way to #Dawlish. The ride is motor-traffic-free for a goo 80% of the distance. It's also through a lot of #countryside and it's my intention to photograph some of the #trees through all the seasons. However, this set contains a little more for your edification.
Not all trees are alive. For example, this one is a hulk of what was once probably a magnificent specimen.
Most #FarmFields have been replanted after harvesting and even now, shoots are appearing. Meanwhile most #Trees still have their #Foliage.
The #plants and #insects that feed off them are also a food source for these male and female #pheasants.
The village of #Starcross is small but it happens to have a #RailwayStation on the line from #LondonPaddington and #Penzance, though the #IntercityTrains don't usually stop there. This is the last part of the journey for me before I turn and head back homewards at the station itself.
Here is an #IntercityTrain passing. It is run by #GWR or #GreatWesternRailways, which was a company in existence before nationalization and which came back after privatization.
Starting to head back, you can get a good view of the other side of the #Estuary, where the #town of #Exmouth can be seen. There happens to be a nice ferry trip on which you can take your #bike between #Starcross and #Exmouth
The #ExeEstuary has a few #wrecks in it. I presume they are #NavigationHazards but I guess it would prove too expensive to clear the #waterway. Perhaps they provide a #habitat for #MarineLife. Here you can see #Birds (I can't tell whether they are #Cormorants of #Shags).
Next, we come to #PowderhamCastle, which is now a #NationalTrust property. It has a herd of #deer numbering in the hundreds.
The mild #autumn #Sun is seen shining through this #tree's #branches.
More #trees in the grounds of #PowderhamCastle.
At first glance, this may look like a dead #tree but you can see that parts of it still has #foliage.
This #tree, on the other hand, looks completely dead.
This #Pheasant is eyeing the #photographer warily.
This #cycle #bridge was installed not much longer than a decade ago. It makes traversing the #RailwayLine easy. I think there was a #footbridge before this but I'm not sure. A nice addition to #cycling #infrastructure.
From the top of the #bridge, you can see the #barracks of the #RoyalMarines in #Lympstone. Technically, this #photograph is a #Selfie too.
Getting closer to home now, here is the #M5 #Motorway which links #London to #Exeter. This #concrete #viaduct goes over the #Estuary, thankfully leaving much it intact.
Some parts around the #Cyclepath form natural ponds.
Any #journey of moderate length or longer often leaves one #reflecting. Here, you can let the scenery do it.
This #swan was preening on the #ExeterCanal (and so was its #reflection).
Lastly, this is the #bridge over the #RiverExe, which is a sign that my home is a mere 5 km away. A sight that is always welcome. The bridge is old but it a #cyclepath was constructed as an extension to it on the far side, which blends in very nicely with the existing #masonry.
I'm glad to see the #ExeterChiefs, the local #rugby team have dropped their old logo of a #NativeAmericanChief after many years. I think it was culturally clumsy. They now have the image of a historically indigenous warrior from the #Dumnonii tribe who inhabited the region in the #IronAge.
#Exeter #CityCentre #greenes' in #Britain, #UniversityOfSheffield researchers find - BBC News
Technically this is not local news, rather it is news about my locality.
#ExeterChiefs to ditch #NativeAmerican #branding after consulting fans | #Exeter | The Guardian
This my local team. I always found it incongruous that a team in the south west of England adopted a name based on #American #IndigenousPeople. I think it started out as just a marketing ploy like the Sharks, Tigers and so on. But as it's a collection of humans rather than other animals, it could with some justification be seen as insensitive #CulturalAppropriation. So, I think it's the right decision.