³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Pete Harmer has a detailed knowledge of the fields, views and landscape around Broadhembury, despite admitting as we left the village square that this would be the first time he'd set foot on the paths we were due to follow.

His reason for proposing the route as his favourite is that it passes through his favourite place - the Devon and Somerset Gliding Club at North Hill, of which Pete is secretary.

"It's my favourite place," he said. "I picked up the walk from people that I've met, but on top of the hill is my gliding club. It's my life.

Pete with his glider

"But I meet many walkers coming along and they say it's a lovely place to walk. We can go up the top of the hill, see the views from somewhat lower than I normally see them, watch a bit of gliding, and come back down to the valley the other side."

There was no problem with route-finding as Pete came equipped with a glossy walks leaflet produced by local businesses, full of detail of where to go.

From Broadhembury village centre, with the Post Office on your right, walk down to the River Tale, passing a number of thatched cottages. Broadhembury is an unspoilt picture-postcard village – so don't forget your camera, and you'll need it again later for the views.

Cross the bridge and turn right, follow the lane until you reach Hembercombe Farm.

On your left is a stile, signed footpath 4. Follow this across the fields, pass Bowerwood Farm on your right. Continue uphill close to the hedge in the next field, through a little wood and into a fourth field.

Picture-postcard Broadhembury

Keep straight towards a stile, still climbing steadily.

It's worth stopping to admire the view behind, then once over the stile, turn right on to a wide track. Keep on this path through two metal gates to the edge of the gliding club field.

The route bears right towards the clubhouse, but a short detour left will offer magnificent views across the Culm Valley, with a patchwork quilt of fields in the mid-distance and the hills and tors of Dartmoor and Exmoor beyond.

As we admired the panorama, Pete reflected on what it was like from the cockpit of a glider.

"It's even more spectacular - fields as far as the eye can see even though they're a little bit small. It is just a lovely place to fly," he said.

"There are buzzards that live round here and we fly with them quite routinely. They will come and fly with us, if they see us up there. When I come back I want to be a buzzard.

"It's just the views. You take anybody flying here and they just don't believe the views, just being that little few hundred feet off the ground makes it look so much different.

Grazing cows in the Broadhembury countryside

"You're up there and it's your brain and the plane against the atmosphere – every flight's a challenge to stay in the air for as long as you can."

Tearing ourselves away, we headed back to the clubhouse, where the café is open to non-members. You can watch the gliding and even take part, for a fee, if space permits.

Suitably refreshed with sandwiches and home-made cake, we picked up the route again. It heads right over a cattle grid and along the club's access lane, which is also a public bridleway.

At the end, turn right on to the road, then shortly through a field gate marked bridleway 1 on your right.

The route bears left following a wide grassy track, flat at first then dropping downhill alongside a row of trees. You pass through a series of gates, keeping the tree row on your right.

When you reach the road, turn right to walk downhill for around a mile back to the village.

So how did walking around Broadhembury compare with flying around it?

"Very nice, the views were quite spectacular," said Pete. "It's a lot harder work, but there's nothing wrong with it - good exercise.

"It's a nice place to walk yes, much nicer place to fly over."

As someone who prefers to keep my feet on the ground, I'm afraid I'd have to politely disagree.