With the generosity of the local publican we all eventually found parking spaces and we were on our way, only a few minutes after 10 PM, all fifteen of us for this 10 mile walk.

We made our way out of the village turning right just before the imposing village church due north up a hill for a hundred yards and then into fields as we pick up a footpath running WSW.

Shortly after entering the field we had to test our boots as the cows had churned up the mud and it was up to six inches deep in places and no way to avoid it. We all ploughed through and continued on up a hill.

The footpath us out at an intersection of two roads one leading to Holbeton and the other to Mothecombe.

We took the road heading west away from Holbeton towards Luson. We skirted Luson without really seeing it and picked up a track up a hill still heading west. The track emerged on another road, this time the signpost indicated Creacombe. At this point we ignored the Creacombe sign and turned more SW and continued down a lane and swung more westwards as we did so.

At the bottom of the hill there was another junction and we stopped here for morning coffee. There was no way but up at this point and we headed south east up to Battisborough Cross. Over the road at the cross and we headed south east still on country lanes , then after a quarter mile more east. Unusually we had a fair section of country lanes, more lanes than footpaths so far but we were soon entering the Flete estate and we were off road for the next few miles.

We hadn't been in the estate long before an estate manager arrived in his land rover to check on what we were doing on private land.

Luckily Goerge had done his preparation well and had written to the estate managers receiving written permission for we ramblers to walk through the estate. Honour satisfied on both sides, we continued down the track towards the Erme.

There were superb views at one point of the mouth of the Erme, low tide to, so lots of sand. Unfortunately the sun was directly in line and far too low to allow any decent shots of the panorama. We gradually dropped down through the estate path until we were by the side of the estuary.

After a short distance upstream we stopped by a small pond for lunch.

We were by a reed bed at this point and we had good views across the estuary to the Flete estate, continuing as it does, on the eastern side of the river. There was an attractive looking house on the far side, it looked as if it had its own moorings and slip but there was no indication of it on the map.

The clouds had begun to appear and with them, quite a stiff cool north easterly breeze had picked up to remind us that it was November now and winter would soon be with us.

Walking due north as we were, the breeze was blowing straight at us and coats began to be worn again.

The estate is well wooded and seems to extend from the mouth of the Erme to about 3 miles upstream. There were good views upstream here and the estuary soon narrowed to the river Erme itself.

Up to this point we hadn't seen any estate houses just the land, mainly woodland too.

We passed a footpath leading back to Holbeton but we continued north east on up the Erme, still in woodland. We wondered how many staff were needed to manage an estate of this size. It is far bigger than I had ever imagined.

After a further mile or so we swung west and there on our left, up a hill,was Flete House itself, with its flag flying out in the breeze. It is certainly big enough to be called a small castle, very imposing indeed.

Apparently the house is now managed as a number of self contained expensive flats, the owners, the Mildemay-Whites may not even live there any more, no one knew.

The castle disappeared behind the trees as we turned more west. At this point we were beginning to walk through a grassed field and could see the main road from Yealmpton to Modury a few hundred yards across a valley.

We were soon climbing steeply, now south westerly, across the field and up to a lane.

The signpost at the top indicated that Holbeton was only a mile away and that we were now on the Plym Erme trail. There is now a signposted route from the nearby Erme right back to Plymouth and the Plym at Hooe Lake.

With the end now almost in sight, we dropped down to a stream, marked onthe map as a ford and then a final short, sharp uphill section to test the lungs. Over the brow of the hill and we dropped down to Holbeton again, on the same road that we had taken to leave it.

There were several hatched cottages around and we passed one which still had a mass of roses around the door.

We all stopped to admire it and then a few hundred yards and we were back again at the village and were looking for the well dispersed cars, left at various points around the village some four and a half hours previously.

Thanks to George for his efforts in getting such a pleasant walk set up and for the quality of the weather and we were on our way once more back to Plymouth and the car share location at B&Q.

The walk was scheduled for 10 miles, we were back an hour before George had suggested, perhaps we had cut off a section en route since it didn't seem like 10 miles, or are we getting fitter and walking faster??