Scooter ride to Haldon Belvedere (Lawrence Castle) on 15th March 2009 From my bedroom window i can see a glowing white tower on a hill line many miles away on the other side of the estuary... I could have looked on a map to see what it was but i thought it would be much more fun to wait for a sunny day and go for a ride on my scooter. It looks nearer than it is, the above photo has the zoom turned up full. On a direct line it's 10 miles, by the country lanes it's a lot further. You can find out more about Haldon Belvedere at their website. If you want to get there here's a Streetmap page.     On the way i called in to Powderham Castle to have a little break and a cup of tea. The castle was closed to visitors so i could only take some photos from afar... Some fallow deer grazing in the castle grounds... A lot of lanes in Devon are quite a few feet lower than the surrounding fields because long ago most things were hauled around Devon on sledges as before tarmac it was too muddy to use carts with wheels. This has left a lot of lanes looking like they were scooped out of the countryside... The first glimpse of Haldon Belvedere from this side of the river - it's the tower on the ridge line... Getting closer... Closer still... Ok, i'm cheating, they were using the zoom, this is without zoom. Still a long way to go... Then i lost sight of it for ages as i went up through the hills and surrounding forest. And then coming around a bend in the woods it suddenly appears right in front of you. It's just up left from the blue car, the light levels were a bit screwy for this shot so it doesn't show up very well... Same shot zoomed in... Here we are... Me funky moped... On the way up to the Belvedere... Over the bridge... I would recommend going this way to get to the top, it's a much nicer walk... The walk spirals gently upwards around the hill giving you glimpses of the Belvedere along the way... Catching the sun. It looks like it's two sided in this one but it's actually triangular... The walk... Eventually you walk all around the hill and end up back at the driveway, but at the top of it... Around the Belvedere there's a lovely picnic area with stunning views of Devon... It was £2 to get in which goes towards upkeep of the tower and grounds. Well worth it for the views from the top. Up the stairs... There's a ballroom on the first floor... Above the ballroom on the second floor is a luxury apartment that you can rent out. Above that is the roof. And the views from the roof top. Towards the Ex estuary... Exmouth... My flat is in the big white building that the arrow's pointing too... To the South... West with Dartmoor in the back ground... More to the West... North-ish, (apparently, on a really clear day you can see Wales)... Exeter to the North East... And back down the stairs... And that was my camera all filled up. I totally forgot to bring a spare card for it, doh! The Belvedere is open 1.30 - 5.30 on Sundays and Bank Hols. It's well worth a visit for the views, but pick a nice sunny day to do it. And pack a nice picnic. :-D