WHERE AM I?

 

My friend called William and I are in the smallest Town in Devon and it was close to the outbreak of a terrible disease in the county during this century. No my friend's surname is not CLEAVE.

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The town is the starting place (every alternative year) of a half marathon and was created as a result of the disease. My friend is very fit, and was tempted (best foot forward and all that) but the prize may not be as bejewelled as he thinks.

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Disappointed but not defeated, he discovered there was a cycle trail not far away, and he knew we could hire bikes - there was no escape for me! Although I did insist on stuffing a pasty in my mouth before leaving.

 

Off we went in cavalier fashion heading t a town 10 miles NNW, but was it the large or small one I asked. Not quite either friend replied just an old transport centre.

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We passed, on our way,  2 nature reserves on the left.  One with links to the history we have already discovered, the other with history we will discover later. We saw reminders of the half marathon along the way also.

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Once we had our bikes, the idea of a gently declining ride sounded very appealing, but friend had been studying his map and was keen to test his fitness.

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 "That place sounds interesting" he said it could be where the monarch lived in poverty during an epic battle near here. Friend was really being stupid now but off we pedalled - and wow, that was a hill! it might have been less that 4 miles in a SEE direction but I was suffering from lanes and hills when we arrived.

 

Only 124 houses, although pretty so possibly worth the trip but no sign of the monarch's abode, eventhough it had royal connections, we discovered it was named after a Saxon peasant!

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However, close by was something far more interesting. An entire village built and owned by someone rolling in money. His vast mansion now a ruin , but the pack he founded lives on in the grounds.

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We both agreed it was time to return, and although the return to our hire point was mostly downhill, even William was puffing when we got there.

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Still time for a much easier journey my friend convinced me as he assured me we were going from 161ft above sea level to 7ft, but he forgot to mention that was both start and finish. Off we went and on the uphill section for some reason I got 'otter and otter'.

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Most of the time we were following several transport routes The most interesting terminated close to a local RHS establishment- but it had a different name them. This route transported materials from the ground in both directions, so was ideal-until replaced by what we were pedalling along!

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We could have diverted to see a massive stone industrial construction, built for a specific purpose, or crossed a bridge, that used to cost .0020833 p at a toll.

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However, it was late now and we passed the olden times opportunity of continuing a sea journey to Wales or beyond. At last we reached our final destination, left our bikes, and retired to another monarch sounding establishment - although we could not afford the suite named after a local author.

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IDENTIFY ALL THE REFERENCES TO PLACES, HISTORY, ETC, AS WELL AS WHERE I AM. THERE SHOULD BE ABOUT 35 REFERENCES.