Ermington Parish Walks
No. 4 – Hidden Cole Lane - by Chris Wood.
This walk includes parts of the Erme-Plym trail, a delightful overgrown lane, and you can even ford the Erme if you are feeling brave.
Start out from The Square past the school and across the playing fields to Ermington Bridge. Take the left turn between the two bridges (signposted Penquit) and walk along the quiet lane with the Lud Brook to your right and the River Erme a little further away to the left. The lane goes uphill past the entrance to Strode House and you reach the top at West Strode where there is a view of Western Beacon in the distance. Follow the first footpath sign on the left and the path goes along a field edge with a hedge to your right, through a gateway and then veers off to the left across a field passing an electricity pole en-route to a footpath post in the hedge opposite. Carry on through a gap in the next hedge and passing Thornham Bridge to your left resist the temptation to follow the path towards the river but carry on with the hedge line on your right till you reach a lane and soon arrive at Caton on the Ermington to Ivybridge road. Turn left and walk towards the bridge over the Erme. So far you have been on the Erme-Plym Trail.
From here you have two choices. If you are feeling adventurous turn right before the bridge into Cole Lane. This is a lovely Ermeside walk but suddenly the lane disappears into the river and there is no bridge. A path continues towards Ivybridge on the right but what you want is to follow Cole Lane which can be seen across the other side of the river. There is nothing to do but take off your boots and wade across – and the stones are slippery so beware! Once you reach the other side Cole Lane continues uphill as a lovely wooded path.
If you don’t want to get your feet wet then cross the Erme at the bridge at Keaton and follow the footpath on the right immediately afterwards. This takes you across a couple of fields, over a stream flowing down into the Erme (but there is a footbridge!), and then uphill across another field before ending up in Cole Lane. You miss the lower part of the lane this way but you can go down a bit and retrace your steps to enjoy it.
At the time of writing in mid-May the lane is completely carpeted in the white flowers of wild garlic, later ferns and a variety of wild flowers can be 
found but it is always shaded and damp. The walk uphill is quite strenuous and uneven, but is accompanied by the sound of the Erme lower down through the woods to your right. It is a secluded and magical place.
Eventually you emerge from the lane at East Worthele Farm, passing an ‘Unsuitable for Motor Vehicles’ sign which is a massive understatement. Beyond the farm the road continues as a metalled lane with fine views of south Dartmoor to your right till you reach the top at Worthele Cross. Turn left and follow the lane all the way back to Ermington passing the masts en-route and thankful that you are going down and not up.
Distance: 4 miles
Time: about 2 hours
Terrain: quiet lanes, footpaths, fields and even fording the Erme (optional). Walking boots are essential.
Difficulty: Quite strenuous in parts, with rough conditions underfoot.
