This picture is of a narrow hump backed bridge on the A3079 at Thorndon Cross. There is no speed limit here and traffic approaches the bend and hump from both ways at great speed. At the beginning of February a large van came off the road here and overturned. To cross this bridge on horseback, on a bicycle or as a pedestrian is an extremely hazardous business. A separate bridle way for all three users alongside is desperately needed. Horse riders crossed this bridge regularly some years ago from a small riding stable on the Ashbury Road but to the best of our knowledge no horse has dared to do so for years.

This is the view of the old railway line running South from Thorndon Cross. Although only ever a single line it was engineered for twin tracks and would make an ideal bridleway giving access to Dartmoor and do much to regenerate the economy of what is a very deprived area following foot and mouth disease and now an epidemic of T. B.

Horses now account for probably the majority of purchases at the local farmers stores. Horse owners buy significant quantities of fodder and bedding from local farmers and use their services for fencing drainage and pasture management. At a time when farming is in dire straits their contribution is a lifeline for many small farmers.