Beating the Bounds is a traditional village community event that takes place every four years. Villagers are led along the Parish Boundary on land (walking) and sea (by boat) and are encouraged to beat the Parish Boundary stones with a stick, for luck and to show where the Parish Boundary lies. At 08.45 on Saturday 7 September 2024, 8 little boats set sail from the Lympstone boat shelter on the first stage of the Lympstone Beating the Bounds since 2016; 2020’s event didn’t take place due to Covid restrictions. On board were the vanguard of the village Bound Beaters, keen to follow the estuary boundary which stretches from the semi-submerged wreck of a small boat to the south, up to Parsonage Stile in the north. The boat wreck had been decorated with the Lympstone flag, with a second Lympstone flag flying from Jason Ingham’s mussel boat, the lead boat of the flotilla. On board was the oldest ‘beater’ of the day, Mary Truell, 96, who enjoyed her first water-borne Beating the Bounds.
After a briefing of the route from walk leader, Rob Harrison (a ‘man and boy’ veteran who has been leading the walk since 2004), off we went up to the first stone on Nutwell Lane. After crossing the A376 at the top of Meeting Lane without mishap, the only hazards really encountered were the Saturday morning cars on Harefield Lane. Ditches were crossed, barbed wire fences stepped over, gates scaled and bogs waded through (with the loss of only one shoes, which was retrieved!). Once over the B3180, we were on Lympstone common and boundary stones aplenty were found and beaten.
Lunch was taken in the shade of some trees and, refreshed, the walk continued down the lane with two more well- hidden boundary stones found, one bearing a benchmark to show how far above sea-level we were. After re-crossing the A3180 and beating the boundary stone by the small pavement there, a short, single-file stroll down Hulham Road and then through the very kind Mr Barrie’s back garden and over his fence, we were in the fields above the Goodmores Farm development.By this time, all walkers were being refreshed again, but this time by the persistent rain, although spirits were not at all dampened. The Boundary was followed through the centre of the Goodmores development, following the line of trees between two lots of fencing and out onto Dinan Way for Boundary Stone 13, opposite Tennyson Road. Across Hulham Road and down Summer Lane, then back across the A376 at Courtlands Cross and down Courtlands Lane. Rather than scale the through the Manor’s carriage yard and followed the boundary hedge all the way down to the Estuary, exiting Lympstone Manor land under the railway bridge onto the foreshore. All the walkers now had the smell of home in their nostrils (well, we think it was the smell or home) and at Sowden End all gathered together for the end-of-walk photograph, before heading home for a bath and dry clothes, or to The Swan in wet clothes for refreshment! We think that more than 68 walkers took part (we gathered 66 signatures, but recognised at least two faces in the photos whose names weren’t recorded).
We believe that he oldest walker was 82 (John Hine) and the youngest 7 (Dexter Staddon). The walk was c9.7 miles over rough ground and a number of obstacles. Many thanks to all who participated in this traditional village event that has been going since at least the nineteenth century; we have records dating back to 1888. Many thanks to he volunteer marshalls who helped make the whole day go seamlessly well, Jason Ingham for opening his Boat House as a dry starting-off point and especial thanks to Rob Harrison for leading and to Andrew Minter for organising. …and Peter Carlisle for the welcome free drink for the marshalls! Roll on 2028!
