Topsham and Bowling Green Marsh

Sketch map of Topsham

Topsham is a town just outside Exeter, about ten minutes out by train, about twenty by bus, depending on the traffic. The town lies between rivers Exe and Clyst and is worth a visit for its picturesque quay and waterfront as much as the birdwatching. Bowling Green Marsh, just by the Clyst, is a RSPB reserve with a large hide overlooking the main body of the hide and a screen hide overlooking the mouth of the river. The Exe at this point is tidal; high tide drives the waders off their feeding grounds and onto roosts at Bowling Green Marsh and Exminster on the other side of the river.

Trains run between Exeter to Exmouth, stopping at Topsham, about once every half hour. Trains from Paignton and Barnstable about every hour. The 57 and the T bus both run fairly frequently from Exeter and stop at Topsham Station; the T terminates at Topsham Quay, the 57 carries on to Exmouth.

Topsham: looking up Monmouth Hill from The Strand

There are lots of different routes around the town and some of them are very picturesque, for the purposes of this introduction we'll be going clockwise from the station down to Bowling Green Marsh and then back along the River Exe.

From the station turn onto Elm Grove Road, the road running parallel to the railway line on the East side. Follow the road down to where it splits, turn left onto Monmouth Street and you'll get to the quay, carry on more or less straight down onto Bowling Green Road to the reserve.

Your first sighting of Bowling Green Marsh comes as the road takes a sharp right turn. Basically, it's a big field with some pools and ditches separated from the road by iron railings and a hawthorn hedge. You'll eventually come to the hide, a fairly impressive affair that more than compensates for the old one that was burnt down a few years back.

Bowling Green Marsh at its wettest

Large numbers of wigeon and teal settle here in the Winter, usually joined by pintails, shovelers and shelducks. Most of the geese will be Canada geese and greylags, joined by brent geese at high tide.

Bowling Green Marsh. Teal, pintail, wigeon and shoveler. 
Long-billed dowitcher in centre of the picture

Waders include black-tailed godwits, lapwings and redshanks; depending on time and tide they may be joined by curlews, greenshanks and dunlins. Avocets that have been feeding on the estuary in the height of Winter come here to roost at high tide. In amongst the crowds you might strike lucky and find a little stint or curlew sandpiper or even something more special.

Avocets, Bowling Green Marsh

Leaving the hide and walking down the road you'll see a gate on the left-hand side a bit further along. Go through here and walk down the path and you'll get to a screen on the bank giving you a good view of the River Clyst at its mouth. If you haven't already seen any little egrets on the marsh there's almost certainly a few on the river. (I'm old enough to remember back when here and Dawlish Warren were the only places I could reliably count on seeing little egrets. I love being able to see them regularly these days but I miss that little thrill of excitement.)

River Clyst from Bowling Green Marsh

Bowling Green Road runs down to Riversmeet and here it joins the Goat Walk, a raised footpath from here to The Strand, the road that runs along the river side. Looking down the estuary you should be able to see down to Dawlish Warren.

The River Exe from the end of the Goat Walk at Riversmeet, Dawlish Warren in the distance.

There are a few seats along the walk, it's well worth taking a pew and having a long look round. At low tide godwits — mostly black-tailed, with the chance of a few bar-tailed — redshanks and curlews work the mud, in Winter there should be plenty of avocets. Wildfowl on the river may include red-breasted mergansers. It's also worth taking a look at the reedbeds on the opposite side of the river, most of the raptors will be kestrels or sparrowhawks but you never know your luck.

Bar-tailed godwit, Topsham

There's a community garden on the other side of the wall by the walk. In Autumn you need to have a look through the gate at this as it's carpeted with cyclamen and very nice too.

Cyclamen by the Goat Walk

Follow The Strand down to the quay. There are a couple of gaps giving you a view of the river along the way. From the Quay you can either catch the T bus to Exeter, carry on up Fore Street to the bus stop outside The Nelson for the 57 to Exeter or turn right and go up Holman Way to the train station for trains to Exmouth or Exeter and beyond, or for the 57 bus to Exeter.