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As someone who is lucky enough to live in a green lane it was fascinating to meet Devon author Valerie Belsey and find out more about the origins of these ancient byways that criss-cross our county.

Valerie has specialised in researching and writing about green lanes for over 20 years, including work for Devon County Council.

To Valerie these routes are far more than a way of getting from A to B.

As she writes in her book Exploring Green Lanes: "When you step into the green lanes of Devon you enter into a network of ways which once thronged with travellers of all kinds, both by day and by night."

Valerie has written about Devon's green lanes

The walk Valerie chose starts from the church in Morebath – an historic spot that has detailed records dating back 500 years.

It was a turbulent time for the church, being the period of the Reformation. One account talks of a Dr Heynes being sent from Exeter in 1536 with 12 people to spend two years making sure no relics or statues were left in the church.

As you leave the churchyard by the main path turn right and bear around to the right at the first junction, following a quiet tarmac lane, marked as a cycle route.

This takes you up to Hayne Cross, possibly named after Dr Heynes.

Here the walk along this green lane, known as Hawkridge Lane, really begins.

Valerie describes the experience of entering the lane as being akin to walking into a black hole. It was certainly like stepping into another world – a sunken, green, dark linear space.

The lane was a link from the church to Barlynch Priory and would have been used as long ago as the 14th century. The abundant hedgerows tower high above – well fertilised over the years, Valerie says, by countless cattle being herded this way.

You almost immediately begin to climb – the terrain underfoot being a mix of hard bedrock and soil, turning towards the summit more into a clay-like earth that holds water and sent us searching for dry patches towards the track edge.

Going into the black hole

The character of the lane alters as you walk, from sunken byway to a more open almost dell-like nature, and then descending deeply and steeply with the banks towering 25 feet above and lichen clinging to the trees.

We were fortunate to see a little owl fly overhead. In the past Valerie has seen a buzzard take a rabbit, as well as a peregrine falcon, deer and a wide array of other birdlife.

"They are microcosms for bio-diversity," she said.

Historically the lane would have been used mainly by people connected with the monastery and church, as well as tradesmen, builders and farmers.

An exhaust pipe from a 4x4 vehicle pointed to more modern-day travellers.

The lane actually takes you across the border into Somerset, descending to the pretty hamlet of Bury, with its picturesque packhorse bridge and ford across the river.

Valerie said: "When you got to the bottom the wheels of your cart would start to catch fire and so you would run your cart down into the river, to cool down the wheels.

"I think a sense of time is definitely what you get from green lanes. They're very time-tunnelly, like a linear Doctor Who's tardis."

Certainly coming out the other end we could have got lost in time, we hadn't even realised it had been raining and if there had been any sunshine it would have been lost in all that greenery.

For Valerie, exploring Green Lanes is a passion: "They're the ones that speak to me most from the Devon landscape," she said. "And there's a lot more for you to discover."

Indeed, armed with Valerie's informative book I might just do that.