We are very fortunate to live in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with a huge number of local walks literally right on the doorstep, a short drive or bus ride away.
The South Devon area of Natural Beauty website is a brilliant resource; for the more traditional visitors who might wish to have a paper map and details we have provided a number of guides/details in the flat for your use.
http://www.southdevonaonb.org.uk/explore/walks-trails/
Some of our favourite are below
Greenway via Long Wood and back on the Dartmouth side.
Turn left at the top of the drive and walk to the road.
Cross straight over, taking the footpath opposite that leads downhill.
Follow the path through the forest, following the Dart Valley Trail signs. Follow the permissive footpath sign to the right and go over the stile.
Turn left and make your way down the path on the edge of the field.
Exit the field at the bottom and turn left, following the sign for Greenway Gardens.
Continue straight on, following the sign to Greenway.
You’ve reached the Greenway Estate. Go through the gate.
Don’t forget to have your camera ready! To your left is a famously beautiful view of the Dart Valley.
Continue along the top of the field and go through the gate to your right.
Continue until over the brow of the hill and start to make your way left down the field.
Carry on towards the gate at the bottom of the field.
Take the path left.
When you reach the road, turn right and head along Greenway Drive towards the official Greenway entrance. At the end of the road, turn left and head downhill towards Greenway Quay.
Take the ferry across to Dittisham. (At the time of writing, a one-way ticket across the river is £2.)
The road from the Quay passes between the Ferry Boat Inn and the Anchorstone Café. Both are equally good but it is worth booking at peak times. Continue straight up the hill if you’re keen to push on or catch the Dittisham Ferry back to Dartmouth. The remainder of the walk is not for the faint hearted!
A few hundred yards up the hill, take a sharp left onto Rectory Lane.
Shortly afterwards, turn right onto the track.
A little way up the hill, turn left and go over the stile.
Follow the trail along the edge of the field. Once again, the views are magnificent!
Go over the turnstile.
Go over the next turnstile and carry on through the field.
When you reach the road, turn left.
Turn left, following the sign for Old Mill Creek.
Follow the waymarkers through the fields.
Walk along the field with Dartmouth ahead of you. You’ll come out at Green Lane. Turn left and head down the hill.
A little way down the hill, turn right onto the footpath.
There are no benches along this stretch, but if you’ve brought a rug with you, there are some great spots for picnics!
Cross this field diagonally to your right.
Head into the woodland. Be advised the terrain in this section can be loose and uneven.
Follow the trail, passing by a lake to your right.
Continue through the pine forest.
Take a left at the Raleigh Estate information board.
When you arrive at Old Mill Creek, cross the bridge and follow the road uphill to your left.
Continue on this road until you arrive in Townstal.
Turn right onto Archway Drive and take the first length onto Townstal Crescent. When you reach the main road, you have several options. Two of these are:
A) Follow the road downhill towards Dart Marina and walk along the Embankment back to Dartmouth.
B) Cross the main road on the pedestrian and walk along Townstal Pathfields. Turn left and walk through the graveyard, then continue downhill, down Church Road, going straight on at the crossroads onto Mount Boone. Turn right onto Townstal Hill, turning left onto Vicarage Hill after the road bends to the right. Turn left down the narrow lane and then right down the Brown’s Hill steps. You’ll come out at the marketplace in the centre of Dartmouth.
Stoke Fleming and the Castle
We love the walk to and from the Castle and on round. Whilst at the Castle it is well worth making the extra effort to climb up the hill to Gallants Bower for a magnificent panoramic view back up the river (you can see the house!) or out to sea. You could catch the bus back from Stoke Fleming and walk one way. Stoke Fleming has a great pub called The Green Dragon frequented on occasions by ex England rugby players who have homes in the village.
On the Kingswear side we have a variety of fabulous coastal walks. We often drive to the National Trust car park near Coleton Fishacre and either walk back to Kingswear, and then back and pick up the car the next day, or cut up through Coleton Fishacre gardens, or just go down to the Day Beacon and around.
Coleton Fishacre is really worth a visit – both the house and the gardens are lovely and they have a good coffee shop.
Walk to Brixham – 10.9 miles (17.5 km) and very challenging!
www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk/walksdb/176/
From the Lower Ferry take the Coast Path through wooded areas containing Monterey and Corsican Pines, with fantastic views glimpsed back over the Dart to the spectacularly sited 15th century castle. Much of the first section is managed by the National Trust, who take great care to ensure a safe habitat for birds. A good place to spot many different species is along the stretch of cliffs around Froward Point, where you may see linnets, skylarks and the rare cirl bunting.
From where you pass Kingswear Castle through to Sharkham Point the path crosses a series of valleys, making one of more challenging parts of the Coast Path in South Devon – but also one of the most spectacular.
At Berry Head National Nature Reserve the cliffs are home to the largest guillemot colony to be found along the south coast of England. The surrounding limestone meadows also support a number of nationally rare plants and are full of beautiful wildflowers from May to August. From the tip of Berry Head you may see harbour porpoises and seals, although you are unlikely to spot any of the threatened Greater Horseshoe Bats who live in caves in this area.
If you don’t want to walk the whole route we quite often drive to Berry Head for some amazing walks on the Headland. The shop there is highly recommended www.guardhousecafe.com We were there in February 2020 and saw a school of dolphins playing in the waves! It is quite a drop down and not for the faint hearted if you don’t like heights!
You could also take the John Musgrove inland trail to Brixham which is still lovely but less arduous. Or alternatively, take the more inland route from Kingswear via Man Sands which cuts out a large section of the coastal path. If you are a National Trust member you could also walk there and take a more inland shorter route home. Loads of options!