The Best Walks Around Totnes: A Local’s Pick of River, Forest and Castle Trails
If you only get one weekend in South Devon, the best walks around Totnes will give you a strong case for coming back. The town sits in the crook of the River Dart where the tidal estuary meets the wooded valley, which means you can stroll from a cafe on Fore Street to a deep oak wood, a vineyard, or a ruined castle in under an hour on foot. The trails here are short on dramatic ascent and long on character. Expect quiet lanes, kissing gates, granite stiles, deer in the long grass at Dartington, and pubs that have been pouring local cider for centuries.
What follows is a personal shortlist rather than a comprehensive index. These are the routes locals actually walk on a Sunday, with friends from out of town, when the weather lifts after rain.
Starting from the town: the Plains and the riverside path
The simplest introduction begins at The Plains, the open quayside at the foot of Fore Street. From there a flat riverside path heads upstream along the west bank of the Dart, past the rowing club and the moored boats, toward Totnes Weir. It is suitable for buggies and wheelchairs as far as the longmarsh playing fields, and gives you a good first read of the valley: water meadows on one side, the railway viaduct in the distance, and the tide either filling the channel or laying bare the mud. Allow 45 minutes for a there-and-back amble, or push on and link into the Dartington walks beyond.
Up to Totnes Castle and out through the lanes
Totnes Castle is a near-perfect Norman motte and bailey, run by English Heritage, with a stone keep that rewards the short climb with a 360-degree view over the town’s red roofs and the Dart winding away toward Sharpham. Dogs on leads are welcome, and the entrance sits just off the top of the High Street. From the castle you can drop back down through narrow lanes, pick up the Bridgetown side of the river, and loop home over the medieval Totnes Bridge. It is a one-hour town walk with real history threaded through it.
The Dart Valley Trail and the river to Ashprington
The waymarked Dart Valley Trail runs roughly 17 miles between Totnes and Dartmouth. You do not have to walk the whole thing. Head out of Totnes on the south side of the river toward the hamlet of Ashprington and you cover about three miles of gently undulating estuary path, with views over to Sharpham House. The Durant Arms in Ashprington is a sensible turnaround. Mind the tide on the lower path, and expect a few sections of road walking near the village.
Berry Pomeroy and the John Musgrave
The John Musgrave Heritage Trail stitches together 35 miles of South Devon countryside between Maidencombe and Brixham, but the section that swings inland to Berry Pomeroy Castle is the one Totnesians know best. You can build a circular of around six kilometres taking in the castle, the deep wooded valley of Gatcombe Brook, and quiet farmland back into town. Berry Pomeroy is open seasonally with a small English Heritage car park and a cafe, and the ruin itself, drowned in ivy, is one of the more atmospheric in the South West.
The Dartington loop through North Wood
For something gentler and greener, drive or walk the mile out to the Dartington Estate. From the main car park, a four-and-a-half-mile circular heads up the Upper Drive, drops into North Wood, follows the Dart’s edge past Hood Down toward Staverton Bridge, and returns along the river to the Lower Drive. The woodland is mature, the path well-marked, and you may spot a kingfisher near the bridge. Dogs are welcome on this part of the estate but must be on the lead in livestock areas. The gardens themselves are dog-free apart from assistance dogs.
Practical notes before you set out
Totnes is well placed for car-free walking. The mainline station gets you in from Exeter, Plymouth or London Paddington, and from the platform you can be on a footpath inside ten minutes. Pay-and-display parking is best at the Steamer Quay or Heath’s Nursery sites if you are driving. Most routes have stiles, gates and occasional patches of mud after rain, so trail shoes or light boots will serve you better than trainers. Tides matter on the river sections (check the time at Totnes Weir), and dogs should be on leads near grazing sheep on the Sharpham and Berry Pomeroy paths.
The best walks around Totnes reward repeat visits more than ticking off, and a long weekend here gives you time to do two or three properly without rushing. If you fancy more on the river specifically, our companion guide to walking the Dart between Totnes and Dartington picks up exactly where this one leaves off.