Dartmoor’s South-Eastern Edge: Day Walks From Buckfastleigh

Dartmoor’s south-eastern edge is the part of the moor most visitors miss. The big tourism focus tends to land on Princetown, Postbridge and Haytor in the centre and east, leaving the corner around Buckfastleigh and Holne quieter than it has any right to be. Day walks on Dartmoor’s south-eastern edge from Buckfastleigh start from a working market town with a steam railway, an abbey and parking, and put you on the moor proper within twenty minutes’ drive. The walking is varied: deep oak-wooded river valleys, high open commons, Iron Age remains, and some of the best stretches of the upper Dart.

Hembury Woods and Hembury Castle

The easiest first walk is the closest. Park at the National Trust car park at Hembury Woods, two miles north of Buckfastleigh on the road to Holne. The site sits on a steep wooded spur above the Dart and was an Iron Age hillfort, later reused as a Norman motte and bailey castle.

A circular of around two and a half miles climbs through ancient oak woodland, follows the line of the hillfort ramparts at the summit, and drops back down to the river path. The views from the top are remarkable, looking across the valley toward Holne Chase and back down to Buckfast Abbey. The wood is particularly good in May for bluebells and in October for the leaf turn. National Trust ownership means the paths are well-maintained, dogs are welcome on leads, and there is a small information board at the car park.

Holne Chase and the upper Dart

A few miles further on, the lanes climb to the village of Holne, with its parish church and its excellent pub, the Church House Inn. From Holne, several walks of three to six miles drop down into the gorge of the upper Dart and the woods of Holne Chase.

The most rewarding is the loop down to New Bridge, the medieval packhorse bridge over the Dart, returning by the high path with views across to Bench Tor. This is roughly four and a half miles with one steep climb back out of the river valley. The Dart is fast and clean here, popular with white-water kayakers in winter and wild swimmers in summer. Park at the small pull-in opposite the Holne village hall or at the National Trust New Bridge car park lower down.

The moor proper: Pupers Hill and Snowdon

For a stronger upland walk, head from Holne up onto the open moor at Hembury Beacon and on toward Pupers Hill and the round-shouldered summit of Dartmoor’s own Snowdon (419m, no relation to its Welsh namesake). This is a five-to-seven-mile out-and-back on largely unmarked moorland, with bog, granite, ponies and big sky. Use OS Explorer OL28 (Dartmoor) and have a compass with you; the visibility can drop in minutes when the cloud comes in off the Channel.

The moor edge here is part of the Two Moors Way, the 102-mile coast-to-coast trail from Ivybridge on the southern edge of Dartmoor to Lynmouth in Exmoor. You will pick up Two Moors Way waymarks on parts of this route.

Lower and gentler: the Buckfastleigh riverside

Not every walk has to climb. From Buckfastleigh town centre, a flat riverside walk runs north along the Dart toward Buckfast Abbey, takes in the abbey grounds, and continues to the National Trust’s Hembury Woods for a longer return. Total distance around five miles if you do the full loop. The path is firm, mostly level, and avoids any serious climbs.

You can also combine walking with a steam ride on the South Devon Railway, which runs the seven miles between Buckfastleigh and Totnes Littlehempston along the river valley. Walk one way, ride the other, with a pub stop at the Steam Packet on the Buckfastleigh side or the Royal Seven Stars in Totnes.

Where to start and what to pack

Buckfastleigh has a decent free car park behind the Globe Inn on Plymouth Road, with public toilets and a few shops within five minutes. The town also has the South Devon Railway station, where you can catch the steam service if you would rather start your walk further up or down the line.

For the moor walks, take a paper OS map (the OL28 covers Dartmoor at 1:25,000), a windproof and waterproof, water for the whole day, and snacks. There are no shops on the moor and limited mobile signal. The weather can shift fast at any time of year.

When the moor is at its best

May through early July is the prime upland window, with long evenings, dry going underfoot in most years, and the ponies foaling. September brings the heather flush. October offers spectacular leaf colour in the woodland walks. Winter walks are possible but require care; the moor can freeze hard and the rivers run fast.

Day walks on Dartmoor’s south-eastern edge from Buckfastleigh give you a different read of the region from the estuary walks closer to Totnes. Both are part of what makes the Dart Valley work as a holiday base. If the moor leaves you hungry for the abbey itself, our companion guide to Buckfast Abbey covers the working monastery just down the road.