South Dartmoor Walks
Whiteworks
Starts from: Peat Cot car park high up on the moor on the Princetown to White works road.
Distance: 3.5 miles
Difficulty: Moderate.
Description: A moorland walk. Whiteworks is a remote place once busy with mine workers a very long way into the moor via a road from Princetown. You are given the opportunity to cross the dreaded Fox Tor Mire said to be the bog in the Hound of the Baskervilles if you dare.
Burrator View
Starts from: Lowry Cross carpark on the north eastern end of the reservoir.
Distance: About 3 miles.
Difficulty: easy stroll.
Description: An easy walk which skirts Leather Tor with no long steep hills just a couple of gates and a ladder stile which might be a bit challenging for an old dog. A lovely 3 mile evening walk to enjoy the views over Burrator reservoir.
Around Burrator
Starts from: The Quarry car park on the south west approach road to the dam
Distance: About 6 miles
Difficulty: Easy walk mostly level and hardly touches a road. Uses footpaths and moorland tracks and passes a picnic bench half way around.
Description: This walk takes you all around the reservoir hardly touching the road. You will pass ancient abandoned farm buildings the Devonport Leat and a mine. A walk in woodland and open moor.
Meavy to Burrator Reservoir
Starts from: Meavy Village Green. PL20 6PP.
Distance: 2.5 miles
Difficulty: Easy walk with a hill at the start.
Description: A short walk to build up a thirst or just to see a very splendid view of the reservoir, visit the dam and have an ice cream.
Pixies House
Starts from: Meavy Primary School.
Distance: Just under 5 miles.
Difficulty: Mostly an easy walk perhaps moderate in places.
Description: A scenic walk of starting in Meavy passing Burrator reservoir and walking out to Sheeps Tor where if you look hard enough you may see the pixie cave. The very best time to go is in May when all the bluebells are out.
Drivage Bottom
Starts from: Norsworthy bridge at the eastern end of Burrator Reservoir.
Distance: 6 miles.
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate.
Description: A walk of just over 6 miles to see a Bronze age settlement a stone row a bottomless pool the beginning of a 28 mile leat built in 1793 and of course Drivage Bottom an extensive area of tin streaming all within easy reach of Burrator Reservoir.
Drizzlecombe
Starts from: The “Scout hut” car park at Nattor a mile or so east of Sheapstor village not far from Burrator Reservoir.
Distance: 4.5 miles.
Difficulty: Moderate walk.
Description: On this entirely moorland walk you will pass by the house used in the War Horse and other films. See some magnificent standing stones walk up the upper Plym valley and come back via a Victorian tin mine.
This is also one of the River Plym trail walks where you will also find a linear moorland walk to Plym Head and back.
Meavy to Brisworthy Stone Circle
Starts from: Meavy Village green.
Distance: 5.25 miles.
Difficulty: Easy moorland walk.
Description: A walk from the village of Meavy which lies midway between Yelverton and Burrator reservoir out via the hamlet of Loveton to a magnificent restored stone circle and back via Marchants cross and the river Meavy
A visit to Brisworthy stone circle
Short Walk
Starts at: Brisworthy small quarry car park next to Ringmoor Cottage
Distance: 2.6 miles miles
Difficulty: Easy walk
Description: A short walk to see the stone circle with an option of carrying on to visit Legis Tor. An easy moorland walk with no hills or bogs.
The Dewerstone walk
Starts from: Cadover Bridge car park between Plympton and Yelverton.
Distance: 4.5 miles.
Difficulty: There are three short but quite steep hills on the way but generally an easy walk.
Description: On the southern edge of the Dartmoor National Park this walk is of archaeological interest both ancient and industrial as it goes through long since disused clay workings and mine and quarry workings as well as a prehistoric settlement. A lovely walk through woodland along the pipe track and back over the open moor to Cadover bridge where there is usually an ice cream van.
Long Ash to Double Waters
Starts from: Long Ash Garden Centre between Buckland Monachorum and Horrabridge.
Distance: 4.75 miles
Difficulty: Easy walk but there is a long hill.
Description: An entirely off road walk that takes you along the northern tip of Roborough Down and through oak woodland. You will cross the Walkham river by going over Gem Bridge and visit Double Waters a popular and very picturesque area where the river Walkham meets the river Tavy.
Double Waters a long or short walk
Start from: The longer walk starts at the large lay-by just south of Tavistock on the A386. The short walk starts from the woodland car park at Grenofen bridge.
Distance: Long walk 6.3 miles.
Short walk 3.2 miles.
Difficulty: Short is an Easy walk.
The long walk is a moderate one as you do have to walk up out of the valley.
Description: A moorland and woodland walk to Double Waters where the river Tavy meets the river Walkham. A lovely walk on the very edge of the Dartmoor National Park especially in the Autumn to see the changing colours of the oak woodland. You will see ancient moss encrusted mine workings, walk through a railway tunnel on a disused railway line and see white water rapids on the river Walkham.
Roborough Down
Starts from: A bus stop on Roborough Down. Start by taking the Stagecoach number 1 bus that runs between Plymouth and Tavistock getting off at the Clearbrook junction on the A386. You will have to ring the bell to stop the bus.
Distance: 2.5 miles
Difficulty: Very easy
Description: On this walk you will cross over the Devonport leat (built 1785) and walk next to Plymouth Leat (built 1590),
walk through the war-time decoy airfield and pass by the prisoner of war camp. not that there is now anything to see. You will walk along the Plymouth and Dartmoor Tramway opened in 1823 which is now a tarmac cycle track and through Yelverton Golf course.