Bovey Valley Woods Circular Walk

This 3.6mi/5.7km circular walk starts at the free Pullabrook car park (what3words: ///host.retract.condense) and takes you through woodland, heathland and along the River Bovey. There is so much wildlife and nature on this walk, passing two bird hides, moss covered trees, the lichen trail and so many species of fungi. There are some inclines with uneven terrain in places, so sturdy footwear is advised. There are toilets halfway along the walk at the Natural England Offices (Yarner Wood), but no refreshment stops on the route. There is a cafe at National Trust Parke (7 minute drive), as well as Ullacombe Farm Cafe & Shop (6 minute drive). Lustleigh is the nearest village (5 minute drive) which has a pub and cafe. There are also picnic benches in Yarner Wood by the National England Offices car park.

Arriving at the River Bovey

The first views of River Bovey

From the car park, follow the main track through the gate, passing some timber stacks. Take a minor path on your right before the second lot of timber stacks where you’ll pass several trees in the woods with bat boxes attached. You’ll first hear the River Bovey on your right, then as you pass though a gate, the river will be in sight on your right. Continue along this path, walking alongside the river on your right. Keep an eye out for grey wagtails and dippers in the river, especially any rocks they may perch on in the middle of the water. When you arrive at a gate in front of you, ignore this and continue to the right where you’ll soon pass over a stile and into some woodland. Here we heard long tailed tits calling out continuously and goldcrests squealing as we took the trodden path up the hill. Be careful of rocks and tree roots as you walk to the top, then turn right, taking a narrow path until it reaches a lane.

Walking up the hill in the wooded area

The gate leading to East Dartmoor Nature Reserve

Turn left up this lane that’s decorated with moss covered trees, stones and beautiful ferns as the path soon turns into a gravel track. When you arrive at a rocky path on the right, take this route between the ferns which will soon open up into a car park. From here, exit the car park on the right, walking a short distance up the road until you pick up a track on the other side of the road (by a bus stop with a bench). Take the bridleway to the left of the locked gates, then ahead of you, pass through the gate signposted as Yarner Wood (there’s a sign here stating that dogs need to be on leads). We heard and saw a group of meadow pipits here as we turned right at the end of this path, and on the damp September day we did this walk grasshoppers were still hopping around on the ground. Passing a gate on your right, take the path ahead of you, then turn left down a stony track with tree roots underfoot. We saw an impressive wood ant nest on the left here as we walked down the hill. The views ahead and to the right of the trees in the valley were beautiful as we turned right at the end of the track, then through a gate which leads into a car park.

Plenty of leaflets of the local nature and wildlife

Crossing the bridge by the picnic benches

There are toilets here in this car park by the National England Offices, as well as some information leaflets on the local wildlife and nature you may encounter. After picking up a couple of leaflets we left the car park through a gate opposite the offices, then crossed over a wooden bridge. We walked the gravel path, passing picnic benches on our left by a stream, then at the end of the path, turned right, passing moss covered trees up the hill. We could hear several jays calling out in the trees here, a busy time of year for them at the moment, collecting and caching acorns to store and eat over winter. At the top of the lane, we stopped off at the bird hide before taking the track on the right hand side. When you get to a fork in the path, take the track to the right; we saw a group of chaffinches foraging on the path here as we walked under the canopy of trees. Keep an eye out for lichen and moss on the stone walls and tree roots along this track too. Turn right down a path with a post beside it which will take you down some steps then across two wooden bridges. We then turned left at the end of this path, then right, up a hill and through a gate, then taking a path to the left. (We then took a detour to the path straight ahead by the metal railings which took us to a bird hide overlooking a beautiful reservoir). Once arriving at an information sign, we took a path on the right and passed through a gate, crossing a road and entering into a car park. We picked up a grass path straight ahead in the car park, which took us right, down the hill, boasting lovely views of the valley and trees, it was lightly raining at this point, which seemed to make the landscape even more beautiful. Ignore the first left turn, instead take the second left and continue on a rocky path down the hill.

So much moss and lichen on the trees and stone wall in this area

Walking the path towards the two wooden bridges

When you arrive at the bottom of the path, you should notice you’ve been on this track before. Turn left down the hill and keep an eye out for different fungi along this route, there will be a lot more popping up soon, now we’re entering into the damp autumnal days. When you pass a boulder, turn right through a gate where you’ll arrive at Hisley Bridge, a beautiful old stone packhorse bridge. After crossing over the bridge, turn right where you’ll soon pass through a gate and onto a gravel track, we saw a dipper perched on a rock in the river, so keep an eye out as you walk this path alongside the water. When you pass a sign saying ‘Hisley Woods’, take the path to the right, keeping to the riverside walk.

Beautiful views in the rain

Crossing over Hisley Bridge

Eventually you’ll pass through a gate into a field with the river still on your right. Follow the trodden path that takes you to a metal gate to the left. After passing through the gate, we noticed some broken snail shells on the stone wall to the right, signs that a song thrush has most probably used the stone as an anvil to get to the snail inside. We turned right and walked down the lane then right again at the end, where soon you’ll pass over a stone road bridge and arrive back at the car park on your right. This is one of many beautiful walks Dartmoor has to offer. I’ll be posting more on here soon to enjoy, so be sure to keep an eye out for them.

Hisley Bridge, the old stone packhorse bridge

One of the tracks sheltered by trees