This time of year makes me love woodland walks, enjoying the crisp leaves underfoot, and the beautiful autumnal colours in full swing, so last weekend we decided to make the most of this season and go for a walk on Dartmoor. I decided on Burrator Reservoir, mainly because we don’t tend to visit the reservoirs on Dartmoor, and also because it had some highly rated geocaches there! Parking by the reservoir was fairly easy as there are a few car parks in the area, but we joined the rest of the parked cars on the roadside by the dam itself. There were even some brave people enjoying an ice cream from the ice cream van by the bridge on this cold October day!

We parked next to the Reservoir Dam, with beautiful views over the bridge.

From here we walked along the bridge, taking in the beautiful views of the water and the hills and Tors behind it. Once we crossed the bridge and turned the corner on the left, we soon spotted a gate to pass which took us closer to the reservoir. From here we started to find our first geocaches, some here were very clever! We enjoyed ‘The Joy of Caching’ series for anyone who’s looking for a fun geocaching loop to do on Dartmoor.

Beautiful views of Burrator Reservoir and the moors behind it.

After spending some time looking for a clever geocache in the wooded area, we then decided to stop and have our picnic on a secluded spot by the water, it almost felt like a little beach! We were soon joined by some very friendly Canada Geese and ducks, our 1 year old daughter found it funny that they were interested in our lunch!

Views from where we found our first geocache.

After finishing our lunch we decided to continue the walk all the way round the reservoir, which took us a couple of hours as we walked at a leisurely pace and stopped a few times to find some geocaches. The whole walk was about 4.5 miles in total, but wasn't at all strenuous. The path is very clear and easy to follow, and there’s also signage at certain points which told us if we needed to walk on the road for a short while.

We stopped at one point to read an information sign about Longstone Manor, which was an old Manor house owned by the Elford family, long before the reservoir was built beside it. Now only the remains of the granite house are here, but there’s still a fair amount to see. However we decided not to take a detour to the peninsula, instead continuing on straight ahead, following the path which eventually led us onto the road for a short while. From here the walk continued on around to the left and over Norsworthy Bridge, where there were beautiful views of the water cascading down rocks and flowing towards the reservoir. We stopped for a moment to take a few photos of the area then continued around to the left where we passed another gate and rejoined the path beside the reservoir.

Norsworthy Bridge surrounded by Autumn colour

Along this path we soon arrived at a gate saying that we would be entering an off lead dog walking area; we took this route and were soon met with the reservoir on our left again, with gorgeous views of the Moors and Tors behind it. As we continued ahead we soon spotted the education centre nearby, where we rejoined the road for the rest of our walk around the reservoir. We were only a few minutes walk away from the dam where we started, but first we passed a beautiful waterfall on our right, which is quite a pleasant surprise when you’re not expecting to see it!

Burrator Reservoir is definitely worth a visit, its great for dogs, children and geocachers! It’s even more beautiful at this time of year, with different shades of orange and brown in the trees surrounding the water. Parking is ample and free on the roadside as well as car parks nearby on the main road down to the reservoir. I would advise wellies or walking boots for the walk and to give yourself a few hours if you are intending to walk round the whole reservoir, in order to really enjoy the walk at a leisurely stroll. We also came across plenty of friendly Dartmoor ponies by the roadside, and for those of you interested in the local wildlife the area has to offer, we also passed a (free) car park by the reservoir for Burrator Arboretum and Nature Reserve which we didn’t have time to visit but have added it to the list for next time! The walk round the reservoir would not be suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs, but the Arboretum has a new easy access trail built to ensure those in wheelchairs or families with pushchairs can enjoy the nature reserve too.

Despite the wet weather today, we weren’t going to let it ruin our day off. We decided to take advantage of our National Trust membership and go to Parke. Situated in Bovey Tracey, Parke offers plenty of walks through woodland, farmland and along the river. It’s also very dog friendly, which was what made us visit here again, as we had two dogs that needed a good walk.

A woodland walk around @nationaltrustparke

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We parked up and put on our walking boots, to prepare for the wet and muddy walk ahead. The car park is owned by National Trust, and charges do apply if you aren’t a National Trust member, but that is the only fee you have to pay to access the grounds. Once we got the dogs out, we started our walk, following the gravelled path towards the Parke Estate. From here there were views of the countryside, reminding you that it’s situated on the outskirts of Dartmoor National Park.

Even on a cold and wet day, we still enjoyed a muddy walk around the Parke woods and estate.

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As we passed the main house at Parke, we also caught a glimpse of the Home Farm Cafe, which we had visited a year ago, and made a note to pop in after our walk, for a bite to eat and a drink to warm up with. But first, we had dogs that wanted to explore the woodland surrounding the estate.

The Home Farm Cafe at Parke National Trust. A cosy place to eat yummy food, very dog friendly too ☺️

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Last time we visited Parke, we walked along the River Bovey, and did a spot of geocaching as we watched a heron trying to catch its lunch in the water. Below is one of the photos from last year, we weren’t lucky enough to see another heron today, but did see a lot of other wildlife, including some friendly robins following us as we walked through the woods.

Today, we decided to cross the river over an old stone bridge that joins the estate to the woodland walks. The River Bovey was flowing fast today, which wasn’t surprising, seeing as we’ve had a lot of rainfall in the last 24 hours.

Despite the rain, it was clear to see that Parke is a popular place for dog walkers. We passed several walkers with their 4 legged friends, as we walked around the woodland. Our dogs really enjoyed exploring the area off lead, getting muddy, and running off some energy. We didn’t do any geocaches today, but there are quite a few around the estate worth doing. Today we just followed a few marked footpaths around the woods and along the river.

We were treated to an array of Autumnal colour as we walked the woodland paths. It reminded me why I love this season so much. We realised that we’ve not visited Parke in the Spring or Summer, it would be interesting to see what the estate looks like at different times of the year, so we made a note to revisit again in the New Year.

Instagram post by Discovering Devon * Nov 24, 2018 at 5:27pm UTC

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As we walked along the main path, under stone bridges and alongside the river, we saw other walkers passing us by on lower and higher paths, through woodland, fields and over bridges. It made me realise, we could keep coming back to Parke, and be able to walk different routes each time, exploring areas we hadn’t seen before. It’s one thing I like about Parke, the grounds are spread over so much land that you won’t get bored if you visit time and time again.

Instagram post by Discovering Devon * Nov 24, 2018 at 6:02pm UTC

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As the rain started to come down a bit heavier, we decided to follow a footpath along side the route we were taking, that would take us back to the cafe, but didn’t mean we were walking back the same path. The path we walked back on had a lot of leaves underfoot, and was rather muddy, so walking boots or wellies are a must at this time of year. Some of the walks that came away from the main path were quite narrow and had tree roots along them, so wouldn’t be suitable for everyone, but the main path is easily accessible for pushchairs and wheelchairs.

An autumnal walk through the Parke woodland estate. @nationaltrustparke

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We were glad to arrive at the Home Farm Cafe, to shelter from the rain, and warm up with some lunch. ‘The long room’ that is joined to the cafe, is the dog friendly area. It was really warm and cosy inside, and appeared popular with many dogs and their owners, stopping for a bite to eat.

Love how cosy and warm it felt in the long room of the home farm cafe @nationaltrustparke

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Each time we visit a National Trust place, we always end up having a cream tea, so today we decided not to break tradition, although we did go for a ‘cheese tea’ instead, consisting of warm savoury scones, with cheese and chutney to add on top. As well as a pot of loose tea to warm us up. We enjoyed the scones, as well as the relaxing atmosphere in the cafe, with the heating on, comfy seating and soft lighting, it was the perfect place to enjoy lunch after a long wet walk around the estate. For those of you that like to explore different terrain with your dogs, this place is definitely for you. Especially if you like National Trust Estates like Killerton. We’ll definitely be back to explore again in a different season.

Exploring one of Dartmoor's Reservoirs - Burrator Reservoir.

A muddy walk around Parke.