I discovered this walk a few years ago when out geocaching around East Budleigh, which led me to the old Bicton Church ruins. This made me explore the area a little more (on maps and looking at local footpaths), where I then found a circular walk from the River Otter to East Budleigh and Bicton. I sometimes make this walk a little bit longer, but the one I’m writing about today is just under 5 miles long. It’s important to add that this walk crosses the main road through East Budleigh (B3178) twice, so if you plan on doing this walk with dogs or young children, be aware when crossing this road. This walk starts out on White Bridge by the River Otter in Budleigh Salterton. There is plenty of free parking here, along South Farm Road.
The River Otter.
From here, I walked up towards White Bridge and turned left through the gate, joining the public footpath that informs me East Budleigh is 1 mile away. It’s not long before I spot a heron in the field to my left; this area is well known for the abundance of wildlife, so many species are thriving along the River and surrounding areas at the moment (including beavers which have been recently reintroduced!). After watching the heron for a while, I continued on the path, where eventually I pass a kissing gate. Here you can see the small Aqueduct which takes Budleigh Brook into the River Otter (preventing the fields from flooding), and today I could see water gushing into the river to my right. As I proceed there are two gates in front of me, I take the one to the left which now takes me on a raised path through the fields, which they sometimes have cows grazing in them, so take extra care with dogs..
The aqueduct that takes East Budleigh Brook to the River Otter.
This path is a lot quieter than the main riverside walk. I only saw two other people on this route today, perfect for a socially distanced walk! I follow this path as it bends to the left and briefly turns into a concrete walkway where it now takes me away from the river and closer towards East Budleigh. Soon I pass through a kissing gate and over a couple of footbridges, where the path then narrows and becomes partially shaded by trees. I then spot some houses to my right, which I’ll soon be walking past.
The houses to my right, which I’ll soon be passing.
I carry on through two gates, continuing straight ahead, and then follow the path with the South West water plant on my right. This path soon joins a road where I turn right and pass the yellow house I spotted earlier (in the photo above) on my left. On a clear day like today, I can see beautiful views of Mutters Moor and Peak Hill over the farm gates to my right. From here I pass the yellow thatched cottage (Rose Cottage) I also spotted earlier on the walk. After passing this cottage, there’s a public footpath on the left, slightly hidden by the overgrown ferns, so keep an eye out for it! I climb over this stile, being careful of the stinging nettles growing nearby. The thatched cottage is now on my left, with a meadow in the foreground, as I walk through two metal gates and up a hill.
A house upon a hill.
Views of Otterton Church and High Peak in the distance.
Soon I meet another metal gate, where I now enter a field and follow the (slightly overgrown!) path all the way round to the top, where today I spotted several butterflies landing on the path in front of me. It wasn’t long before I could hear the traffic on the main road that we’ll soon cross, but first I looked back and enjoy the views from the top of this field. Here I can clearly see Mutters Moor, Otterton Village and Church, Peak Hill and High Peak. I can even clearly see the path leading up to High Peak! Once I reach the stile at the top of this field, we have to cross the main East Devon road, so anyone doing this walk with children or dogs, make sure they’re safe and under control before climbing over the stile and crossing this road. Ignoring the metal gate straight ahead, I go through the wooden one clearly marked with a public footpath sign, just to the right. From this path I walk straight ahead through the field, spotting the Bicton Obelisk to my right, before passing through two wooden gates under a slightly sheltered path, which then leads out onto Middletown Lane in East Budleigh. I turn right down this lane, then cross the road and enter East Budleigh’s recreation ground. From here I make my way past the wooden hut and tennis courts in the far corner, and enter the woodland through a clear path ahead. If you are interested in exploring the village, you can take a slight detour by turning left (instead of right) down Middletown Lane, following the road all the way round, then turn right again where you’ll soon walk up past the local village stores, pub, church and Sir Walter Raleigh statue. From here keep walking round and eventually you’ll see a public footpath on your left leading you into the recreation ground where you can continue the rest of this walk.
East Budleigh Village.
The clear path through East Budleigh’s wild wood.
This is East Budleigh’s Wild Wood, there are a couple of information signs in this woodland, which show a lot of the wildlife and different species of trees that are found here. There are more great views on offer here of the East Devon Countryside to the right. I then pass through the metal gate in the far right corner, and enter a field, where I follow the path towards a kissing gate, here I spot the Obelisk just ahead of me.
Farmland and countryside views to my right before leaving the field through a kissing gate.
As I leave this field I am now on a country road which can sometime get fairly busy. From here I walk on the grass verge on the other side of the road and turn left when I find a stile to pass over into another field. Here I walk alongside the field that is home to Bicton Obelisk. As i follow the path around and through a metal gate at the bottom, I keep the Obelisk to my right the whole time. This path is slightly overgrown with stinging nettles and weeds, although a bit of an inconvenience to me, the local wildlife seem to be thriving along this stretch of the footpath, with plenty of butterflies, damselflies and swifts dipping into the fields to my right.
Views of Bicton Obelisk from the slightly overgrown footpath.
Soon this path opens up where I then pass an old barn to the left. Now I leave the views of the Obelisk behind as I enter into a little woodland path ahead. This path soon leads towards Bicton Church ruins, and I can hear the busy traffic on the main road ahead. From here I turn left walking between two high walls, where it leads me to a little car park with the Old Church ruins of a medieval gothic church in front of me (within Bicton grounds). I soon spot St Mary’s Church to the right of the ruins too, which was built to replace the older church. Both are impressive buildings to look at, although with the high walls and the lack of sunlight due to the shading trees, this area can become quite eerie after a while. From here I walk along a path between two walls again (to the right of the lych gate) which leads to the main road, so please again be careful if you have dogs or children, as cars drive fairly fast along this road.
The ruins of Bicton Church.
I carefully cross this main road, and then slightly down the road to the left I join a public footpath. Here I ignore the footbridge to the left, instead I follow the path straight ahead, where soon I spot the stream flowing on my left hand side. I’ll be following this stream all the way until it meets with the River Otter. I continue on this path, where I eventually pass through two metal gates and spot the familiar views of Otterton Church to my left. Soon I cross over the stream (via two stepping stones) and now walk with it flowing on my right hand side. I then come to a kissing gate with a sign informing me about the Beavers now living in this stretch of the River.
Pass through the kissing gate to the left.
After passing through this gate, I soon cross over a footbridge where I can now hear the cars passing by on the main road into Otterton. When I come to a choice of two paths, I take the one to my left, as this path will bring me out closer to the footpath on the other side of the road. It’s not long before I spot the famous Otterton bridge (five bridges), where I leave this footpath through the gate, cross the road and join the next stretch of the footpath with the river and Otterton Mill on my left, which is a lovely place for a coffee break (they also do a great cream tea).
The footbridge over the river.
Once on this path, it’s fairly straight forward to get back to where I began my walk, I just have to follow the path straight ahead, where eventually it will bring me back to White Bridge. If you wish to do a bit more of a circular walk, you can cross the metal bridge (Clamour Bridge) half way along this part of the footpath on your left, from here you walk up the steps, turn right and follow the path all the way down, which leads you to the top end of White Bridge. This walk is fairly shaded and tends to be quieter than the main riverside walk, although there is no access to the river from this path. I love walking along the main path with the river to my left, as there’s plenty of access to the water where it’s nice to sit on the river bank here and watch the wildlife. Just walking along this path today, I spotted plenty of fish in the water, a kingfisher and wagtail flying across the river, as well as some ducks and swans with their young on the water. There’s also a few benches along the path to sit on which have nice views of the river below.
There’s plenty of access to the river.
The path back to White Bridge.
Despite this walk crossing the main road twice, it is still fairly dog and child friendly, with plenty of open spaces where both can safely run around. There’s also nearby pubs in East Budleigh (Sir Walter Raleigh) and Otterton (The King’s Arms) as well as Otterton Mill cafe right by the river on your way back. This walk took me just under 2 hours, and I was walking at a leisurely pace. It’s not at all strenuous but be aware there were some overgrown footpaths in places where stinging nettles were growing.
A great spot to take a break.
