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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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It’s been a while since I’ve updated this website, mainly due to other commitments getting in the way (work and a new baby!), but I’m hoping to stay updated on this website again now, especially with the current situation in place with a global pandemic, I’ve found a little bit of spare time.

I’ve started with a fairly local walk, it’s one of my favourites, but also due to the restrictions we’ve recently had, I’ve been revisting more local areas since the rules have been relaxed. This walk from Otterton to Ladram Bay rarely gets that busy; I think its mainly local people who walk it, as most people who come to Ladram Bay tend to park closer. This walk is great for those of you who enjoy walking the country lanes and coast path, as it can include both, you can make it a circular walk too, as there’s plenty of routes you can choose to get to the Bay. It offers beautiful views of the coast and countryside, and on a clear day you can see the red and white cliffs of the East Devon Coast line.

I tend to start this walk by parking along one of the side roads off of Fore Street. Normally Maunder’s Hill by the local primary school, as there is plenty of parking along the street here, and it can lead straight up to the public footpaths heading to the Bay. Once parked up, I usually head up the the road and turn left onto the road named Behind Hayes, this route is quicker to the coast and a bit easier to do than the longer ones walking all the way up Maunder’s Hill. Along this road be sure to appreciate the beautiful country houses and chocolate box cottages that Otterton has to offer, then at the end of the road, turn right which will take you up to Stantyway Farm. This farm is part of Clinton Devon Estate, if you look to your right (once lockdown is over) you’ll see the ‘Honesty Cafe’ that Stantyway Farm have provided, which hosts a small selection of cakes and refreshments for you to help yourself to, in return for a donation. They even have dog biscuits so your four legged friends don’t feel left out!

Be sure you take in the beautiful views of East Devon countryside from this viewpoint, before heading left down a public footpath towards the Bay. For those of you who don’t fancy a longer walk, you can park up by the farm around the green, although parking is limited and may get busy at certain times of the year. As you walk past Otterton recreation ground, you’ll follow a country lane that leads to a beautiful thatched cottage on your left.

A beautiful thatched cottage on the way to the coast.

When you see this cottage, you know you’re on the right track, and are about to be treated to beautiful views of Ladram Bay once you walk down the public footpath to your right. On this walk, you’ll notice signs on a lot of the gates that explain what is growing in the fields, these fields belong to a local farm shop called ‘Greendale’ which is worth a visit if you haven’t been before.

Greendale farm sheep grazing in a field, overlooking Ladram Bay.

You’ll soon see a kissing gate that leads you to the field that boasts beautiful views of Ladram Bay and beyond. On a clear day you can see Sidmouth, Weston mouth, Salcombe Regis and Branscombe in the distance. Pass this kissing gate and follow the path on the outside of the field all the way round and down towards Ladram Bay Holiday park. There is normally cattle or sheep grazing in these fields, so be sure to keep dogs on leads, especially when it’s lambing season. Greendale Farm will put a sign on the gate before you enter this field, warning you if there are any livestock grazing.

Thatched cottage on the way down to Ladram Bay.

Once you leave this field, you’ll enter Ladram Bay Holiday Park, follow the signs that lead you down towards the beach. Be aware that the beach itself is not dog friendly, however the coast paths and adjoining exercise fields are. The pebble beach is a short walk down a slope with a beautiful thatched cottage on the left, there’s also an ice cream shack and public toilets just before you reach the beach, which are available to use during the peak season.

Be sure to sit and enjoy this lovely little Bay, especially in the off season when it’s not bustling with holiday makers. Ladram Bay is a popular holiday park which is usually always busy during the summer, one benefit of this is ‘The Three Rocks’ restaurant and bar which is open to the public and has a lot of tasty locally sourced food to offer. I’ve written previously about the walk we did from Ladram Bay to Peak Hill, which is definitely worth doing too.

Ladram Bay isn’t just popular with holiday makers, each time I visit there’s normally a few people kayaking or paddle boarding around the stacks. We’ve also taken our kayaks here before, during the winter season when parking is free at Ladram Bay (between November and March). When I visited last week, there was even a few people braving the water, going for a swim.

Ladram Bay, popular with Kayakers and Paddle boarders.

Once ready to leave the beach, follow the same path that leads back to the field to the left. You can then make your way back the same way you came, or carry on straight ahead towards the coast path to Budleigh Salterton. Don’t worry, there’s a path on the right that then leads back towards Otterton from this coast path, so you don’t have to walk all the way to Budleigh.

The coast path from Ladram Bay leading to Otterton and Budleigh Salterton.

Follow this coast path which has beautiful views of rolling hills to the right and the blue sea to the left, and eventually you’ll see a footpath sign that informs you to turn right down a path towards Otterton. Follow this path, and be sure to look back towards the bay, and take in the glorious surrounding views of the coast and countryside.

Looking back at the views of the Jurassic Coast.

Follow this path all the way round, past a South West Water plant, and eventually onto Stantyway Road again; here you can turn right which will take you back towards where Stantyway Farm is, or turn left and walk further down the lane into Otterton. For those of you who enjoy geocaching, Otterton has quite a few to offer including a great circular walk along the coast path, country lanes and River Otter walk. I like a long circular walk, so I chose to turn left and walk down the country lanes that eventually lead me back towards my parking spot on Maunder’s Hill.

Along this lane, you’ll eventually see a sign pointing left towards the River Otter and a cow shed on the right; Don’t turn left, but walk past the cow shed and follow the lane that will soon become a hill but then descends into Otterton. Be sure to take a look at the views of the countryside over the farm gates, and listen out for pheasants as they run through the fields.

The River Otter Path to the left, the Cow Shed to the right.

Eventually you’ll see a lane to the right that leads back towards Stantyway Farm, ignore this path and carry on down towards Otterton. You’ll soon leave the fields behind and be greeted with houses and cottages as you descend into Otterton. If you parked on Maunder’s Hill, carry on walking down this road and you’ll soon be back to where you started. You’ll also see St Michael’s church on the left. If you don’t know Otterton very well, then be sure to visit The King’s Arms pub and Otterton Mill for a drink or cream tea. I do this walk a lot, but tend to mix it up a little bit each time, by taking a different path, or walking along the river towards Budleigh Salterton or Colaton Raleigh, all these paths are clearly signed for those of you unfamiliar with the area, so give it a go and enjoy exploring Otterton.

Views of Ladram Bay and the Jurassic Coast.

River Otter walk to Bicton Obelisk and Church.

Otterton to Ladram Bay Stroll