Six Great South Devon Walks for Autumn
There is a moment in late September when the West Country settles back into its own skin. The summer crowds have vanished, the hedgerows are heavy with sloes and blackberries, and the fierce glare of high summer softens into a honeyed, low-angled gold.
On our southern shores and river valleys, autumn does not mean battening down the hatches just yet. From the red sandstone cliffs of the Jurassic Coast to the deep wooded coombes of the South Hams and the wild fringe of western Dartmoor, South Devon offers some of the most rewarding walking in Britain.
Here are six of my favourite autumn hikes across the region—spanning coastal undercliffs, peaceful riverbanks, ancient heathlands, and stately parklands.
(If you like this post check out our other Devon Walks here)
1. The Branscombe Undercliff & Hooken Beach Circular
The greatest difference between the north and south coasts of our peninsula is sparkle. From Watchet to St Ives you rarely see it as you peer out across the grey-green expanse. But from Gwennap Head to Lyme Regis there is refraction, twinkle, and glint. The low autumn sun bounces off the water and smacks you roundly about the grinning gob until you know all is right with the world.
The coombe that leads down from Branscombe to the sea is a marvel when bathed in this autumnal light. Starting down at Branscombe Mouth, cross the ford and head up through the gate. You skirt the edge of an agreeable, higgledy-piggledy cluster of chalets perched like guillemots’ nests before plunging into the Undercliff.
East Devon is rich in these tumbled landscapes. An undercliff occurs where the mother-cliff gives up the ghost and half-heartedly plunges into the sea. Above, a chalk rampart looms; below, a baby cliffling drops to the surf; and in between lies Devon’s jungle zone—a crazy, contorted ampitheatre where nature runs riot.
Centuries ago, this was anything but wild. Fishermen who couldn't launch their boats for parts of the year turned to gardening narrow, sheltered strips of land known as "plats". They grew prized early potatoes, broad beans, and cut flowers on these frost-free terraces, carrying seaweed up the cliffs on donkeys like Edward, Jenny, and Smart to fertilise the soil. The last of the old plat-men, aptly named Cliffie, only made his final trip to Sidmouth market in 1966.
As you press towards Beer Head, the path nears Sherborne Rocks, where a route drops down to the shingle. From here, you can turn your collar against the breeze, hunt for translucent pebbles, and crunch your way back to Branscombe Mouth along Hooken Beach.
To see a full article all about a Branscombe hike check out this page
Fact File: Branscombe & Hooken Beach: Distance & Terrain: Approx. 3.5 miles; cliff path, steps, and uneven shingle beach. Start / Parking: Branscombe Mouth car park. Recommended Map: OS Explorer 115 (Exmouth & Sidmouth). Refreshments: Sea Shanty Cafe at Branscombe Mouth or the Masons Arms up in the village.
2. The Loddiswell & Primrose Line River Avon Figure-of-Eight
Having once lunched on local oysters, quail eggs, and dressed Beesands crab, I can attest that the riverine depths of the South Hams provide the perfect antidote to over-indulgence. Loddiswell hangs handsomely above steep valleys north of Kingsbridge—an honest, unspoiled village that hasn't traded its soul to become a theme-park pastoral fantasy.
Heading down Station Road brings you to the old dismantled railway line that once ran from South Brent to Kingsbridge: the legendary Primrose Line. Its elegant brick bridges cross and re-cross the Avon with arches that wouldn't look out of place in Venice.
Leaving the old station house, you enter Woodleigh Wood. The Woodland Trust now cares for much of this river corridor, where footpaths and boardwalks weave through stands of oak, ash, and hazel. You cross the river to pick up the old track, looping through Titcombe Wood on the eastern bank before returning downstream to Silveridge Wood.
The trail tracks the tumbling river past an old weir and a ruined leat before swinging uphill through open fields towards Reads Farm. It is an effortless, tranquil walk where the river glides beneath autumn canopies, reminding you that there is an entire world hidden down in these deep valleys that drivers on the A381 never even glimpse.
Fact File: Loddiswell & the River Avon: Distance & Terrain: Approx. 4.5 miles; woodland paths, old trackbed, boardwalks, and riverside pastures. Start / Parking: Loddiswell village or near the former station. Recommended Map: OS Explorer OL20 (South Devon). Refreshments: Avon Mill Garden Centre (superb tea and cake) or the local inns in Loddiswell.
3. High Peak & Mutter’s Moor from Otterton
Otterton is about as comely a village as you will find this side of Stonehenge. It featured prominently in the Domesday Book—brimming with saltmakers and millers—long before modern tourists fell in love with its thatched eaves and roadside brook.
Leaving the village behind, take the lane towards Ladram Bay. Ladram’s secluded pebble cove has a notorious smuggling pedigree. In the early 19th century, the celebrated rogue John Rattenbury of Beer regularly landed illicit kegs of brandy here, dodging excise men with varying degrees of luck.
From the bay, the route climbs steeply up the sheer red shoulder of High Peak. It is a stiff climb, but the summit commands a panoramic sweep of the English Channel. Neolithic hunter-gatherers used High Peak as a fortified base camp thousands of years ago, though much of their settlement has long since crumbled into the sea.
Continue along the coastal rampart over Peak Hill, where the vista takes in Berry Head to the west and sweeps east across Lyme Bay towards Portland Bill. Striking inland across Mutter's Moor, head through the woodland of Otterton Hill Plantation down to Pitson Farm. From there, cross the disused railway line to meet the gentle River Otter, whose tree-lined banks guide you back into Otterton.
Fact File- Otterton, High Peak & the River Otter Distance & Terrain: Approx. 7 miles; steep coastal ascent followed by moorland paths, farm tracks, and flat riverside walking. Start / Parking: Otterton village green or nearby roadside spaces. Recommended Map: OS Explorer 115 (Exmouth & Sidmouth).Refreshments: Otterton Mill (historic watermill with an exceptional bakery and cafe) or The King's Arms.
4. The Wild Heaths of Woodbury Common
Every now and then, I deliberately set out to get lost. There is an immense pleasure in leaving the map tucked in the rucksack and letting your feet wander. It was during one of these bouts of deliberate bewilderment just north of Yettington that I found myself climbing out of Crook Plantation and emerging onto the great open plateau of the East Devon Pebblebed Heaths.
In the autumn light, this vast expanse can feel startlingly vast, almost like an East African plain transplanted into the West Country. The ground underfoot is laid down with smooth, rolling quartzite cobbles—relics of ancient Triassic desert rivers that flowed across this basin hundreds of millions of years ago.
Following the high sandy tracks west, you reach Woodbury Castle, an imposing Iron Age hill fort constructed between 500 and 300 BC, defended by massive earthen banks and ditches. The commons were grazed and coppiced for centuries by local villagers; today, managed as an SSSI by Clinton Devon Estates, they form a precious haven for nightjars, Dartford warblers, and butterflies.
From the fort, loop back along the northern crest of Collaton Raleigh Common before dropping through Kettle Plantation to return to Yettington. It’s a breath of wild, upland air without ever leaving the warmth of East Devon.
Fact File: Woodbury Common & CastleDistance & Terrain: Approx. 4.5 miles; sandy heathland tracks, pebble tracks, and gentle woodland ascents. Start / Parking: Roadside parking near Yettington (OS grid ref SY 047 859) or the Woodbury Castle car park. Recommended Map: OS Explorer 115 (Exmouth & Sidmouth). Good to Know: Ground nesting birds frequent the heath; keep dogs under close control.
5. Peter Tavy, Smeardon Down & the River Tavy
There is an intriguing hinterland on the western flanks of Dartmoor where green, domestic pastures make a bold stand against the high granite wastes. The sister villages of Mary Tavy and Peter Tavy take their name from the river that powers down from the high moors—one of the fastest-flowing streams in England.
Starting at Mary Tavy's ancient church, drop down through the trees to the footbridge crossing the rushing river near the historic hydroelectric power station. From here, an old church-way leads towards Peter Tavy, passing the ivy-mantled granite stack of Longtimber Tor, which Dartmoor chronicler William Crossing likened to the keep of a ruined castle.
After stopping to admire Peter Tavy's granite cottages and churchyard, take the lane and track up beside Colley Brook into the coombe. Climbing past hidden waterfalls, the path scrambles up onto Smeardon Down and Peter Tavy Great Common.
At Boulters Tor, you reach Stephens Grave, the lonely burial place of a lovelorn 18th-century youth whose suicide prompted strange local legends of flying linen. The descent follows a stony bridleway down to Cudlipptown, before lanes and field paths lead you back to the riverside footbridge and up to Mary Tavy. It gives you the drama of Dartmoor’s high edge coupled with the shelter of deep river woodlands.
Fact File: Peter Tavy & Smeardon DownDistance & Terrain: Approx. 5 miles; rocky moorland tracks, riverside paths, steep climbs, and quiet lanes. Start / Parking: Mary Tavy Church. Recommended Map: OS Explorer OL28 (Dartmoor). Refreshments: The Peter Tavy Inn (a classic West Country moorland pub).
6. The Impey Walk at Knightshayes Court
Sometimes after being humbled by someone else's gardening prowess, a person simply needs a quiet stroll to collect their thoughts. That was certainly the case for me after inspecting the four-acre Victorian walled garden at Knightshayes Court near Tiverton—a horticultural tour de force that puts my own vegetable plot to shame.
Fortunately, the surrounding 220-acre parkland offers an easy, recharging stroll in the form of the Impey Walk. Way-marked from the rear of the car park, this gentle two-mile woodland loop plunges straight into the quiet shelter of broadleaf and coniferous trees.
The trail skirts the boundary of the historic estate, looking out across the valley towards Aller's Farm and the Town Leat. The leat has supplied Tiverton with fresh running water since 1250—a gift from Isabella, Countess of Devon, that the town mayor still formally reaffirms every seven years by walking its length.
As you curve through the woods, keep an eye out for roe deer darting among the replanted oaks and sweet chestnuts. The route leads past towering Wellingtonias, Douglas firs, and stands of original Scots pines before bringing you neatly back to the converted stable block. Here you can gaze upon William Burges’s flamboyant Gothic-Colonial manor house and take comfort in a pot of tea and a slice of cake.
Fact File: Knightshayes Impey Walk: Distance & Terrain: Just under 2 miles; well-surfaced, level woodland paths. Start / Parking: National Trust Knightshayes car park (free to members; parking fee for non-members). Recommended Map: National Trust Knightshayes Estate Map. Refreshments: The Stables Café at Knightshayes.
Whether you fancy braving the bracing sea air beneath the chalk cliffs of Beer Head or kicking through golden leaves in the Avon Valley, autumn walking in Devon has a magic that summer simply cannot match. Pull on your walking boots, pack a flask, and make the most of the season.
