Walk Wednesday - Old Railway Path and Grand Western Canal

The route follows the old railway trackbed out of Tiverton before heading up onto the Grand Western Canal for the return stretch, around 3.5 miles in total, though there are several points where you can join or leave the canal path, making it as long or as short as suits you.

What makes Tiverton`s canal a little special is its position, the basin sits above the town, giving you lovely views across Tiverton and the surrounding countryside, with Knightshayes visible on a neighbouring hill in the distance. Time it right and you might find yourself stepping aside for a shire horse on the towpath, pulling the Tivertonian barge towards the basin. Worth keeping dogs on the lead on this stretch for exactly that reason.

🐾 Dog friendly: Yes
📍 Grand Western Canal, Tiverton

#WalkWednesday #VisitMidDevon #MidDevon #Devon #GrandWesternCanal #Tiverton #TivertonDevon #CanalWalks #DevonWalks #OutdoorDevon #DogWalkingDevon

Walk Wednesday - Exe Valley Way Stage 5: Tiverton to Bickleigh

From Tiverton, the route takes you quickly out into the countryside and onto wooded paths with the River Exe meandering beside you, with ferns, open fields, and that particular calm that comes from walking with the sound of water alongside you.

Once you arrive in Bickleigh you can head over the iconic Bickleigh Bridge to the Fisherman`s Cot, where the garden looks out across the water and herons are regular visitors. Dogs welcome in the bar area and outside.

The return couldn`t be easier, a Stagecoach bus runs straight back into Tiverton. Dogs allowed at the driver`s discretion on a lead.

🔗 Full route details on the Visit Mid Devon website https://visitmiddevon.co.uk/walking_route/exe-valley-way-stage-5-bickleigh-to-tiverton/
🐾 Dog friendly: Yes
📍 Tiverton to Bickleigh, Exe Valley Way Stage 5

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#WalkWednesday Blackborough Woods, near Kentisbeare

The kind of woodland walk where you can genuinely just... wander.
Blackborough Woods near Kentisbeare isn`t just a single path from A to B, it`s a network of routes through varied woodland that lets you roam at your own pace, double back, take the interesting-looking fork, and generally explore without any particular agenda. Quiet, unhurried, and almost entirely disconnected from the outside world once you`re in amongst the trees.

The woods have a real sense of life to them, birdsong throughout, mossy logs and fallen timber that clearly shelter all manner of wildlife, pine and fir cones underfoot, and the occasional gap in the canopy offering a glimpse of the Devon countryside beyond.

Worth knowing: even the journey there is lovely, winding through tree-lined avenues and pretty villages. Or if you fancy earning it, there`s a classic Devon climb up from Blackborough by bike.

🐾 Dog friendly: Yes
📍 Blackborough Woods, near Kentisbeare, Mid Devon

#WalkWednesday #VisitMidDevon #MidDevon #Devon #BlackboroughWoods #Kentisbeare #WoodlandWalks #DevonWalks #OutdoorDevon #CyclingDevon #HiddenDevon #DogWalkingDevon

#WalkWednesday - A National Trust visit that gives you two walks for the price of one.

The gardens at Knightshayes are looking beautiful right now, lots of colour, winding paths, open lawns and quiet corners to find at your own pace. Plenty of benches to stop and take in the day, and views back across Tiverton from in front of the Victorian Gothic house that are worth the trip alone.

Then just across the car park, the Impey Woods offer something wilder, meandering paths through mixed woodland, that lovely smell of trees and earth, and everything in that fresh, almost electric shade of new green that only lasts a few weeks.

Two very different experiences, one very good day out.

🐾 Dog friendly: Yes (on a short lead in the gardens, no dogs in the house)
📍 Knightshayes, near Tiverton

#WalkWednesday #VisitMidDevon #MidDevon #Devon #Knightshayes #ImpeyWoods #NationalTrust #NationalTrustDevon #DevonWalks #SpringGardens #WoodlandWalks #OutdoorDevon #DogWalkingDevon

#WalkWednesday Culmstock Beacon - A walk that earns its views!

The route meanders up through pretty woodland, bluebells lining the path at this time of year, before opening out onto the open expanse of the Blackdown Hills.

At the heart of it all is the beacon itself, Elizabethan, and once part of a network of signal fires stretching across the country. Stand next to it and look out across the Culm Valley and it`s not hard to imagine the watchmen waiting for news of the Spanish Armada.

Wander on through more woodland, across open grassland, and keep an eye out for the ponies that roam freely up here. If you`re starting from Culmstock village itself, you`ll have the added incentive of the Culm Valley Inn waiting at the end.

🐾 Dog friendly: Yes - please keep on lead during spring and summer to protect ground-nesting birds
🥾 Terrain: Woodland and open moorland, some incline
📍 Culmstock Beacon, Blackdown Hills

#WalkWednesday #VisitMidDevon #MidDevon #Devon #CulmstockBeacon #BlackdownHills #CulmValley #DevonWalks #OutdoorDevon #WoodlandWalks #BluebelSeason #HistoricDevon #DogWalkingDevon

Walk Wednesday - Hembury Hillfort
Some places have a weight to them that`s hard to explain until you`re standing in it.

Hembury Hillfort rewards you on more than one level. Ancient woodland to walk through - moss-covered trees, winding paths, bluebells underfoot - before the trees open out onto the open grassland of the hillfort itself, where the earthworks are still readable in the landscape and the views sweep out across the Devon countryside below.

Cross to the other side of the road and the woodland shifts completely; pine trees and that deep, resinous smell that feels like a proper lungful of fresh air. Birdsong throughout.

History, landscape, and somewhere genuinely beautiful to explore

🐾 Dog friendly: Yes
🥾 Terrain: Woodland paths, can be uneven

📍 Hembury Hillfort, near Broadhembury, Devon

#WalkWednesday #VisitMidDevon #MidDevon #Devon #HemburyHillfort #AncientWoodland #DevonWalks #WoodlandWalks #BluebelSeason #HistoricDevon #OutdoorDevon #DogWalkingDevo

If you`ve only ever walked the busier stretches of the Grand Western Canal, the stretch from Burlescombe heading to the end of the canal at Lowdwells Lock is worth seeking out.

It`s quieter out here, genuinely peaceful, and in places the tree canopy closes in overhead and gives the whole thing a slightly otherworldly feel. In a good way. The kind of walk where you find yourself slowing down without really meaning to.

Added interest comes from the Waytown Tunnel and the old lime kilns along the route, which give a real sense of what the canal was once used for and the working life it once had. Completely flat, brilliant for birdwatching, and very dog friendly, though boots advised in wetter weather.

🥾 Terrain: Flat, can be muddy
🐾 Dog friendly: Yes
📍 Grand Western Canal, from Burlescombe
🐦 Look out for: Kingfishers, herons, moorhens

#WalkWednesday #VisitMidDevon #MidDevon #Devon #GrandWesternCanal #Burlescombe #CanalWalks #DevonWalks #DogWalkingDevon #HiddenDevon #OutdoorDevon

@grandwesterncanalcountrypark

Discover one of Devon’s most celebrated food experiences with a behind‑the‑scenes tour at Quicke`s Home Farm. Explore the world of traditional clothbound cheddar, meet the expert cheesemakers and enjoy a delicious locally sourced lunch—perfect for food lovers, day‑trippers and cheese enthusiasts.

https://www.visitmiddevon.co.uk/events/quickes-cheese-tour-lunch-experience/

#foodexperience #cheesetour #localproducer #crediton

Sometimes the best walks are the ones that ask nothing of you except to show up. 🌲

Ashclyst Forest on the Killerton Estate is that kind of place. Waymarked trails mean you can fit the walk to your day... longer if you`ve got the time and energy, shorter if you just need some air. The woodland paths are peaceful and properly immersive, with the occasional clearing opening up to wide views across the surrounding countryside that catch you a little off guard in the best way.

It`s muddy underfoot right now and the terrain is uneven, so good boots are a must, but that`s all part of it. Brilliant for dogs, brilliant for clearing your head.

🥾 Wear: Sturdy boots, layers
🐾 Dog friendly: Yes
📍 Ashclyst Forest, Killerton Estate,

#WalkWednesday #VisitMidDevon #MidDevon #Devon #AshclystForest #Killerton #NationalTrust #WoodlandWalks #DevonWalks #DogWalkingDevon #OutdoorDevon #WalkingDevon

@ntkillerton

#WalkWednesday - Grand Western Canal: The Quiet Stretch from Ayshford 🦢🚶‍♀️

Fancy a peaceful canal-side stroll away from the busier Tiverton Basin? Park up at Ayshford and wander towards Burlescombe for a lovely stretch of towpath with beautiful countryside views.

What to expect: Swans gliding past, moorhens bobbing along the water`s edge, and plenty of birds flitting through the trees - keep your eyes peeled for kingfishers!

The highlight is the historic Ayshford Chapel across the water (usually only open once a year for Heritage Open Days, so this is your chance to admire it from the towpath).

Good to know:
🐕 Perfect for dog walking - flat, easy going
🚴 Great for cycling too (just remember to dismount under bridges)
♿ Level towpath makes this accessible for all ages and abilities
🦆 Wildlife spotters - bring binoculars!

A gentle, scenic walk with views across fields and water - ideal for when you want fresh air without the hills!