West Devon Way

The northern half of the West Devon Way, some 30 km, links Okehampton with Tavistock, the two principal towns of West Devon. This is a walk of considerable beauty and diversity that takes in moorland, woods, riverside, meadows, ancient villages and byways. The route runs parallel to the old London and South Western Railway, which once upon a time thundered to the sound of Waterloo-plymouth expresses. Unused for thirty years, there are still many emotive reminders in the form of strangely silent bridges and viaducts.

The southern part of the route runs onwards a further 30 km to the eastern outskirts of Plymouth at Hooe Lake, and gives stunning views of southwestern Dartmoor and its wooded valleys. From Plymouth there are connections on to the South West Coast Path, to the Tamar Valley Discovery Trail and, via the Erme-Plym Trail, to the Two Moors Way. At Okehampton the West Devon Way links with the Two Castles Trail, thus creating a continuous walk from Launceston to Plymouth and a choice of onwards destinations if you have the time, energy and inclination.

For walkers with a less ambitious objectives the excellent public transport opportunities along the route make short day walks easy to arrange. The southern part of the Way is paralleled by frequent Western National bus services between Plymouth and Tavistock and there are similar services running parallel to the route between Tavistock and Okehampton.

The West Devon Way is often walked in the opposite direction, starting from Plymouth, and the guide book provides route finding instructions in both directions.

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