Short Walks in North Devon: 5 Easy Walking Routes to Try

With some of the most varied terrain and beautiful countryside in the UK, walking breaks are always popular in North Devon. Add Exmoor National Park and the drama of the South West Coastal Path and you have even more choice of great walking routes to explore, with plenty to see and do along the way.

However, for many visitors, it is the shorter walks in North Devon that appeal most, for several reasons. Firstly, they suit all abilities and don’t demand high fitness levels or extensive planning to deliver on great scenery and fresh air. Such shorter walks that swallow up only 2 to 3 hours of time can also be fitted around other activities, or planned around the weather more easily. Hence these shorter routes also make ideal autumn and winter walks.

Here are 5 walks ideally suited for all abilities and easily combined with a day excursion. We’ve include a little fact file with each location to show other attractions and activities nearby, as well as distances and links to route maps. These are ideal starting points, but it’s also worth simply asking our staff at Northcote Manor Hotel for further places to walk and explore in the region.

Barnstaple Estuary Walk

An ideal little walk to combine with an excursion to Barnstaple, or perhaps an afternoon ramble in its own right, this easy route takes you across a pretty 3 miles or so of Tarka Trail. Leading alongside the River Taw, it delivers sea air and broad views and is a great way to take in the estuary and its wildlife. Autumn is an especially rich time to visit, with migratory birds in great diversity and numbers each year; don’t forget the binoculars and camera if wildlife is your thing!

Other things to see and do: Pop into Barnstaple for a look at the markets or a trip to The Queen’s Theatre for an evening of music, comedy or drama.
Distance: 2.9 miles