Guest Blog Post
There’s a reason so many people who visit Dartmouth end up walking more than they planned. The town pulls you along. You step out for a quick look at the harbour and somehow end up on a cliff path an hour later, completely fine with it. That’s just how Dartmouth works.
If you want to actually experience the place rather than just pass through it, walking is the way to do it. Here’s where to go and how to make the most of it.
Start in Town
The town trail is the obvious starting point and it earns its reputation. The Butterwalk, the narrow lanes behind the main drag, the stretch along Bayard’s Cove out to the small fort at the water’s edge. It’s compact enough to do in a couple of hours and there’s enough history tucked into the streets to keep you occupied the whole time.
Bayard’s Cove itself is one of those spots that doesn’t announce itself. You turn a corner and suddenly you’re on a quiet cobbled quayside with a 16th century fort sitting at the end of it. Most people walk straight past. Don’t.
From there you can follow the riverside path up towards the castle. It’s an easy walk, flat and scenic, and it sets you up nicely for the bigger routes if you want to keep going.
What to Wear on Your Feet
This is worth thinking about before you go. Dartmouth’s terrain varies a lot depending on where you’re headed. The town itself is manageable in most footwear, but the cobbled sections and the steeper lanes catch people out. Anything with a flat, grippy sole handles it better than something smooth-bottomed.
For the coastal paths you want something with a bit more structure underfoot. The cliff paths around Little Dartmouth can be uneven and muddy after rain, and some of the descents to the coves are steep enough that grip really matters.
That said, not every walk here demands hiking boots. A lot of people explore Dartmouth in sturdy casual shoes and get on absolutely fine. Vans shoes are a popular choice for this kind of mixed terrain walking – the flat vulcanised sole gives solid grip on stone and packed earth, they’re comfortable for long distances on the flat, and they handle town cobbles well. They’re not the right call for a serious coastal hike in wet conditions, but for the town trail, the castle walk, and the easier river paths they work well and they’re easy to travel with.
If you are planning to tackle the bigger routes, a proper pair of trail shoes or light hiking boots will serve you better.
The Coastal Path and Little Dartmouth
For most people, the Little Dartmouth circular is the walk that defines a trip here. It’s a four mile loop starting from the National Trust car park just outside town and it covers cliff path, coastal grassland, a couple of hidden coves, and the ruins of Gallants Bower, a Civil War fort with views in every direction.
It takes two to three hours at a comfortable pace. There are some short steep sections and the ground gets soft in wet weather, so check conditions before you go. But on a clear day it’s genuinely one of the better coastal walks in the South West.
The National Trust has a detailed route guide for the Little Dartmouth circular if you want to plan the route properly before you set off.
The Dart Valley Trail
If you want more distance, the Dart Valley Trail runs the length of the River Dart from Dartmouth up to Totnes. The full thing is around 16 miles, but most people walk a section and get the ferry or a bus back. The stretch nearest to Dartmouth, following the wooded estuary bank through Dittisham and along the creek, is the most scenic and takes around three to four hours each way.
Keep an eye out along this stretch. Herons, egrets, and kingfishers are common on the river, and if you’re lucky you might see a seal hauled out on one of the sandbanks near the estuary mouth.
A Few Practical Notes
Dartmouth has some genuinely steep hills and the signage on some of the smaller paths is minimal. Download an offline map before you head out on anything longer than the town trail. The South West Coast Path app and AllTrails both have good coverage of the area.
Most of the walks are free. Dartmouth Castle charges entry but the path around it doesn’t. The Higher and Lower Ferries across to Kingswear cost a couple of pounds and open up the Kingswear side of the estuary if you want to add a different angle to your day.
The town rewards slowness. The people who get the most out of Dartmouth on foot are the ones who aren’t trying to tick off every walk on a list but just wander and see where the paths lead. There’s almost always something worth stopping for.
” Sponsored”
