Belstone Cleave and the Tors Pub

Belstone Cleave in early autumn - beautiful even if it's raining. Here's what Muttley thought in October 2009...





"It was one of those days - the humans weren't all that keen, but I asked in a nice high-pitched dog voice and they agreed. Don't know why they were relunctant - it stopped raining as soon as the walk took us to a bridge and ford. It's the River Taw here, though it's only a stream. There were loads of autumn berries on the trees, lichen dripping off everything - damp climate up on Dartmoor - one of the wettest in Devon. I got to sniff around in the bracken and fetch sticks. They played pooh sticks on the bridge and splashed in puddles. We all walked down the valley, alongside the river. We could have made it all the way to Sticklepath, another Devon village with a dog-friendly pub. But some of the shorter legs didn't want to walk that far.



I didn't meet any other dogs today, except when we got back. There were a couple of dogs and walkers in the pub where we had lunch - The Tors. The humans at the bar perked up when they read a notice about 50 different kinds of whiskers - you'd have thought one would be enough for anyone - dog or human. And I tell you, it looked more like what I leave behind on lamposts...

Good walk though, and the sun came out in the afternoon. I sniffed the circular walls of the old pound in Belstone village, where stray dogs used to wait for their owners - but that must have been before they turned it into a garden. No scents now - just flowers. There was a tree in the middle. I tried to sign it but to be honest I'd exhausted supplies by then. The humans tried out the ancient stocks - talking about rotten eggs. I thought it was only dogs that liked those sorts of smells, but apparently not..."


Belstone is about 13 miles from the cottage and lodges. Park in the carpark at the edge of the village. This is an out and back Devon dog walk along the beginnings of the River Taw, but you don't have to retrace your steps exactly - you're in open access country on the edge of Dartmoor. OS Explorer map 113 or OL28. Watch out for livestock.

The Tors Hotel, Belstone, NR Okehampton, Devon, EX20 1QZ
01837 840689.


View Belstone Cleave to Sticklepath in a larger map

Kayaking on the Torridge, at Bideford

Try kayaking on the River Torridge at Bideford. You can hire sturdy kayaks suitable for beginners from Bideford Bicycle Hire and enjoy this part of North Devon's Biosphere Reserve from a completely different perspective.





Paddle yourself beneath Bideford's famous Long Bridge or head up stream past saltmarsh and reedbeds towards the iron bridge at Landcross to see this part of North Devon from a 'Tarka the otter' viewpoint!

This is a day out you can do without the car - take the 315 bus from Winkleigh to Bideford (enjoy the fabulous views from the top of the double decker) and get off at the Quay.

You can also combine kayaking with walking or cycling on the Tarka Trail - see Puffing Billy to Bideford on the Tarka Trail.

If you need refreshment, there's a cafe in an old railway carriage and what was once Bideford Station - now a waypoint on the Tarka Trail. In Bideford itself you'll find an art gallery (in the park at the far end of the Quay, and plenty of shops and cafes.



The hire shop is easy to find. From the bus stop or by car, cross over Bideford Long Bridge and find Torrington Street just around to your right. There's limited and charged parking here - more the other side of the river in the big pay and display car park. If you've been walking or biking on the Tarka Trail you'll spot the shop and steps down to it.


Prices (in 2008) were £10 for the first hour, then £5 per further hour.




Bideford is about 20 miles from our Devon ecolodges and self catering cottage







Bideford bicycle hire webpage.
01237 424123
Torrington Street,
East The Water,
Bideford EX39 4DR

Exeter galleries, cathedral and tours

In the city of Exeter you can visit galleries, take a guided tour, admire the Cathedral or just relax in a coffee bar.






If you feel the need to return to urban life for a day, Exeter is a good bet for a spot of culture. And if you want to be green you can take the train on the picturesque Tarka Line - Eggesford Station is only about 4 miles away. All the trains have to stop here - a condition imposed when the land for the station was originally sold by the Earl of Portsmouth's estate.

Stay on the train until you get to Exeter Central (not Exeter St David's). Coming out of the station turn left, and almost immediately you'll pass the Royal Albert Memorial Museum's main building. It's closed for redevelopment until March 2010, but much of its offerings have been rehoused in the library and around the city. To get to RAMM in the library, take the 3rd left after the station, walk about 100m until you see the library / council buildings. You won't miss them - they look just like council buildings! Check their website or ring 01392 421252 for more about what's on...

But if you take the second left, just up from the end of Gandy Street you'll come across the Exeter Phoenix gallery.
Entrance to the gallery is free, and there are regular workshops - check their website or ring 01392 667080 to find out what's on. You never know who you might meet....











If you've got kids and it's wet, the gallery may be a welcome distraction, and there should be something to occupy them. The cafe is also family friendly, and does local food.



Coming back out of the gallery, go down the hill and turn left into Gandy Street - lots of boutiques, cafes etc, and if you keep going you'll hit the high street. If you want to see the Cathedral, turn right in the high street, then turn left when you see the signposts.

You can also join a guided tour of historial Exeter. The Exeter City Council run several, covering, ghosts, murder and mayhem, the Cathedral, the custom's house and many more. Check out their website a full list and timetables.






Exeter is about 35 miles from our ecolodges and cottage - but it's perfectly green if you go on the train or bus!

These venues sometimes have events that we list on our diary pages.

Puffing Billy to Yarde Cafe

The Tarka Trail between Puffing Billy pub and Yarde Cafe is a lovely woodland walk or cycle crossing the Torridge and passing several benches for the trail as part of Sustran's Art in the Travelling Landscape initiative.





While the surface isn't as good as other parts of the trail it's still fairly easy going. Bear in mind you're following the Torridge upstream now, so that means gently uphill almost all the way, but a much easier coast back once you've had a coffee and cake at the cafe!

Getting there:
Either drive or take the 315 bus from Winkleigh to the Puffing Billy stop just the far side of Great Torrington. Puffing Billy is the name of the pub here, once the station buildings. Cycling is a good option because there's no bus back from Yarde to Winkleigh. If you don't have your own bikes, you can hire some from Torrington Cycle Hire, just opposite the pub (01805 281461).


From here to Yarde Cafe is about 4 miles. Whether walking or cycling, set off leaving the pub behind you and passing under an archway. You'll soon come to a bridge over the Torridge. If you're there really early and it's quiet you may see an otter. In the evening, bats hunt for moths along the river banks here.



Along this stretch of the trail there is a series of 3 benches comissioned as part of Sustran's Art in the Travelling Landscape initiative. The 'courtship bench' will make you smile even if the 'bereavement bench' seems a bit morbid...








The cafe was shortlisted for the 2008 sustainable tourism category in the Devon Environmental Business Initiative's annual awards. It is normally open everyday 10.00am to 5.00pm during July and August, bank holiday weekends and during half term weeks. Outside the summer season, weather permitting, the cafe is open on Saturdays and Sundays - and sometimes other days if fine! Telephone 01805 624007 or 07972786306 to check.

Puffing Billy to Bideford on the Tarka Trail

This gently down-hill walk or ride crosses the Torridge at Beam Weir, made famous in Henry Williamson's book Tarka the Otter, before meandering along the valley, through a long tunnel, across another bridge and into the former station at Bideford, where there's a cafe in an old railway carriage. Cross Bideford's famous long Bridge and come back on the bus...

Getting there:
Either drive or take the 315 bus from Winkleigh to the Puffing Billy stop just the far side of Great Torrington. Puffing Billy is the name of the pub here, once the station buildings. If you walk you can get the bus back. If you want to cycle you'll have to go out and back again. If you don't have your own bikes, you can hire some from Torrington Cycle Hire, just opposite the pub (01805 281461).


From here to Bideford is about 5 miles. Whether walking or cycling, set off passing in front of the pub on the tarmac path that was once the railway track. You'll soon come to the bridge at Beam Weir. If you're there really early and it's quiet you may see an otter. In the evening, bats hunt for moths along the river bank.

A bit further and you'll come to a wooden bench, one of 30 pieces of art comissioned for the trail as part of Sustran's Art in the Travelling Landscape initiative.

Near hear you can detour into the woods on a permissive path that takes you to Weare Giffard, but apart from a bit of exploring I think I'd stick to the trail.

You'll go through a tunnel, then down to Landcross (had enough? you're close to the bus route again here - just come off the trail and cross over the Torridge on the road bridge. A few metres on the bus stop is on the corner)


You'll cross the Torridge again over a bridge where people often fish the tidal waters, than pass close to saltmarsh and a reedbed as you approach Bideford. The trail takes you right to the old station, where there's a cafe in an old carriage. If that's not open, the is a pub close by and plenty of other cafes etc over Bideford Long Bridge in the town itself.





If you walked, you can catch the 315 bus back from Bideford Quay - just cross the bridge, turn right and you'll find the bus stops.

Puffing Billy is about 17 miles from our lodges and cottage, but if you take the bus your day out starts a mile and a half away at the Winkleigh Bus stop. If you're car-less and have young children with you we can sometimes run you down there.

Barnstaple to Fremington on the Tarka Trail

Walk or cycle from Barnstaple to Fremington Quay on the Tarka Trail, and enjoy an ice cream at the cafe and museum. You get fabulous views out over the mouth of the Taw River, see beautiful butterflies and flowers in summer, enjoy easy walking and a lovely cafe at the end.



You can hire bikes at Barnstaple Station or at Fremington, and this level tarmac path is ideal for children. The down side is that nobody seems to do one way cycle hire so you'll have to retrace your steps. The alternative is to walk and get the bus back home from Fremington or even Instow.

I recommend getting there by bus (train or car also possible). Tickets are really reasonable and you get a unique view of the North Devon countryside from the top of a double decker. Catch the 315 from Winkleigh and get off at Sticklepath Hill just before you come down to the roundabout at the edge of Barnstaple (ask the driver). Get an all day ticket if you plan to come back from Fremington (approx £3 per adult in summer 08) . Cross over the road, head down the hill and down a side street to footpaths under the main road. Follow the signs for the Tarka Trail and enjoy the scenery. You're following the path of the old railway line that served Fremington Quay.

Fremington Quay was once the busiest port between Bristol and Lands End. Now it's a cafe and has fascinating displays and photographs from times gone by, incluidng pennyfarthing and other early bicycles (suspended from the ceiling).



The cafe is open most days in the summer, most weekends in the winter, and closed most Mondays. Ring them on 01271 378783 to be sure.








You have to walk up to the main road to get the bus back - ask us and we'll show you on the map and describe the bus stop.

But why stop there? Why not go on and walk around Home Marsh Farm, or follow the South West Coast Path for a stretch before rejoining the Tarka Trail in Instow (also on the 315 bus route)?

Barnstaple is about 25 miles from us, and Fremington about 22. The last bus back is usually about 16:20 - but please check. There should be an up to date timetable in your accommodation.

RHS Rosemoor

RHS Rosemoor is just 11 miles from our cottage and lodges, and makes a relaxing day out, or you can combine it with other attractions in nearby Torrington (walks, Dartington crystal, Torrington 1646, The Plough Arts Centre). You can get there by bus from Winkleigh - the 315 service stops right at the gate.

See formal and rose gardens, a potager, the vegetable plot, a foliage and a plantsman's garden, and even a winter garden.


Open every day of the year except Christmas day. Hours are 10:00 until 17:00 from September to March and 10:00 until 18:00 in the summer months. Last admission one hour before closing. There's a cafe, shop, loos etc.




Free to RHS members, otherwise adults cost £6, kids under 6 go free, ages 6-16 cost £2.

Guide dogs only

We liked the vegetable garden best!

Rosemoor often has events - check out our diary pages for details..