Devon County Council

Be a green visitor

• Do not disturb any livestock, keep your dog under close control and fasten all gates.
• Take your litter home and recycle if possible.
• Do not disturb wild animals, birds or flowers.
• Whether you are walking, cycling or driving, take special care on country roads.
• If possible, leave your car at home and take the bus or train.
• Buy locally produced goods, including food and souvenirs.
• Support local shops, garages and other local services.

Leave your car behind

More and more people are realising that taking the bus or train is an easy, convenient, fun alternative to worrying about long car journeys, driving along narrow lanes, leaving vehicles in isolated spots or finding parking in congested tourist "honey-pots". Let the bus or train take the strain, while you relax and enjoy the scenery instead of keeping your eye on the road or the car ahead. In addition, you will be reducing congestion and pollution in sensitive areas and supporting a local service. Special Rover Tickets can be obtained in some cases.

Rail services
Great Western and Virgin Cross Country run intercity services to Devon, and along its main lines, so why not start your holiday from home by train? Connections can be made from these services to a variety of the Trails, including the South West Coast Path, Two Moors Way and West Devon Way. South West Trains also operate between Waterloo and Exeter for access to Trails in East Devon.

There are also attractive branch lines in Devon, operated by Wales and West Passenger Trains Ltd, which link with the main line routes. These include the popular Tarka Line, which not only gives access to several Trails in northern Devon, but is actually used as part of the Tarka Trail walking route; the Tamar Valley Line, an important element of the Tamar Valley Discovery Trail; and the Exmouth branch for the East Devon Way and the East Devon section of the South West Coast Path.

On summer Sundays the Dartmoor Line gives access from Exeter to Okehampton and the many Trails in this area.

Also at Okehampton the "Dartmoor Pony" which operates from Okehampton Station to the nearby Meldon Quarry and Viaduct. This is an invaluable link for walkers, as well as giving access for the less mobile to a spectacularly scenic area.

Further information

• National Rail Enquiries: 08457 484950
• Traveline
• Dartmoor Pony rail Enquiry Line: 01837 55667

National Express
It is also possible to reach Devon by road via National Express coaches, which serve a number of destinations in North and South Devon.

Further information

• National Express Enquiry Line: 08705 808080

Using the bus & train when you are here

Not only do rail services give access to Devon on a nationwide basis, and to several of the individual Trails, but they can also be valuable when actually using the Trails. The Tarka Trail uses part of the Tarka Line as an integral part of the route - it allows you to see locations in the Tarka story impossible to reach by any other means, and the Tamar Valley Line provides the only means of following the Discovery Trail across the Tamar, when the seasonal and tidal ferry is not operating.

Where they run parallel, rail services can also be used to walk stretches of some of the Trails and return you to your starting point. Again, the Tamar Valley Line is very useful when walking lengths of the Discovery Trail; parts of the East Devon Way and the South West Coast Path in South Devon can also be walked in conjunction with trains in this way.

The "Dartmoor Pony" service forms a scenic link as part of the West Devon Way, Two Castles Trail and Dartmoor Way, as well as access to a variety of local circular walks.

Further information

• National Rail Enquiries: 08457 484950
• Dartmoor Pony rail Enquiry Line: 01837 55667

Devon has an extensive network of local bus services, operated by First and Stagecoach Devon, which can be used to give access to all the Trails. In addition, a number of the Trails have bus routes running parallel to all or part of their lengths, allowing great flexibility on your starting and finishing points and giving opportunities to use one accommodation base rather than moving on every day.

The detailed information on some of the Trails divides them into shorter lengths, deliberately designed to give bus access at both ends to help you plan your walk. The West Devon Way, Tamar Valley Discovery Trail, Two Castles Trail and Exe Valley Way are divided in this way. Other Trails which lend themselves to this kind of use include the Erme-Plym Trail and certain lengths of the South West Coast Path, the Tarka Trail and East Devon Way. The Dart Valley Trail can be used not only in conjunction with bus, but also ferry or private steam railway.

Further information

• For all timetable enquiries in South West England call traveline on 0870 608 2 608
• For DevonBus publications call DevonBus 01392 382800 or visit the DevonBus Website

Where to eat?

There are plenty of rural pubs, riverside taverns, seaside cafes and tea shops, all serving delicious home-made snacks and meals along each trail. But remember, some of the trails do include some fairly lengthy stretches where no facilities will be found. Make sure you do your homework and get supplies from a village shop in advance if necessary.

Remember also that by using all these local facilities you are helping to keep them viable, to the benefit of other walkers and also of the local community.

Where to stay?

Accommodation is provided by establishments who know the requirements of walkers, and who are conveniently placed for their particular Trail. Elsewhere there is a range of accommodation, from friendly seaside or farmhouse B&Bs, through self-catering cottages right up to splendid 5-star hotels. And for walkers travelling light, there are plenty of welcoming inns, youth hostels, accommodation barns and camp sites along the way

Need more information or want to make a booking?

Call the Devon Holiday Line on 0870 60 85 531(calls are charged at UK national rates) for information on attractions, activities and events, saleable maps and for other helpful information and advice.

If you prefer e-mail us at: tourism@devon.gov.uk

Or visit our website at www.devon4allseasons.co.uk

Our friendly team can also make a booking on your behalf.

The Camping Barn Network provides an excellent accommodation base for exploring the Exmoor, Dartmoor and Tarka Trail areas. The barns, or "stone tents", provide simple, inexpensive accommodation for small groups or individuals. They have been chosen to give good access to spectacular country and have been converted with care to retain their original character.

Camping barns can provide convenient overnight stops on various long-distance trails. Higher Cadham is on the Tarka Trail, as is Sticklepath; the latter is also on the Dartmoor Way and on the Taw-Teign Link to the Two Moors Way. Chenson is close to the Tarka Trail and the Little Dart Ridge and Valley Walk, Great Houndtor is close to the Dartmoor Way, while Lopwell is right on the Tamar Valley Discovery Trail and Northcombe is very close to the Exe Valley Way.

Other attractions near the trails

The Trails also make a good means of exploring other attractions nearby. Use the bus network, or it is possible in some cases to use the footpath system to access a variety of Devon's highlights.

The Trails can be used to explore -

• Devon's historic cities
  Plymouth with its maritime associations and National Marine Aquarium (South West Coast Path, Tamar Valley Discovery Trail, West Devon Way, Erme-Plym Trail) and Exeter with its cathedral and wealth of architecture and history, from medieval to modern (Exe Valley Way).

• National Trust properties
  Including Castle Drogo (Two Moors Way), Saltram House (West Devon Way) and Knightshayes (Exe Valley Way).

• Historic towns
  Such as Totnes and its walls and Guildhall (Dart Valley Trail), Barnstaple with its market and Butchers Row (South West Coast Path and Tarka Trail), Regency Sidmouth (South West Coast Path) or the old abbey towns of Tavistock (West Devon Way or Dartmoor Way) and Buckfastleigh (Dartmoor Way).

• Other noteworthy places
  For example Braunton Great Field, one of the few examples remaining in England of a medieval strip field (South West Coast Path or Tarka Trail), Berry Pomeroy Castle, said to be Devon's most haunted building (Dart Valley Trail), and other historic castles as at Okehampton (West Devon Way, Two Castles Trail and Dartmoor Way), Totnes (Dart Valley Trail) and Dartmouth (South West Coast Path and Dart Valley Trail).