Devon County Council

Everyone is familiar with the scenic railway line between Exeter and Plymouth.  This is the old Great Western Railway route, pioneered by Brunel, which skirts the southern side of Dartmoor.  Less well known is the fact that there used to be an alternative main line route to Plymouth around the northern edge of Dartmoor.

This was built as part of the London and South Western Railway during the latter half of the 19th century.  Passing through Crediton, Okehampton and Tavistock, it also served as the access to the North Cornwall lines to Padstow and Bude, which left the main line near Okehampton.

The London and South Western became part of the Southern Railway in the 1920s, and until the 1960s the Southern line to Plymouth offered as good a service as the GWR line.  However, the Beeching reviews concluded that it was no longer needed and the line was demolished beyond Okehampton in 1968.   Passenger services continued from Exeter to Okehampton until 1972, but after that the line was only retained for stone trains from Meldon Quarry, just west of Okehampton.

In the second half of the 1990s a new company was set up, Dartmoor Railway, to investigate further use of the railway to Okehampton.  A partnership of the private and public sectors has now established a passenger service between Exeter and Okehampton on summer Sundays.   In addition, weekend services are run throughout the year, together with most weekdays in July, August and September, between Okehampton and Meldon.  In 2004 Dartmoor Railway started services to the newly renovated Sampford Courtenay station, the next station east of Okehampton.

Our walk makes use of this new opportunity of taking the train from Okehampton to Sampford Courtenay, following an extended route back to Okehampton over the edge of Dartmoor.  It follows for a short way the line of the new Devonshire Heartland Way long-distance walk linking the Exe Valley and Okehampton.  Around the edge of Dartmoor it uses the line of the Tarka Trail, the long figure-of-eight walk linking Okehampton with North Devon.

Fact File

Okehampton is the walk’s starting point, the train being taken from Okehampton Station to Sampford Courtenay.  Buses serve the station on summer Sundays, otherwise they go to the town centre from where the station is signposted.  Buses link Okehampton with Exeter, Plymouth, North Devon and many locations on north Dartmoor.   For timetable details contact Traveline on 0870 608 2 608 or visit www.traveline.org.uk.   Trains provided by Dartmoor Railway link Exeter with Sampford Courtenay and Okehampton Stations on summer Sundays.  For timetable details telephone 01837 55667 or visit  www.dartmoorrailway.co.uk; details of trains between Okehampton and Sampford Courtenay are also available here.  There is also plentiful car parking at Okehampton Station. Walk Length: 7 miles/11km; 4 stiles; one climb of 230ft/70m. Facilities: Okehampton has all facilities; there are toilets and a café at Okehampton Station; Belstone has a pub.

The Walk

Take the Dartmoor Railway train from Okehampton Station and alight at Sampford Courtenay.

Okehampton Station was extensively renovated in the late 1990s and now superbly represents the appearance of a Southern Railway station in the 1950s.  It includes a station buffet.  Sampford Courtenay station was renovated 2003-04 and reopened in 2004.  This small station was originally called Okehampton Road, and then Belstone Corner, before taking the name Sampford Courtenay, although it is some 1.5 miles/2.5km from that village.

Leave Sampford Courtenay station and turn right. [Be careful on this short stretch of road.]  Cross the railway bridge and turn right at the junction, signed to Belstone and Sticklepath.

If you are interested in visiting Sampford Courtenay village, take the road opposite the station entrance and follow it for 1.5 miles/2.5km.  Sampford Courtenay is a very attractive village and has a pub.

Follow the lane towards Belstone.

After about 0.5 mile /1km, the lane is joined by the Devonshire Heartland Way, coming in on a public footpath on the left.  This route, waymarked with a spindle berry flower, links the Exe Valley with Okehampton.

Continue along the lane.

Dartmoor becomes clearly visible ahead, the great dome of Cosdon Hill especially prominent.  Further to the right is the more rugged outline of Belstone Tor.

After a further 0.5mile/1km the lane reaches the junction of Church Hill Cross.

The Devonshire Heartland Way, taking its more direct route to Okehampton, turns right here, and if you wish to follow this shorter route back to Okehampton station, keep following the spindle berry flower.

Our route continues on the lane ahead.  At the next junction, Crossways Cross, keep to the main lane, bearing slightly left, still signed to Belstone and Sticklepath.

The noise of traffic has been becoming more noticeable for a little while now, and soon the main A30 road between Exeter and Okehampton comes into view.  This stretch of the road forms part of the Sticklepath by-pass.

The lane crosses the A30 and arrives at a junction with the earlier main road.  Go straight across, signed to Belstone.  Look out for a South West Water pumping station to the right with a public footpath sign to Lower Priestacott.  Cross the stile here and head over the field to the obvious gap in the hedge.  Pass through and bear slightly right, to the gate.  Now head for a stile to the right of the gate opposite, which leads to a lane.  Turn left along this lane.

Lower Priestacott farm here may well have origins dating back to the 16th century.  It is a former Dartmoor longhouse, where one end would have been inhabited by a farming family, the other end by livestock.

Look out for a public footpath sign on the left after about a hundred yards/metres, signed to Belstone.  Follow the path through woodland and over a stream.  Shortly after crossing the stream the path forks.  Take the left, slightly less obvious, branch which soon leads to a small ladder stile.  Cross this then keep along the edge of two fields, stream to the right.  The path then bears to the left along the left-hand edge of two more fields to a green lane.  This leads to a gate to the road at the common land at Belstone.  Go to the road and turn right into the village.

Belstone was “discovered ” as a romantic location during the Victorian era, which accounts for the typical Victorian buildings.  It occupies a very scenic location, best appreciated by turning left at the Tors Inn to the green and the end of the dramatic feature of Belstone Cleave, where the River Taw cuts a deep cleft in the moorland edge.

At this point our route meets the Tarka Trail, which comes to the village from Belstone Cleave.  You may notice some otter pawprint waymarks for the Trail here and there.

Return to the main road through the village and pass the telephone box [notice the Telegraph Office!].  Bear left uphill here along the “no through road”.  This climbs steeply to a moor gate.  Go through onto the track ahead.

As the track continues to rise, incredibly wide views over a vast area of Devon open up on the right.  On the left is the open moorland of Watchet Hill, with Belstone Tor now quite close.

Keep to the main track as it descends to the valley ahead – this is the East Okement River.  Towards the bottom of the slope keep an eye open for a clear path leaving on the right and doubling back. Follow this path.

There are more superb views here, over the East Okement valley and again over a wide area of Devon ahead.

Follow this path until there is a junction with a grassy path going left and downhill and doubling back.  If you look closely at the stone opposite this path you will see an engraved otter pawprint.  Turn left down this path into the valley.  At the bottom cross the footbridge over the East Okement and turn right.

The East Okement rises on the boggy moorland of north Dartmoor and flows north off the moor to meet the West Okement at Okehampton.  The combined River Okement continues north to become a major tributary of the River Torridge, finally meeting the sea near Bideford.

Keep to the riverside path, ignoring signs to the left.

This is a wonderfully attractive section, the river tumbling over rocks, with rapids and small waterfalls.   But be aware that the path is quite rocky in places and can be slippery when wet.  Take great care over this length.

Eventually, the noise of traffic is heard again and the path passes under the A30 viaduct at Fatherford.  Go through a gate and under the stone railway viaduct beyond, signed to Station Road.

The Devonshire Heartland Way joins us again here, and the spindle berry flower reappears on waymarks, while the Tarka Trail leaves us to head for the town centre.

Go through another gate and follow the track over meadowland and then uphill through Tramlines Wood.

The name of the wood, and the origin of the path we are walking, derives from tracks laid during the building of Fatherford railway viaduct in the 1870s.

At the top bear left up the steps opposite the house [signed to Station Visitor Centre].  This leads to the main forecourt of Okehampton Station.

Further Information

An information pack on the Tarka Trail is available from local Tourist Information Centres, price £2.  There is also a free guide booklet to the Devonshire Heartland Way.  Alternatively, these may be obtained from the Discover Devon Holiday Line, Westacott Road, Barnstaple, EX32 8AW, telephone 0870 608 5531; the Tarka Trail pack is £3.50 including p and p – quote reference DP102 and make cheques payable to Devon County Council; the Devonshire Heartland Way booklet is free – quote reference DP04. For information on the wider network of walking routes in Devon obtain the free leaflet “Discover Devon – Walking” from local Tourist Information Centres or the address above. You may also visit the website www.discoverdevon.com which has all the information and an order form. OS Maps for this walk: Landranger [1:50,000 scale] no. 191 Okehampton and North Dartmoor Explorer [1:25,000 scale] no. 113 Okehampton

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