Walks
Boasting over 800 acres of verdant forests, abundant wildlife and clear rivers, the Dartington estate offers the perfect backdrop to walks of all lengths and difficulties.
Walk around our Glorious Gardens
Experience a sense of tranquillity at our impressive Grade II* listed gardens, which have been shaped and inspired by the remarkable custodians of this special place for over 1,000 years. On your visit to the 26 acres of tended grounds, you’ll find a range of stunning features with beautiful vistas and creative sculptures, including ancient trees and impressive plant species.
It’s easy to spend as little or as much time as you like in them, but to explore them fully takes roughly 1-2 hours.
To find out more, visit our dedicated Gardens page.
Deer Park Trails
The Deer Park is a free experience that aims to tell you a 700-year-old story – about the people who lived here, the magnificent landscape, the deer themselves and the abundant wildlife.
Head to the Welcome Centre on arrival to pick up your free trail map.
Short trail = 1 mile. This takes you into the woodland and to the remains of a medieval viewing platform. Accessible for wheelchairs, Tramper and buggies. Allow 30 mins.
Long trail = 2¼ mile circular route. This passes alongside the River Dart, before returning uphill. Allow 90 mins.
View our map to find out more: Deer Park Trail Map
Totnes-Dartington Access for All Path
This attractive and popular foot and cycle path links Borough Park in the historic town of Totnes with The Cider Press Centre. It runs for two miles alongside the River Dart and by Queen’s Marsh and Bidwell Brook on the Dartington Hall estate.
The path is carefully designed to be accessible to everyone, including wheelchair users, elderly people and those with sight loss. Gradients are very gentle.
Longer walks
Walks that go deeper into our leafy woods, explore ancient paths and meander alongside the sparkling, crystal-clear River Dart, often along more challenging terrain.
The Dartington estate has an abundance of public footpaths – a walk around the entire estate would be around 8 miles. Our estate map clearly marks the footpaths with yellow lines – see the resources below.
For a superb 4.5-mile walk, park at the main car park and follow Upper Drive. You’ll see a public footpath signposted to your right which you can follow into North Wood. From there any right-hand path will take you through the woods to the River Dart. You can then follow the river’s edge to the bottom of the Lower Drive and follow it back up to the car park.
Note for dog-walkers: due to our wildlife protection work and livestock on the estate, some paths require your dog to be on a lead. We have an off-leash area at Aller Park field where your dog can roam freely.
Useful resources:
Walking to The Cider Press Centre
It takes about 30 minutes to walk from the central estate to The Cider Press Centre. The quickest route is to follow the Upper Drive until you reach the turning off to Foxhole on your left. At this point, the Centre will be signposted and you can follow the road past Foxhole and down the hill.
The Cider Press Centre is significantly downhill from the core estate, and may present a challenge for the less mobile or those with pushchairs – particularly on the way back! For information about parking, click here.
