Sight · Dartmoor National Park
A riverside bridge that opens onto a longer moorland walk
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Dartmoor Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Dartmoor National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
Cadover Bridge and the Plym Valley“You're coming up on Cadover Bridge, a good place to leave the road for the River Plym and open moor. I'd stop for a short riverside wander; the bridge itself is modest, but the valley is the draw.”
Plays as you drive up to Cadover Bridge in the Parkwolf Dartmoor Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Cadover Bridge crosses the River Plym beside a National Trust car park, near Shaugh Prior. The draw is the mix of river, old oak woodland and open moor, with routes that quickly leave the road behind. I’d stop for a riverside wander or start the longer Dewerstone loop; the bridge is a gateway to the valley rather than a big attraction on its own.
The National Trust’s circular route is 5.4 km and takes about 2.5 hours. It climbs through North Wood to Dewerstone Rock, a granite crag, then crosses open moor. Around the upper Plym are stone rows, hut circles and burial cairns, remains from different periods of Dartmoor’s past. Expect steep, rocky, uneven sections, steps and stiles; woodland paths can be slippery after rain. For a broader landscape photo, the higher path looks across the Plym Valley toward Dewerstone Rock.
The main car park is free, and overnight parking isn’t allowed. There are no toilets. The car park is the starting point for the National Trust loop, but the full route is a strenuous walk rather than a casual riverside stroll. The official directions pin and mapped bridge agree within a few metres; use the official destination rather than the same-named Maps pin, which sits about 280 m north.
Wildlife
32 sightingsWestern Roe DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
10 sightingsRed FoxMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
37 sightingsEuropean RabbitMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
19 sightingsGrey HeronMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
34 sightingsGreat Spotted WoodpeckerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
20 sightingsCommon RavenMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Dartmoor. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingCadover Bridge and Dewerstone Rock Circular Walk6.3 km · 2.8 hr · 0.1 km awayA steep river loop that earns its Dewerstone ridge views.
EasyBurrator Reservoir Circular Walk6.3 km · 1.8 hr · 3.4 km awayTwo dams, a wooded shoreline and a stone bridge in one loop.
ModerateGutter Tor Walk6.4 km · 2.5 hr · 3.5 km awayA moorland loop for granite tors, warrens, and prehistoric stone rows.
EasyNorsworthy Bridge to Deancombe2.6 km · 1.5 hr · 4.9 km awayA short gravel walk to a ruined farmstead above Narrator Brook.Parkwolf’s Dartmoor ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
