Parking
Start at Victoria Woodholme Car Park in Buckfastleigh; the walk begins by turning right out of the lot toward town. Public toilets are in the car park. Parking is pay-and-display.
Overview
About Buckfastleigh Walk
Why go
- The loop links medieval Lower Town, Holy Trinity and views toward Buckfast Abbey.
- The Kissing Steps and old field tracks give the town walk a memorable climb.
Heads up
- Most of the circuit follows streets and pavement.
- A long staircase and uneven field tracks make it unsuitable for step-free travel.
Map & elevation
The route
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Dartmoor alerts
- CautionDartmoor military firing restricts accessDo not cross the Okehampton, Willsworthy or Merrivale training-range boundaries when warning signals are displayed.Official details
- CautionAccess restriction at Huccaby FarmAccess to CROW Access Land at Huccaby Farm in the West Dart River Valley is subject to a current restriction notice.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Dartmoor Tour Guide
Your drive to Buckfastleigh Walk, narrated.
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 area
The Wool Town Behind the Railway0:00 / 0:28
“Buckfastleigh's rivers once kept a wool town at work. In eighteen thirty-eight, about seven hundred looms operated here, nearly a quarter of Devon's total.”
Plays on the road 0.5 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Dartmoor Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Buckfastleigh: Railway and Otters
- Hippos Beneath Buckfastleigh
- Buckfast Abbey's Glass and Gardens
- The Bird with the Wrong Name
- 298 audio storiesacross Dartmoor’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Western Roe Deer, Red Fox, European Rabbit, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 54 trails, 59 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Buckfastleigh Walk
The loopFrom Victoria Woodholme Car Park, this 3.
From Victoria Woodholme Car Park, this 3.6-mile loop goes through Lower Town, climbs to Holy Trinity, crosses fields toward Buckfast Abbey, then returns through Higher Town. Allow about 3.5 hours. Most of the route is on streets and pavement, with a long stairway and short field tracks. A 2 km short option returns from Holy Trinity by Church Hill Lane and Holne Road, skipping the Abbey and Higher Town.
Lower Town and Holy TrinityTurn right from the car park; at the Globe Inn, descend into Lower Town.
Turn right from the car park; at the Globe Inn, descend into Lower Town. Medieval burgage plots once reached the Mardle and Dean Burn through narrow Opways. After the 1749 bridge, a long staircase reaches Holy Trinity via the Kissing Steps and kissing gate. The 13th-century church burned in 1992, leaving its shell and spire. A cave entrance is visible across the field, but the caves are not part of the walk.
Abbey and returnAt the church junction, cross fields and an old track to a main road with an Abbey view.
At the church junction, cross fields and an old track to a main road with an Abbey view. Follow pavement past the entrance, then Higher Mill Lane and Grange Road. On the downhill track, keep left at both splits; the river stays on your right. The route closes through Higher Town, past the tannery and Chapel Street weavers' cottages. Public toilets are in the start car park. Dogs are allowed; keep them under close control on access land and follow any Ranger direction to use a lead. The long staircase and uneven tracks make this unsuitable for step-free travel.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Dartmoor
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.
