Parking
Start at the parking area by Ilsington Parish Hall; use it only when the hall is not in use.
Overview
About Ilsington Walk
Why go
- Views toward Haytor from the open lanes
- A 16th-century manor ruin in the churchyard
Heads up
- Steep lanes and rough, wet footing after rain
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 Ilsington 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 Manor Wall at Ilsington0:00 / 0:28
“At St Michael's in Ilsington, a wall in the churchyard is the last standing part of the village's manor house.”
Plays on the road 0.1 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Dartmoor Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Cottages Ilsington Kept
- The Little Hunter in the Mire
- What Boxing Hares Are Doing
- The Dark Clay That Fires White
- 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 Ilsington Walk
A village loop with Haytor viewsThis is an approximately 5 km (3.
This is an approximately 5 km (3.1 mile) loop from Ilsington Parish Hall, taking about two hours through green lanes, fields, woodland and the village. It suits walkers after a varied countryside circuit and views toward Haytor, not a smooth or level stroll.
Hills, lanes and a manor ruinAfter passing the pub, the walk drops along Simms Hill.
After passing the pub, the walk drops along Simms Hill. The lane becomes rocky and may be muddy, then climbs steeply to a crossroads. The next open lanes bring views back toward Ilsington and out to Haytor; the route descends to a road before climbing again past an early-19th-century granite signpost. A kissing gate opens onto a field edge and a wooded descent to the River Bovey. Follow the river upstream to the road, then head uphill into the village. St Michael’s churchyard holds the ruins of a 16th-century manor house. Ilsington’s earliest documented mention is as a manor in 1086, held by Ralph Pagan.
Before you set outExpect steep hills and rough, sometimes wet footing on the green lanes, especially after heavy…
Expect steep hills and rough, sometimes wet footing on the green lanes, especially after heavy rain. Parking is by the Parish Hall only when the hall is not in use. The village pub or shop offers a refreshment stop after the walk; Haytor’s toilets and visitor centre are separate from this circuit. Dogs are allowed: keep them under close control on public rights of way and put them on a lead near livestock. On the open lane, frame Haytor above Ilsington’s rooftops for the clearest village-and-tor view.
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.
