Parking
Start at Castle Drogo main car park; follow the Teign Valley walk signs at the noticeboard. Parking is limited, with extra areas opened at busy times. Do not park on the drive.
Overview
About Piddledown Common Walk
Why go
- Short loop with a clear view over Chagford toward Dartmoor.
Heads up
- Two steep flights of steps have no handrails.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Dartmoor map
Full mapElevation205–267 m
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 Piddledown Common 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 trailhead
Castle Drogo above the Teign Gorge0:00 / 0:39
“You're approaching Castle Drogo, a granite house built to look medieval above the Teign Gorge.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Dartmoor Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Castle Roof That Leaked
- The Stones That Disappeared
- The Wall That Held Deer
- Fingle Bridge and the Teign
- 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 Piddledown Common Walk
A short loop above the gorgePiddledown Common Walk is the National Trust’s one-mile, 40-minute loop from Castle Drogo’s…
Piddledown Common Walk is the National Trust’s one-mile, 40-minute loop from Castle Drogo’s main car park. It crosses open common and a strip of tall gorse before reaching Sharp Tor, where the view runs over Chagford toward Dartmoor. Across the gorge, Whiddon Deer Park was probably enclosed by Sir John Whiddon, who died in 1575. It’s a compact outing for a viewpoint without taking on one of the longer Teign Gorge walks.
Follow the marked returnStart at the car-park noticeboard and follow Teign Valley signs downhill through trees and a…
Start at the car-park noticeboard and follow Teign Valley signs downhill through trees and a gate. Turn left across the common on the Tramper waymarks, then follow the upper path through Gorse Blossom Walk. At Dolly’s Seat, take the steps down to Hunter’s Path. Turn right for Sharp Tor, then follow the Castle Drogo signs back; at the tor, do not take the steps directly opposite. Another steep flight leads to the drive and car park.
Ground and facilitiesExpect mostly dry, stony paths with muddy patches.
Expect mostly dry, stony paths with muddy patches. The two steep stair flights have no handrails and run along a steep hillside above rocky crags. Dogs are welcome on leads. Parking at Castle Drogo is limited, with extra areas opened at busy times; toilets and a café serving light lunches and Devonshire cream teas are at the visitor centre.
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.
