Two Castles Trail

The Two Castles Trail is a 24-mile, one-way walk from the Museum of Dartmoor Life in Okehampton to Launceston Castle. Starting at Dartmoor’s edge, it crosses open moor, woods, farmland and villages, then continues west into Cornwall. The waymarked route has four stages of 7, 7, 5 and 5 miles. Walking it straight through takes roughly 9 to 12 hours. This is a challenging full-day hike, or a route to split over several days if you want time for the villages and history along the way. The attraction is the changing countryside and the two historic endpoints; this isn’t a continuous wilderness trail.

The first stage begins in central Okehampton and follows town streets past Jacobs Pool before reaching Old Town Park. From there the surface changes often: a surfaced bridleway shared with vehicles, a crossing of the golf course and a path along the West Okement. The route climbs steeply away from the river below Meldon Viaduct, then reaches open moorland with Sourton Tors ahead. This is the trickiest stretch to follow: waymarks can’t be placed across the moor, and the path is faint grass with a shallow cut between stone walls. Watch for that cut instead of following another tempting line across the grass.

From Sourton, paths and lanes pass into and out of the village before crossing fields to Bridestowe. Expect gates and plenty of stiles. The climb out of the river valley, rougher field paths and road crossings make the first seven miles feel more like a country walk than a groomed park trail.

Stage two descends from Bridestowe to Watergate, then follows uneven woodland tracks and fields with regular climbs. There is a steep descent from Galford Down. The trail uses a short private path by landowner permission near Burley Down, so stick to the marked route; the nearby Iron Age earthworks and a possible Norman site are private and not open for visits.

The Lewdown-to-Lifton stage has more road walking, mixed with uneven fields and gates. Stowford Church contains a sixth-century memorial stone, a striking early-Christian relic along an otherwise practical stretch. There are river crossings at Stowford Bridge and over the River Wolf. Later you cross the River Tamar at Polson Bridge, once a main entry into Cornwall. It was first recorded in 1338; the present bridge dates to the mid-19th century.

The last five miles are mainly roads and field edges. After Polson Bridge the trail crosses into Cornwall, then climbs steeply through Launceston to the castle. You’ll have 24 miles behind you before that last climb. The long distance and repeated ascents, uneven footing, stiles, traffic and open moor make this a hard day; allow the 9-to-12-hour range rather than planning on a fast walk.

Start at the Museum of Dartmoor Life / Tourist Information Centre and finish at Launceston Castle. There is no loop back to Okehampton, and parking is limited along the route, so decide how you’ll return before you set off. The route is split into four useful stages, but verify current transport options before relying on them. It can be particularly muddy on woodland tracks and fields after heavy rain. In the Sourton section, don’t wander onto nearby land to investigate the old earthworks; stay on the waymarked track.