The Tarka Trail is a series of footpaths and cyclepaths (rail trails) around north Devon, England that follow the route taken by the fictional Tarka the Otter in the book of that name. It covers a total of 180 miles (290 km) in a figure-of-eight route, centred on Barnstaple.
https://www.tarkatrail.org.uk/
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tarka-Trail-2188061954797585 (100)
Walking the Tarka Trail using Public Transport
Okehampton
...is situated on the northern edge of Dartmoor in West Devon. Okehampton is an ancient town and was initially settled in the Bronze Age. It lies at the confluence of the East and West Okement Rivers from which is takes its name. Okehampton has been described as the walking centre of Dartmoor. It is also popular with cyclists and walkers taking the Granite Way, a beautiful trail from Okehampton to Lydford.
The town has many attractions including the spectacular ruins of Okehampton Castle which date back to Norman times and the beautiful expansive parkland at Simmons Park with leisurely river side walks, ornamental gardens and a Swiss style chalet, multi sports facilities and playing areas for all ages as well as the Parklands Leisure Centre. The impressive tower of St James Chapel (15C) dominates the main street which in times gone by was the Old London Road lined with coaching inns which can still be seen today. The Town Hall, a handsome building with granite facade built in 1685 adds a touch of elegance to the town centre which also boasts a number of vibrant shopping arcades as well as the acclaimed Museum of Dartmoor Life. https://www.okehampton.gov.uk/
Okehampton Railway Station
... re-opened in December 2021. The station first opened in 1871 but closed to regular traffic in 1972. Heritage and occasional mainline services ran from 1997 to 2019. Trains run on the GWR Dartmoor Line with services to Exeter St Davids via Crediton.
Okehampton
The 6 Exeter - Bude and 6A Exeter - Launceston bus services are the quickest bus routes from Exeter to Okehampton.
Okehampton West Street (Stop B) – bustimes.org to Exeter
Okehampton West Street (Stop A) – bustimes.org from Exeter
The 5A Exeter - Okehampton bus service terminates in Okehampton.
Okehampton Fore Street Arcade (Stop C) – bustimes.org
Map made by Grant Sherman using OpenStreetMap https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=13/50.7791/-3.9983
The River Okement is a tributary of the River Torridge in Devon, England. It used to be known as the River Ock. It rises at two places in Dartmoor, as the West Okement and the East Okement. These meet with other minor streams and join together at Okehampton. The river flows generally north, past the villages of Jacobstowe and Monkokehampton, and has its confluence with the River Torridge near Meeth. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Okement
Abbeyford Woods Explore the sights and sounds of Abbeyford Woods, near Okehampton. These beautiful woods with stunning walks have paths for all. You can walk the Tarka Trail and follow the River Okement, or just wind your way through the woodland. Abbeyford is also a great place to discover the changing colours of the seasons. On a walk through this beautiful wood you will see majestic Douglas fir trees, and pass through areas of autumnal gold beech trees alongside the banks of the Okement River. With its varied tree species structure and crystal clear river, it is no wonder that wildlife also flourishes in these woods.
Jacobstowe
...is a small but beautiful village with only 194 people recorded in the parish in the 2011 census. The Church of St James is Grade II* and may have 12th Century origins. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1326489
You can get the 5A service from Jacobstowe to return to Okehampton or Exeter (via Hatherleigh)
You can get the 75A service from Jacobstowe to return to Bideford or Okehampton
Jacobstowe, opposite Church – bustimes.org Buses to Okehampton
Jacobstowe Church (NE-bound) – bustimes.org Buses to Exeter (via Hatherleigh)
For the last 25 years Curworthy Cheese has been made at Stockbeare Farm, Jacobstowe situated in the mid Devon countryside under the shadow of Dartmoor. A perfect area for grass growing with its unique climate of rain and humidity. http://www.curworthycheese.co.uk/index.php
Hatherleigh Moor is 425 acres of rough grazing and pasture located to the east of Hatherleigh. Since the 1950s the land and finances have been managed by a committee of Potboilers, which is now a major local funding body for local projects.
Stoning Cross
This scheduled monument includes a wayside cross on a junction between Park Road and Victoria Road on the outskirts of Hatherleigh, on the road to Monkokehampton. It is a Latin cross with truncated arms, hewn roughly from a single piece of granite, and probably of late medieval date. It does not appear to have a socket stone. There is an Ordnance Survey bench mark at the foot of the eastern face. The cross, which is leaning slightly, measures 0.32m wide at the base, 0.5m wide at the arms and 0.3m wide at the head. The shaft is 0.19m thick, the head is 0.16m high and the overall height of the cross is 1.57m. The cross is Listed Grade II. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1013715
Hatherleigh
Situated in the valley of the River Torridge just outside of Dartmoor National Park and about 6 miles north of Okehampton, Hatherleigh has long since been a meeting place for local people and important to the local economy
You can get the 5A service from Hatherleigh to return to Exeter
You can get the 75A service from Hatherleigh to return to Bideford or Okehampton
Hatherleigh Market Car Park (S-bound) – bustimes.org Buses to and from Exeter, Okehampton and Bideford
Tarka Trail
The Tarka Trail is a series of footpaths and cyclepaths (rail trails) around north Devon, England that follow the route taken by the fictional Tarka the Otter in the book of that name. It covers a total of 180 miles (290 km) in a figure-of-eight route, centred on Barnstaple. https://www.tarkatrail.org.uk/
The 31-mile (50 km) section between Braunton and Meeth is car-free, level and mostly tarmacked, and is shared by pedestrians and cyclists, with horse riding also permitted on part of it. There is a guidebook available for this section. http://www.exploredevon.info/activities/cycle/tarka-trail-braunton-meeth/
Broadbury Ridges
The landform creates a repetitive pattern of ridges and valleys, over which is lain landcover mosaic comprising the dark green of coniferous forests; the lighter green of pastoral fields; occasional patches of rough grassland; ribbons of deciduous woodland following the valleys; and scattered grey huddles of farms and villages. This was one of the last areas of Devon to be enclosed, as is revealed in the regular pattern of straight roads and rectilinear fields. Time-depth is particularly apparent in the west, where prehistoric barrows form an extensive funerary landscape. Views southwards are dominated by the mass of Dartmoor which lies close to the south – the colour of its moorland changing from brown to green to purple throughout the year – and this gives the area a strong sense of place.
High Torridge Culm Plateau
This open landscape of pastoral farmland, rough ground and forests has an elemental, empty character, dominated by wet, unenclosed moorland, including Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor in the distance. The colours of the moorland – yellow gorse, purple heather and golden grasses – contrast with the dark green of coniferous plantations and the patchwork of brighter green pastoral fields. The Lew valley has a softer, more enclosed and intimate character, but is not easily accessible. Occasional clustered villages are linked by straight lanes flanked by rush-filled ditches.
