Blackdown Hills AONB, Devon
This long circular pub hike across into the Otter Valley takes you past several lovely pubs* in the villages of the Blackdown Hills. It’s mostly along quiet country lanes but crosses a few busy A-roads. There are quite a few climbs and descents along the way as it heads across the valleys rather than along them. It’s worth it though – you get amazing views of the Yarty Valley near the end; and the final 3 miles are mostly downhill!
* We recommend checking pub opening times before you set off, as many pubs here have limited opening hours.
- Total distance 15.6 miles (25.2km)
- Estimated time 6hrs 8mins (excluding pub stops)
- Elevation 349 ft at lowest point, 853 ft at highest point
- Total ascent 2015 ft
There are plenty of pub stop/rest options, including The Sidmouth Arms, Upottery, The York Inn in Churchinford, the Candlelight Inn in Bishopswood, Flintlock Inn in Marsh, and finally the Yarcombe Inn. Please check our Local Pubs web page as some pubs have limited opening hours, and consider reserving a table if eating as they can get busy.
These instructions start at Ley Farm, Yarcombe, EX14 9LW, however you could also start it from The Kings Arms pub in Stockland.
- Leave Ley Farm turning right out of the gate onto the lane (heading south). After a few minutes you’ll reach a lane heading up the valley to your right – take this lane. Where the lane starts to flatten, on a clear day you should have a great view looking back across Ley Farm up the Yarty Valley with Yarcombe village to the north (see viewpoint on map). Keep to this lane which crosses the top of the hill, passing a small farm on the right (Wytch Farm) before falling steeply to a junction.
- At the T junction, go right and head directly uphill. This is the toughest part of the walk. Keep to the lane which carries on uphill gradually bending to the right, passing a lane on the right before turning left near the top of the valley (viewpoint here looking over the gate on the right, with view down the Yarty valley across Stockland village towards Axminster). Eventually you’ll reach a crossroads.
- Turn right at the crossroads onto a flat, straight road – take care walking along this road as it can be busy at times with cars driving fast. The road ends at the A30 – take care crossing the A30, heading onto the road straight across the junction. You’re now in the Otter Valley. Take the road heading downhill, passing a cream house. The road winds its way down the side of the valley. Keep to this road until you reach Upottery village, where you’ll pass the village hall and then the church, turning right at the war memorial then arriving at The Sidmouth Arms.
- Turn right when leaving The Sidmouth Arms, heading through the centre of the village then passing the school on your right. Keep to this road heading north out of the village, gradually rising up the side of the valley. Shortly after passing a lane on the right, then a lonely post box (also on the right), look out for a lane / track rising off to the left.
- Take this lane rising diagonally away to the left. Once you’ve past the mobile / radio masts the track levels out as you cross Beacon Hill. Continue to the end of the track then turn left once you reach the road.
- Shortly after you turn onto the road, you’ll reach checkpoint 6 at a road junction. Here you’ll find an original sentry box which guarded one of the entrances to RAF Upottery, an air force base built to house American forces in WW2 and used to launch raids on the French coast on D-day. The sentry box is now a memorial. Continue along the lane with the sentry box on your left. Continue along the lane, passing through a crossroads before starting a gradual decline towards Churchinford.
- When you arrive at Churchinford, the pub stop option is a highly recommended classic old pub, The York Inn which is at the centre of the village where all lanes meet – a great stop for lunch. Once done, exit the village taking ‘Royston Road’, opposite the side of the pub and signposted towards Bishopswood and Illminster. Continue along this road for around 3 miles, passing through Royston Water, then crossing a main road before falling towards Bishopswood.
- Once in Bishopswood (a long spread-out village), the pub stop is The Candlelight Inn, also renoun for good food, which is on the main road through the village. After you’ve finished there, take the lane opposite, heading along the side of the Yarty Valley.
- Ignore any turn-off. Eventually the lane falls towards Marsh village. As you get to the village take the first (sharp) left turning along the back of a row of houses, then right at the bottom onto the main road running through Marsh. You’ll notice how wide the road is – it used to be part of the A303 before the bypass was constructed in the 70s.
- The pub stop option in Marsh is at the Flintlock Inn, which you’ll get to once through the village. The next step requires care and attention! Continue along the road, leaving the village at the opposite end you entered. Caution! This road eventually becomes a slip lane off the A303. Take care heading down this road, keeping hugging the right bank of the A303 for around 50 metres past a short row of old cottages, until you see a lane on the opposite side of the road. Cross the road and take this lane heading down and then up a steep climb to a T junction with a farm to your left. Take a right turn here, heading up a lane with woods to your left. Take another left at the next T junction (Buckshots) heading steeply up the last section of the hill above Yarcombe – it’s mostly downhill from here!
- At point ’11’, just over the top of the hill, the view should open up (weather permitting) along the Yarty valley – for the best views, look out for an earth mound to the left of the lane just past a gate at the top of the hill. You’ll soon see Yarcombe village below you. At the end of this lane take a right turn at the pink house, keeping to this lane passing through Lower Pithayne Farm. After entering the village you’ll pass the Village Hall and Church before taking a left turn, downhill onto the A30.
- If open, the Yarcombe Inn provides another opportunity for rest and refreshment – it’s less than a mile and a half back to Ley Farm from here. Cross the A30 at the pub taking the pavement heading downhill out of the village. Shortly after leaving the village take the first lane to the right signposted towards Stockland. Continue for just over a mile keeping to this lane, passing the lane to Hay Farm, Peterhayes Farm, eventually arriving back at Ley Farm.
Ley Farm Cottages 