Bucks Mills: Trade & Settlement
1. Take short path, from bottom corner of car park by village information panel, down to road. Turn right down road through village.
2. Continue straight on down Tarmac pathway to old quay and beach. Afterwards, retrace your steps to here up to and through village.
3. Just before Old Coastguard Cottage turn left by red telephone box, signed ‘Coast Path Peppercombe 2 miles’. Bear right up steps after 20 metres.
4. At junction near top of climb, bear left signed ‘Peppercombe 2 miles’.
5. Follow the path through the woods and after 2 miles, descend into Peppercombe Valley at the main track turn left and follow the path across the field and down through some woods to the beach. Afterwards retrace your steps.
6. Continue over the bridge and up the main track of Peppercombe Valley, after 250 metres the track divides bear right here and continue up the lane passed the Old Coastguard Cottages.
7. After another 250 metres look for a footpath on your right signed to Northway turn right and proceed up a steep footpath to the road.
8. On reaching a surfaced road, turn left, then at the next road junction turn right by Northway Holiday Cottages.
9. After about ½ mile look for a public footpath on your left, just passed an old concrete structure and before Sloo Farm. To visit Hoops Inn (500m detour each way) cross road to right. Follow public footpath around field edge, signed ‘Holwell ½m’. Beyond next stile bear right down to car park and pub. Afterwards, retrace your steps back up through car park. Follow path to stile, and then left around field eld edge. Turn left along road.
10. After ½ mile, just beyond the second of two sharp left hand bends, turn right past ‘Lower Worthygate’ sign on wall. Follow public footpath fi ngerpost down drive.
11. Turn right in front of the houses and walk through farm. Bear right up ramp and follow public footpath fingerpost down left side of barn. Path follows field edge and drops down through woods to follow stream.
12. Where path emerges at road, turn immediately left up footpath back to car park.
2. Continue straight on down Tarmac pathway to old quay and beach. Afterwards, retrace your steps to here up to and through village.
3. Just before Old Coastguard Cottage turn left by red telephone box, signed ‘Coast Path Peppercombe 2 miles’. Bear right up steps after 20 metres.
4. At junction near top of climb, bear left signed ‘Peppercombe 2 miles’.
5. Follow the path through the woods and after 2 miles, descend into Peppercombe Valley at the main track turn left and follow the path across the field and down through some woods to the beach. Afterwards retrace your steps.
6. Continue over the bridge and up the main track of Peppercombe Valley, after 250 metres the track divides bear right here and continue up the lane passed the Old Coastguard Cottages.
7. After another 250 metres look for a footpath on your right signed to Northway turn right and proceed up a steep footpath to the road.
8. On reaching a surfaced road, turn left, then at the next road junction turn right by Northway Holiday Cottages.
9. After about ½ mile look for a public footpath on your left, just passed an old concrete structure and before Sloo Farm. To visit Hoops Inn (500m detour each way) cross road to right. Follow public footpath around field edge, signed ‘Holwell ½m’. Beyond next stile bear right down to car park and pub. Afterwards, retrace your steps back up through car park. Follow path to stile, and then left around field eld edge. Turn left along road.
10. After ½ mile, just beyond the second of two sharp left hand bends, turn right past ‘Lower Worthygate’ sign on wall. Follow public footpath fi ngerpost down drive.
11. Turn right in front of the houses and walk through farm. Bear right up ramp and follow public footpath fingerpost down left side of barn. Path follows field edge and drops down through woods to follow stream.
12. Where path emerges at road, turn immediately left up footpath back to car park.
- Start/Finish: Bucks Mills car park (7 miles west of Bideford off the A39)
- Distance: 5.5 miles (9.0 km)
- Circular walk: Yes
- Grade: Moderate
- Terrain: Coast path, public rights of way, surfaced road. Mostly reasonable underfoot. Some slippery stretches on coast path in wet weather
- Obstacles and steep gradients: 3 flights of steps; 1 stile; 1 steep climb
- Accessibility: This route is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchair's
Hoops Inn, Horns Cross
01237 451222
www.hoopsinn.co.uk
Hot and cold drinks. Beers from nearby Abbotsham. Local food emphasis, including meats from farmer Steve Harding; handmade breads from Welcombe; and seafood including fish and shellfish from Clovelly and Appledore.
01237 451222
www.hoopsinn.co.uk
Hot and cold drinks. Beers from nearby Abbotsham. Local food emphasis, including meats from farmer Steve Harding; handmade breads from Welcombe; and seafood including fish and shellfish from Clovelly and Appledore.
Refreshments
Directions
In the Early Stone Age Devon was sparsely populated by nomadic hunter-gatherers. Much has changed since then. The land has been permanently lived in through the later Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age; seen Roman invasion, Anglo-Saxon settlement, Viking raiders and Norman Conquest. These have all left their mark on the landscape, from Prehistoric barrows and Iron Age hillforts to Norman castles but the land has remained settled and farmed to the present day. Through this succession of influence, and beyond, the Devon we see today has taken shape. Villages, hamlets and farms have evolved. Towns have grown up, and centres of trade and power have developed, faded, and shifted.
North Devon AONB Unit,
Bideford Station,
Railway Terrace,
East-the-Water,
Bideford,
Devon EX39 4BB email: aonb@devon.gov.uk
