Kingswear walks – Weekly Wanders
April 19, 2020
Our “Weekly Wanders” – where we get out there and discover what’s around; walks, restaurants, places to visit, things to see, or experiences. Â Basically, an explore from our door, wherever that may be. Â Of course at the moment our door isn’t changing that much (read at all) and so discovering what’s in our very local neighbourhood is something I think a lot of people are doing. Â 
We’re staying at our house in Kingswear in Devon, and since January we’ve been exploring the walking routes from our door. Â There’s the popular coastal paths and then some less obvious smaller paths that we’ve taken just to see where they go. Â We’ve gone in all directions, tried every path we’ve seen, and have now come up with, IOHO, the 6 best walks from our door. Â As I started writing this, we have in fact found more paths and routes on our doorstep. Â So much to explore.
Kingswear - Daymark - Froward Point - Kingswear
10km – 397m of ascent – A medium walk, with some pretty steep ups and downs, but all fairly brief.
This is one of the first walks we ever did from Kingswear and is a regular stroll from our door.  I don’t think I’ve met anyone in the village yet who hasn’t done some variation or another of this walk.
Our favourite way to do this walk is as a circular, starting with a gentle uphill from the bottom of Higher Contour Road.  I’m not going to lie, we’re very nosy and love nothing more than a peak at other peoples houses.  Higher Contour and then Redoubt Hill offer great opportunities for this, especially as the higher we go, the more expansive the view becomes.  After following a footpath sign down a lane on the right, we eventually join the South West Coast Path (SWCP) on Castle road.
This is one of those roads where you can envy every house owner for the amazing houses and stunning views. 
Looking around is easy as the road is paved, virtually vehicle free and goes gently downhill to a group of four idyllic houses at the bottom of the road at Home Farm….including a randomly placed traditional red phone box (not functioning of course).. Â We have re-named the next part ‘fly alley’, our first experience being in July and the path being rocky, damp, shady and narrow; we discovered for the first time, the stable fly (not to be confused with a horse fly); a fly that generally likes cattle, the warm and being near the coast….and unfortunately people. Â Note, if there is one sucking your blood, do not knock it off….kill it!, Otherwise they get a taste and come back for another bite..
The Daymark – standing at 24metres high, it was built in 1864 as a guide for mariners to find their way to Dartmouth harbour, which was notoriously difficult to find from the sea.
From the Daymark, we take a farm track downhill to Inner Froward Point and the Brownstone Battery; built during the second world war to spot German U-Boats. Â Inner Froward Point now houses the NCIÂ (National Coastwatch Institution), who are there to keep an eye on the coast every day of the year. Â Really friendly and full of information, which they’re always happy to share.
The walk back follows the SWCP which undulates through forest and along clear paths to Kingswear. Perhaps a stop at Mill Bay Cove to dip our toes in the sea? 
Around Waterhead Creek
Â
One of our shorter walks at 5km. Â A very easy walk with one steady but short climb. Â A mix of riverside paths, small quiet roads and woodland. Â With great birding opportunities.
We consider ourselves very lucky; from our window we can see Waterhead Creek, a small tidal creek off the River Dart. Â Behind the creek there is a small hill covered in trees, a couple of houses and at the top a green meadow, which at the moment holds a heard of very loud mooing cows. This walk is a small leg-stretcher and one we like to do at the end of the day when we’ve only got an hour or so. Â We often go armed with camera and binoculars as we have been very fortunate with bird sightings; 
A kingfisher fishing on the water by the railway line, a Peregrin Falcon flying right between us along Hoodown lane and a Tawny Owl, who we often hear hooting at dusk, have been some of our rarer spots.
The walk itself goes along the creek, for which there is a lovely creek side path hidden from the road. Â From the end of the creek some wooden stairs take us up to Hoodown Lane and then along this into Hoodown wood. Â We rarely pass anyone and the wood is beautiful with glimpses of the Dart where the trees thin out. Â Recently we’ve been enjoying the abundance of wild garlic, which is now popping up in our cooking on a regular basis.
The walk from the end of the lane takes you down a short bit of road to the Higher Ferry terminal and from there the walk is along the steam railway line. Â Absolutely great if timed with the train going past.
Kingswear - Ditisham - Greenway - Dartmouth
15km – 539m of ascent – A long walk with some steep ascents and descents. Â Several options for stopping half way for a lunch. Â Also the option to do half the walk and get the ferry there or back.
One of our favourite walks, which we like to start on the Dartmouth side (to get the hardest part done before lunch). Â From Dartmouth, it’s a steep walk out of the town, whichever way you decide to go. Â But then the walk goes downhill to the beautiful enclave of three houses and a bridge over the river at Mill Creek. 
We almost always stop and sit on the bridge, on the better occasions with a slice of home-made cake (curtesy of mumsie….I’m no baker, although lack of visits may mean I have to learn).
The walk to Dittisham from here goes through woodland, across fields and along peaceful lanes, eventually giving fantastic views across the Dart to Agatha Christie’s Greenway.
Dittisham is stunning; a village with a steep road going down to a picture perfect spot on the river Dart. Â Apparently it’s known for its plum – The Dittisham Ploughman Plum, which only grows in this village; so we’ll be looking out for those when it’s plum season.
One of our discoveries on this walk is the Anchorstone cafe, very popular on a sunny day (ours was in March), so worth booking. Â They offer fantastic local seafood with a great view of the Dart; and much to our delight sell half bottles of Champagne…oh go on then. Â It does make for a rather giggly walk back to Kingswear. Â Being mostly downhill and through woodland, it’s not too much of a problem….actually, it seemed to go quite quickly after a couple of glasses of pop!
The way to the other side of the Dart for the walk back is via a small foot ferry, which is summoned by ringing a bell at the dock side; modern technology is not required here.
Once on the other side of the Dart, there is the option to visit the National Trust property Greenway; Agatha Christies holiday home.
A must for any Agatha Christie fan as the house is as she left it, full of her collections and memorabilia. Â The book “Dead Man’s Folly” was based here and TV adaptions also filmed here. Â We have even seen seals in the Dart from the boathouse on her estate.
The walk back is fairly easy (after one steep climb from Greenway) and follows the Dart Valley Trail back to Kingswear through peaceful woods (except for the gigglers) and along the river.
Around the houses in Kingswear
Another one of our end of day short walks, which takes about 45 minutes to an hour depending on how much stopping and admiring the view is done (in our case, binocular and camera in hand, more likely the hour…or more, we’re so nosy!)
We discovered this walk going up Higher Contour Road. There’s a footpath sign on the left with no inkling of where it goes….curious much? This is one of the “just see where it goes’ discovery walks, which takes us up to the higher part of Kingswear village and then onto Mount Ridley Road. It’s a lot of up to start, but the house viewing is pretty fantastic. We’ve been lucky on our bird spotting on the stairs up to Mount Ridley Road, having spotted Goldcrests, Woodpeckers, Jays and an abundance of Tits.
The walk from here takes the footpath that joins Castle Road with more beautiful houses and views of the mouth of The Dart River, Dartmouth Castle and Kingswear Castle. This is the turning point for a short walk back to Kingswear, which includes going past either the Steam Packet Inn or the Ship Inn – both excellent spots for a ‘beer o’clock’ pint before dinner. An interesting painting on one of the houses….but is it a Banksy?
Dartmouth - Dartmouth Castle - Little Dartmouth
8.5 miles – 310m of ascent – This walk is partially town walking and partially coast and countryside. Â It’s the best walk for seeing the local history and the cafe at Dartmouth Castle has great homemade cakes and outdoor seating overlooking the Dart going out to sea.
This walk has a great start – a short hop on the Lower Ferry to get to Dartmouth.. Â We will think of any old excuse to go on the ferry; the mix of being on a boat, the view out to sea and up the river Dart, and always the possibility of spotting seals or dolphins (not yet, but others have). Â We need food…I’ll pop on the ferry; we need the pharmacy….no problem I’ll just pop over to Dartmouth on the ferry; let’s eat out tonight…oh ok, let’s go to a restaurant in Dartmouth…on the ferry; fancy a walk over the way?…the ferry. Â You get the idea.
I digress. Â We get to walk through the Southern part of Dartmouth at the start of this walk, making our way along the coast path to Dartmouth Castle. Â Once again a great opportunity to admire (dream of owning) other water front homes, as well as walking on the beautiful cobbled stones in Bayard’s Cove and venturing into the historical Bayard’s Cove Fort. Â A short distance out of town and we come to Warfleet Creek, a small inlet which, when the tide is out, is a great place for a paddle or to skim stones (I’m winning with about 15 bounces….I lost count).
We’ve been on this walk many times but only went into Dartmouth castle for the first time last month. Â It’s worth paying the fee; the history, the information and walking around the castle is a real education and there’s a lot more of the castle than can be seen from the outside. Â There’s even an opportunity to don some of the medieval attire from the day, which of course we couldn’t resist (and may I say, I think the trend could make a come back).
From the castle the path undulates (ok it goes up quite steeply) through woods and fields along the coast path to Little Dartmouth, a small hamlet that used to house a world war II garrison.
For the walk back we follow the Diamond Jubilee Way – a circular route created to commemorate the 60th anniversary for HRM Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne. Â English walking at its best.
The South West Coast Path to Brixham
This is a long one. Â About 17km with 773m of ascent, not to mention a lot of steep downs. Â It’s all coastal path with a couple of options for deviating to some worthwhile pit stops..
This is an easy walk to navigate. Â Follow the SWCP from Kingswear to Brixham harbour. Â That’s it.
What to expect? – This is a great section of the South West Coast Path and probably our favourite to date (we are attempting to walk it all in sections, although currently are on hold for lockdown). Â There are a lot of (steep) ups and downs, but amazing views all the way.
There are too many beauty spots on this walk to mention, but there are a few things to look out for…
Early on in the walk we pass Froward Point, where there is a collection of rocks in the sea, one of which is called the Mew stone. Â This is a favourite hang out for grey seals to sunbathe; binoculars are needed to see them.
There is the National Trust property Coleton Fishacre, which can be accessed along the walk; a 1920’s estate and gardens whose house is set up in the era of art deco ….and with a cafe that does a rather excellent Devon cream tea. Â Did we? Â Yes, of course we did!
Just before Brixham, there’s a slight diversion to
 Berry head to find the countries’ shortest but highest lighthouse.  A walk to the end is worth it as we have seen dolphins in the sea below on a few occasions…and there is The Guardhouse Cafe which serves homemade  cakes, breakfasts and lunches….did we?  Ok, only tea and cake, but everything looked good.
In Brixham harbour, there is an opportunity to walk out to Brixham harbour lighthouse (if you have any legs left…this is a long walk already). Â There is also the original Rockfish restaurant, well know for its locally caught fish and great views of the harbour. Â Their mantra “tomorrows fish is still in the sea”, so the menu is a list of all the local fish possibilities, on which the wait staff come over and mark the choices that have been caught that morning.
With all the extra bits we’ve probably done about 20km by now, so it’s definitely a bus ride back to Kingswear.
What's after the Kingswear walks?
Having thoroughly explored from our door, we’ve started doing sections of the South West Coast Path (temporarily on hold during the lockdown) and will be posting some of the lovely views and walks we have undertaken so far. Â
FYI: Â The SWCP is 630 miles of coastal path starting in Minehead in Somerset and continuing around the coast through Devon, into Cornwall, back into Devon and finishing in Poole in Dorset.
It is the longest established National trail in the country.
We’ve started with the maps we already have, so our trail has started in Torquay. Â It will probably take us years to do the whole 630 miles, but it’s going to be beautiful and we love a challenge….what a great way to explore even more.
