Walks

The routes described here are very local to Murchington and Chagford. Our aim has been to document our favourite walks from the door, and note their length and some key features. Hopefully this will become a helpful resource, though we suggest it is best used with a map in hand - either the OS Dartmoor 1:25,000 map. or the handy pocket-sized ‘Yellow Parish’ maps that offer the same detail but at 1:16,000. Their maps for Throwleigh Parish and Chagford & Moretonhampstead are probably most useful for these walks and can be bought from the wonderful Bowdens General Store on Chagford Square. It has been remarked on that most of our walks involve a certain amount of ‘mild peril', but once you accept that, they are quite enjoyable.

When we first moved to Murchington we mainly aimed to do walks that included as little walking on roads as possible. However when a national lockdown was announced in March 2020, and everyone was enjoined to stay at home to protect the NHS, the lanes became exceptionally quiet. Exploring the lanes closest to our house was a good way of having regular exercise without needing to get into the car. We realised that there were tiny hamlets like Forder and Chapel that were less than two miles away, and yet we had never walked through them.

Devon apparently has more miles of roads than any other county in Britain (8000 miles in total) and many of them on the northern edge of Dartmoor are so quiet that you can usually walk a mile or more without needing to duck into the hedge to get out of the way of a car - so the peril is very mild indeed. Even better, drivers are generally very considerate - they’re walkers too.

For each walk we have noted the length and the time that we took to complete it, as well as the elevation gained. Some of the timings are clearly over-estimates, as we may well have stopped to chat to a neighbour on the way, but they give an indication of how long to allow.

As the Philosopher Frederic Gros has said walking is not a sport - it requires no skill and no equipment - it is ‘the best way to go more slowly than any other method that has ever been found’. And when you go slowly it is easier to notice and appreciate the world, and perhaps even your companions.