LOCAL WALK: North Bovey to the top field

 Offering idyllic views of North Bovey and the surrounding countryside, the highest point of this walk makes a great picnic spot in spring and summer, when the fields brim with wildflowers. The surrounding land belongs to our neighbour, Sue, who trains racehorses so you may see a couple of her stallions in the fields. 

Time: 20 mins, one way
Level: steepish
Footwear: hiking boots or wellies if wet
Take: a picnic. There’s a wicker hamper and rug in the understairs cupboard. Blacks Deli in Chagford or Manns in Bovey Tracey will gladly fill it with local gourmet goodies for you. For a winter warmer, take the flask from the kitchen for a cuppa or swig of hot soup at the top.

ROUTE

Start down the road past the pub, so that the pub is on your left and the phone box is on your right. At the bottom of the hill keep going straight along a rough track, passing the river and stepping stones on your right.

 After a couple of hundred yards, you’ll see a small stone barn on the left, with a public footpath just after it. Follow this track to the top, opening out to picture-perfect Devon views. Take the Ordnance Survey map from the drawer in the living room if you’d like to make it into a longer, circular walk.