Walks on and around the South West Coast Path from The Park Hotel

Easy - 2.1 miles (3.4 km)

The River Taw walk is an extremely pretty and peaceful one. Rock Park with its formal lawns and shrubs and its riverside tree walk was given to the town in 1879 by William Frederick Rock, a shoemaker’s son whose early banking career was blighted by his habit of writing poetry during working hours. 

Moderate - 7.4 miles (11.8 km)

Follow the ancient Bideford railway line along the River Taw along the South West Coast Path and Tarka Trail. At Home Farm Marsh, Fremington, the Gaia Trust has restored the wetlands lost when the farm was an intensive dairy farming unit, and traditional methods of farming have encouraged the return of many species of wildlife. A nice walk for children, who will love the old limekiln that looks like a castle, as well as the remnants of the railway and the tour of the fields at Home Farm Marsh. The walk is level, and much of it is along a broad flat tarmac path. Home Farm Marsh can be wet, however, so wear sensible footwear.

Challenging - 11.5 miles (18.5 km)

A walk as long as you want to make it – mostly on a level tarmac trail along the Taw Estuary. Look out for wildfowl and wading birds as you walk past saltmarsh and small rocky beaches to the Heaton Court Pub. For dedicated walkers, the route continues through a once-bustling port and around marshland reclaimed from the sea to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Braunton Burrows. This is the UK’s largest sand dune system with a wealth of rare plants, especially inspiring in spring and early summer, when the blossom is lush on the bushes and the rabbit-cropped turf is carpeted with an amazing assortment of wildflowers.