"The valley of the Yealm, with a return along the cliffs to the Marine Conservation Area"
Walk directions
Ascend steps near the car park entrance, and at the second Coast Path post, turn left through a kissing gate. Follow the left edge of a meadow (for St Werburgh’s Church, turn left through a hedge gap), and go through a kissing gate onto a track.
Meet a lane, and turn left and almost immediately right through a kissing gate into a field. Keep ahead and through a kissing gate. Follow the left edge of two fields, then go through a kissing gate onto a fenced path. The next gate meets a footpath T-junction on a green lane (Brownhill Lane).
Go straight ahead through a gate. The right of way heads straight across the field, towards the right end of a very high wall (just to left of Wembury House, a late Georgian manor). Turn right alongside the wall, and pass through a kissing gate onto the lane.
Turn right along the lane. Where it bears right towards New Barton Farm, keep straight on through a gate onto National Trust land at Warren Point. Follow a stony track, Warren Lane.
Continue to nearly reach the coast and then at the cottage (footpath crossroads), turn right on the Coast Path.
At the next fork (the path ahead runs into the field by the church) bear left and follow the Coast Path to return to the starting point.
The parish of Wembury has an excellent network of well-maintained rights of way, giving all sorts of circular walk options. This route affords fantastic views over South Devon’s most beautiful estuary – the River Yealm, with views up Newton Creek, both popular with sailors – with a return along the... Coast Path. Long distance routes feature here too: the Devon Coast to Coast route – a combination of the Two Moors Way (102 miles/164km) and the Erme–Plym Trail (14 miles/22.5km) – meets the south coast at Wembury beach. The beach here is a great place for rock-pooling and spotting all manner of marine life. Information is available at the Marine Centre by the car park (open from Easter to the end of September, closed Mondays and Tuesday until May, then open from Tuesday–Sunday); entry is free, but donations are welcomed, and a variety of seasonal events take place, such as beach cleans and rockshore rambles. The foreshore at Wembury Point was formed over 400 million years ago, and is part of a European Special Area of Conservation for its flora and fauna. Several unusual species of fish, molluscs, worms and seaweeds have been recorded on the rocky reefs and wave-cut platforms. The church is situated in magical position above Blackstone Rocks, and it’s hardly surprising to learn that the 15th-century tower has been used by sailors as navigation landmark for hundreds of years. It’s thought that the present church stands on the site of a Saxon oratory, dating possibly from the 9th century and replaced by a Norman church in the 12th century.
Devon sums up all that is best about the British landscape, with its magnificent coastlines, two historic cities, the world-famous Dartmoor National Park and south Devon’s glorious English Riviera. A fashionable and much-loved holiday destination, hiking and cycling in the National Parks is extremely popular among visitors, with a great choice of off-road routes.
"The valley of the Yealm, with a return along the cliffs to the Marine Conservation Area"
Walk details
1hrs 15mins
Difficulty:
Medium
Gradient:
Moderate
Distance:
2.8 miles (4.5kms)
Ascent:
164ft (50m)
Walk directions
Ascend steps near the car park entrance, and at the second Coast Path post, turn left through a kissing gate. Follow the left edge of a meadow (for St Werburgh’s Church, turn left through a hedge gap), and go through a kissing gate onto a track.
1 of 6
Meet a lane, and turn left and almost immediately right through a kissing gate into a field. Keep ahead and through a kissing gate. Follow the left edge of two fields, then go through a kissing gate onto a fenced path. The next gate meets a footpath T-junction on a green lane (Brownhill Lane).
2 of 6
Go straight ahead through a gate. The right of way heads straight across the field, towards the right end of a very high wall (just to left of Wembury House, a late Georgian manor). Turn right alongside the wall, and pass through a kissing gate onto the lane.
3 of 6
Turn right along the lane. Where it bears right towards New Barton Farm, keep straight on through a gate onto National Trust land at Warren Point. Follow a stony track, Warren Lane.
4 of 6
Continue to nearly reach the coast and then at the cottage (footpath crossroads), turn right on the Coast Path.
5 of 6
At the next fork (the path ahead runs into the field by the church) bear left and follow the Coast Path to return to the starting point.
The parish of Wembury has an excellent network of well-maintained rights of way, giving all sorts of circular walk options. This route affords fantastic views over South Devon’s most beautiful estuary – the River Yealm, with views up Newton Creek, both popular with sailors – with a return along the... Coast Path. Long distance routes feature here too: the Devon Coast to Coast route – a combination of the Two Moors Way (102 miles/164km) and the Erme–Plym Trail (14 miles/22.5km) – meets the south coast at Wembury beach. The beach here is a great place for rock-pooling and spotting all manner of marine life. Information is available at the Marine Centre by the car park (open from Easter to the end of September, closed Mondays and Tuesday until May, then open from Tuesday–Sunday); entry is free, but donations are welcomed, and a variety of seasonal events take place, such as beach cleans and rockshore rambles. The foreshore at Wembury Point was formed over 400 million years ago, and is part of a European Special Area of Conservation for its flora and fauna. Several unusual species of fish, molluscs, worms and seaweeds have been recorded on the rocky reefs and wave-cut platforms. The church is situated in magical position above Blackstone Rocks, and it’s hardly surprising to learn that the 15th-century tower has been used by sailors as navigation landmark for hundreds of years. It’s thought that the present church stands on the site of a Saxon oratory, dating possibly from the 9th century and replaced by a Norman church in the 12th century.
Devon sums up all that is best about the British landscape, with its magnificent coastlines, two historic cities, the world-famous Dartmoor National Park and south Devon’s glorious English Riviera. A fashionable and much-loved holiday destination, hiking and cycling in the National Parks is extremely popular among visitors, with a great choice of off-road routes.
