We found a description of the Middle Dart Valley walk on the Visit Dartmoor site. We did not do the full walk as described. (We didn’t want to pay the unexpected £7 to walk through the Dartington estate and the cider press center didn’t sound very interesting.) The first day we walked to Dartington Hall and back. The second day we explored the wildlife area near the river.
The path begins in Totnes, behind the railway station. Some parts are paved, some are gravel. It’s all dual purpose walking and cycling. It’s level and easy walking. When you reach the estate you follow a sidewalk alongside the entrance road.
On our second day we split off the entrance road onto a dirt path that goes closer to the river. That too was easy walking, though probably sloppy when wet.
The path follows the river for the first stretch, past sandbars that appear and disappear with the tide. We saw lots of shorebirds and people kayaying, stand up paddleboarding, and even swimming.
This is Dartington Lodge, at the entrance to the estate. You turn here to follow the road.
Dartington Hall was restored in the 20th century. The estate has gardens, walks, cafes and a pub, even rooms.
What brought us back for a second day was the mandarin duck. We got a good enough look the first day to see what it was, but no good photos. So we came back the second day and were lucky enough to see it again.
There’s a shelter just beyond the lodge from which you can watch for birds. It has signs describing some of the locals, including the mandarin (bottom center).
We also saw less exotic wildlife, like mallards and squirrels. And some grebes, that are exotic to us at least.
We also saw some interesting trees, with holes, giant pom poms, and twisted bark. It was a pretty and pleasant walk, and I envy people who get to do it every day if they want.
