GPS Cycle and Walking Routes

Appledore Walks

6 miles (10 km)

This pretty Devon village is located at the mouth of the River Torridge, near the towns of Barnstaple and Bideford. There's nice walks along the river and along the estuaries of both the Taw and Torridge to the north of the village. This circular walk follows the South West Coast Path along the estuary to the nearby Northam Burrows Country Park where there are miles of nice trails and fine views of the coast to enjoy.
Start the walk from the pretty quay in Appledore and head north along the river to West Appledore. The path bends round to the west towards Northam Burrows and the Royal Devon Golf Club. In the park you will find over 600 acres of grassy coastal plain, salt marsh and sand dunes. The trail heads round the coast toward the visitor centre on the western side. Here you'll pass Sandymere before picking up a country lane taking you to Pampley Bridge and Appledore Bridge. From here you can pick up the coast path to take you back into Appledore. You could extend the walk by continuig south from Northam Burrows to visit the attractive seaside village of Westward Ho.
A summer ferry runs to Instow on the opposite side of the river. Here you can pick up the popular Tarka Trail and follow it south to Great Torrington. The historic town is well worth a visit with a number of listed buildings, riverside trails and a splendid viewpoint on Castle Hill to enjoy.
If you head north east along the Tarka Trail you can visit Barnstaple where there's paths along the River Taw and the interesting Barnstaple Heritage Trail to try.
To the north of the village, on the opposite side of the estuary, you will find the lovely Braunton Burrows. The reserve covers nearly 900 hectares making it the second largest dune system in England.

Appledore OS Map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking

Appledore Open Street Map - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Walks near Appledore

  • Northam Burrows Country Park - Explore over 600 acres of grassy coastal plain, salt marsh, sand dunes and grasslands in this coastal country park in Devon
  • Tarka Trail - This wonderful walk through Devon follows the path taken by Tarka the Otter in the book of that name
  • Braunton Burrows - This circular walk explores the expansive sand dune system of a beautiful nature reserve on the North Devon Coast
  • Westward Ho - Westward Ho! is a lovely seaside village in North Devon with a nice beach and some great coastal walking
  • Codden Hill - This circular walk climbs to Codden Hill from the village of Bishop's Tawnton in North Devon
  • Bideford - This attractive North Devon town has some lovely walks along the estuary of the River Torridge
  • Great Torrington - This attractive historic town in Devon is a lovely place to explore on foot
  • Instow - This delightful Devon village sits in a lovely spot where the rivers Taw and Torridge meet
  • Crow Point - This walk visits the Crow Point Lighthouse near the town of Braunton on the North Devon coast
  • Westward Ho to Clovelly - This walk follows a popular section of the South West Coast Path from Westward Ho to Clovelly on the North Devon Coast.

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

Just to the south of nearby Barnstaple you can enjoy a climb to the viewpoint on Codden Hill from the village of Bishop's Tawton. Here you'll find the monument to Caroline Thorpe, wife of local MP Jeremy Thorpe who became embroiled in the Thorpe scandal of the 1970s. There's also some splendid views over the area and waterside trails along the pretty Venn Stream to enjoy.

Photos

An anchor at Appledore - geograph.org.uk - 1354801

An anchor on a defensive harbour wall at Appledore, Instow can be seen in the background on the far side of the River Torridge.

A Steep Street in Appledore - geograph.org.uk - 347153

A Steep Street in Appledore. Seafaring folk once occupied these humble cottages, but they are now popular with holidaymakers and second home owners in the picturesque seaside town of Appledore.

Appledore - River Torridge (geograph 4018717)

Appledore : River Torridge

Appledore Quay (geograph 3950367)

Appledore Quay

Northam Burrows - geograph.org.uk - 747207

 Northam Burrows. A large spit jutting out north at the entrance to the Torridge/Taw estuary. This is access land sharing with the Royal North Devon Golf Club.

Northam Burrows - geograph.org.uk - 31628

Northam Burrows. Rough coastal grassland grazed by horses.

Northam Burrows - geograph.org.uk - 1302878

Northam Burrows. The access land covers the grazing land for horses and sheep, as well as the Royal North Devon Golf Club. In the distance is Westward Ho!

The beach at Northam Burrows - geograph.org.uk - 1394288

The beach at Northam Burrows

GPS Files

GPX File

Appledore.gpx (On Desktop:Right Click>'Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold>Share>Save to Files')

Memory Map Route

Appledore.mmo (On Desktop:Right Click>'Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold >Share>Save to Files)