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Arlington Court Coombeshead valley walk
This walk through woodland and fields takes you to the top of Coombeshead for rewarding views across the wider estate, then down the
valley, with different options for your route back to Arlington Court. Along the way, you'll pass a working Grade II listed farm and get a
chance to spot Exmoor ponies and wild red deer.
Information
Address: Arlington Court, Arlington, Near Barnstaple,
Devon EX31 4LP
OS map: Explorer OL9, Landranger 180
Activity: Walking
Moderate: The route is on footpaths through woodland
and fields. For further details, see Terrain section.
Dog friendly: Dogs are welcome but must be kept on a
short lead as there may be livestock in some of the
fields along the route. The Vine Café at Arlington Court
is dog-friendly.
Full trail: Miles: 3.6 (km: 5.76)
Short trail: Miles: 1.5 (km: 2.4)
Access: Challenging
Duration: 1 hour - 2 hours 30 mins
Terrain
The walk follows footpaths around the estate, through
woodland and fields, with both uphill and downhill
sections and some muddy areas.
Total steps: 7
Start point: Old Kitchen Tea-room, grid ref: SS611405
1. From the tea-room, follow signs through the garden to the Carriage Museum. By the
Granary Lodge building, look out for wooden signs with a pink arrow directing you to
Coombeshead. Walk up the track past a wooden garage on your right and bear right
through woodland to emerge next to the Sawmill building.
2. Walk uphill with the Sawmill building on your left and follow the track as it narrows and
goes past a farmyard entrance on your right. Do not enter the farmyard. Just after the
farmyard you'll see a kissing gate to your right, set slightly back from the track, with a
pink arrow directing you across the field along a stoned track.
3. At Barton Court, go over the stile directly in front of you and follow the signs to take
you across the next field, heading for the gate straight ahead. Go through the gate into
a small band of woodland, before emerging back into the fields again. There may be
cows or horses in these next few fields.
4. Keeping the hedge on your left, walk through the first field following the pink markers.
After you've passed through a gateway in the hedge, head diagonally to the right across
the second field until you reach a gate that opens on to a farm track. Follow the track,
making sure to close all the gates behind you, until you find yourself in the farmyard.
This is Coombeshead Farm, managed by one of our tenant farmers.
5. In the middle of the farmyard. you'll see a tall pink arrow directing you to the right.
Follow this track around and uphill, passing an old millpond, and continue in the
direction of another pink arrow pointing along the edge of the field.
6. You should now be standing at a stile looking down a steep valley or coombe, where
you may see some wild Exmoor ponies grazing. Follow the steep steps down the hill
until you reach a gate into the woodland on your left.
7. Follow the track downhill through the woods until you reach a junction of paths. From
here you can choose to return by one of the other coloured walking routes. Following
the green arrows is the shortest route back to Arlington Court and will take you uphill
to the Carriage Museum. Following the blue arrows in reverse will take you along the
valley to Tucker's Bridge. From there you can follow signs to the lake or Arlington
Court, bringing you back on a longer but well-surfaced route.
End point: Arlington Court woodland, crossroad of paths, grid ref: SS614396