Circular dog walk from Galmpton Torbay toward Greenway
Picturesque dog walk starting from Galmpton, Torbay
Galmpton is a village in Torbay that sits nestled between Paignton and Brixham and is surrounded by stunning countryside. For all but a short distance at the start of the walk and the end of the walk your dog will be able to run free.
I don't believe there are any public car parks in Galmpton, as it's a fairly small place, but there are usually places to park along the main road as you come into the village.
The walk, if taking it fairly gently, takes around a couple of hours and covers around 3½–4 miles.
If you stay on the road that takes you into Galmpton it quite quickly takes you out again onto a lane that leads on towards Greenway Gardens. Please note that Greenway Gardens is a National Trust property with only very limited parking which is only available to visitors that pre-book their parking space.
This lane out of Galmpton toward Greenway is the place at which our walk starts.
As you head up the lane away from Galmpton (toward Greenway), you should keep your dog on a lead as cars come along quite often and the lane is fairly narrow at that point. Within a few minutes you'll reach the top of the short incline and you'll need to turn left into Kennel Lane — you should start to notice the small signposts labelled as “Greenway Walk” from this point.
Greenway Walk
The signs for the Greenway Walk will keep you on the right track. Although on this walk we don't actually visit Greenway you could quite easily do so.
Continue a short way up Kennel Lane and you'll go over the railway line. As you get to the other side of the railway, just after the garden on the right, where you'll see large enclosures for feathered friends, you'll encounter a public bridleway.
Continuing along the bridleway you'll pass a farm on your left (where a sign on a gate says fresh manure is availble to buy!).
As you leave the farm behind the bridleway narrows into a proper country lane and the ground gets rougher as you go on. The lane bears round to the left and it becomes clear that tractors are the main traffic up and down the lane as it winds its way between the fields on either side.
At this point I usually let Daisy off the lead. From here, assuming you're walking at an easy pace you should find your four-legged friend gets a good hour or so to achieve some very important sniffing!
The ground begins to rise from here, gently at first, before dropping down to the foot of what is quite a steep incline up to the top of the hill. There's a small stream running across the lane near the bottom at which point your dog will no doubt have a good slurp. And then it's onwards and upwards.
As you approach the top of the hill you'll find yourself at a junction and will need to bear round to the right and soon you'll crest the top of the hill.
Views toward Torbay
Once at the top of the hill, glancing to your right, through the hedge, you'll see fine views across the fields to Torbay and, if it's a clear day, on to Torquay. On a fine day this view is really lovely but the best is yet to come!
Moving on after a short stretch you'll come to a gate which leads into a field. Keep to the right of the field and again admire the views. As you enter the field the hedge drops away off to the right and opens up another couple of views — to your right you'll again see Torbay but ahead of you the River Dart meanders off upstream toward Totnes.
The track leads straight on down the side of the field and at the gate turn right onto a pathway. This might be a good time to put your dog back on the lead as there are a number of houses and farm buildings around and although quiet there's always the risk of traffic.
Follow the lane around to the left and you'll see signs for Maypool. Continue straight on down the footpath, passing a youth hostel on the left, and you'll come to a large gate which is the start of National Trust lands.
Views toward Dartmouth
As you enter the field through the gate you can't help but admire the view. If you happen to be walking in very nice weather it's breathtaking. Somehow each time we've done this walk we've managed to be lucky enough to enjoy great weather. Even on a grey day I'd imagine the view to be lovely but it's a real treat if you can place an order for blue skies and sunshine.
As you look to your left the field drops away steeply to reveal a picture postcard view of the River Dart with Kingswear and Dartmouth off in the distance. The river winds its way along its course between thickly wooded hillsides with so many different hues of green that it's difficult to imagine.
This view, is for me, reason enough to do the walk, in and of itself.
There's a bench in the field and this is a great place for a picnic. There's also information about the various things you can see further down the river which offers a glimpse into the past activities of the inhabitants of that part of the river in times gone by.
When you're ready to move on, just past the bench, there are a couple of gates that lead into another field. There's a sign here that says livestock could be in the field so make sure you have close control of your dog. You should keep to the track which takes you up to the crest of the hill.
Views toward Dittisham
There's another idyllic view to be had there at the top of the field. As you turn to your left you'll see the village of Dittisham on the opposite bank of the river.
Walking on down the other side of the field, with woodland on your right, you'll come to a signpost. If you fancy a trip to Greenway or a trip across the river to Dittisham (where you'll find a couple of pubs and a cafe) you should turn left. In my case my daughters are always complaining that they're tired and that “walking's boring” by this point so turning right takes us back toward Galmpton Village.
Going through another gate following the track takes you down through a small wood. At the bottom it runs parallel to the road which is where you'll shortly emerge from the wood.
Back to Galmpton
As you emerge from the wood you'll find it's all road back to Galmpton so it's back onto the lead for Rex because the best part's over with. Keep walking along the road and you'll pass some holiday chalets on your left before reaching the place where you crossed the railway line when starting out — keep striaght on and you'll soon arrive back in the village.