Two Castles Trail - Stage 1 Westbound - Okehampton to Bridestowe - 7 miles

Walk Waypoints

1. 1
   
   When open start by passing through a gated courtyard by the Museum of Dartmoor Life and the Tourist Information Centre, following a path to the right hand side of the museum, through the car park onto Jacobs Pool, where you turn left. When closed, walk up George Street to the left of the White Hart Hotel.
2. 2
   
   Follow George Street and turn right into Castle Road.
3. 3
   
   Where the road bends right across the West Okement River, continue straight ahead on the path alongside the left bank of the river.
4. 4
   
   Pass through a gate into Old Town Park Local Nature Reserve, bearing left to climb the middle path through the woods, keeping left at two path junctions.
5. 5
   
   Turn right along a surfaced bridleway shared with traffic.
6. 6
   
   On reaching the golf course, take the path ahead across the golf course, taking care as you proceed. After 200m, as the gravel track turns sharply to the right, continue straight ahead along the path.
7. 7
   
   Leave the golf course at a metal gate, and follow the right edge of the field ahead.
8. 8
   
   On reaching the far corner of the field, follow the 'path' signs through a metal gate and through a farmyard, to join a surfaced lane beyond the farm.
9. 9
   
   When you reach the road turn left across the A30 road bridge.
10. 10
    
    Take the path to the rear of the parking area on the right, beside the A30. At a junction where a path goes to your right under the A30, keep straight ahead on the path towards the river.
11. 11
    
    Continue alongside the West Okement, cross the footbridge and climb the hill on the path bearing left.
12. 12
    
    Pass a gate, turn right onto a track past Meldon Farm.
13. 13
    
    Turn left when you reach a road. Pass under the railway bridge and continue ahead as the road soon becomes an unsurfaced green lane.
14. 14
    
    Passing through a gate, the lane widens out, then reaches the open moor through another gate with Sourton Tors ahead.
15. 15
    
    Follow the stone wall on the left, then bear away past an old granite gate post. As you climb the hill, after 45m, look out for the route along a grassy path to the right, running parallel with an old stone wall for most of its length. Follow this path straight across a junction of routes until you reach a shallow cutting on your right between two stone walls.
16. 16
    
    With Sourton Church ahead of you, take this path down between two parallel walls, leaving the moor and crossing the Granite Way on a track leading into the small village of Sourton.
17. 17 On reaching the road, follow the footpath alongside the road heading to your left.
18. 18
    
    At the end of the village, 30m past the bus stop, cross the road carefully and take the path next to the tall house, between two stone barns. Follow the track round to the left and through a gate into a field. Follow the track with the hedge on your right through two fields to a small barn. Cross the stile and continue ahead with the hedge to your left for two more fields. Cross the stile, and head straight across the next two fields to another stile before continuing with the hedge on your left for another three fields to arrive at a lane.
19. 19
    
    At this point, the West Devon Way and the Two Castles Trail diverge. The Two Castles Trail turns right at this lane. Follow the lane to the village of Bridestowe.
20. 20
    
    This stage ends in the village of Bridestowe, or to carry on with the next stage of the Two Castles Trail, turn left and follow the road out of the village.