Walks From Tavistock: The Canal, the Tavy and the Moor

Short answer: The canal and River Tavy paths start at the Meadows and are flat, free and good in any weather. Lydford Gorge is the dramatic one — two car parks, two loops, steep and rocky. For open moor, Bellever Forest is the sheltered way in at £5 all-day parking.

From the Meadows, on the flat

The Tavistock Canal and the River Tavy both run past the Meadows, and the paths beside them are level and start in the town. No car, no parking charge, no gradient. It is the walk to do if the weather is uncertain or if anyone in the group would rather not commit to the moor.

Lydford Gorge

What it is

The deepest gorge in the South West, with the Devil's Cauldron whirlpool at one end and the White Lady waterfall at the other. It is National Trust and there is an admission charge unless you are a member.

The practical bit

There are two car parks and two loops, so decide which end you want before you drive. It is steep and rocky, the paths are narrow with drops, and it is not suitable for buggies or anyone unsteady underfoot. In wet weather the rock is slippery and the waterfall is at its best — those two facts arrive together.

Buckland Abbey

Francis Drake's house, twenty minutes south, with gardens and woodland walks and partial wheelchair access. It is the gentler option and works when the moor is socked in, which in winter is often.

Onto Dartmoor

Bellever Forest is the sheltered introduction — forestry tracks, wild ponies, river swimming in summer and £5 all-day parking. Open moor is free to access anywhere, but the car parks at the popular points fill early and the weather changes fast enough to catch out people who set off in sunshine.

What to take

• Waterproofs whatever the forecast in the town says. The moor makes its own weather.
• Boots with grip for the gorge; the rock is polished and wet most of the year.
• An offline map — signal is poor across most of the moor.
• More time than the distance suggests. The lanes are slow and the ground is wet.