DEVON
MAX MILES ON FOOT: 4.5 MIN TIME : 4 HOURS
Lush woodland and coast walking near Babbacombe Bay
This beautiful walk starts through majestic woodland, where lofty trees tower above sandstone outcrops and vertiginous drops that were once clay pits supplying the quality pottery market. The buzz of industry is long gone, replaced now by a rich avian soundscape. The woodland is teeming, and every part of this route was accompanied by the sound of Firecrest. Nearby farmland is managed for Cirl Bunting – you’d be unlucky not to spot them. It’s a walk of abundant birds and glorious views.
WHERE TO WATCH
1 Adjacent to the car park, the woodland of the Valley of Rocks in South Devon (there is another of the same name in North Devon) is a superb start to the walk. Look amongst ivy-clad trees for Firecrest. Masses of other species are here, too: Blue and Great Tits, Chaffinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jay, Nuthatch, Blackcap, Treecreeper – not rarities but good to see.
2 The John Musgrave Heritage Trail leads to the pretty hamlet of Maidencombe, recorded in the Domesday Book; one of the gardens is home to a 500-year-old Judas Tree, reputedly brought here from The Lebanon as a sapling and now preserved by the local council. Scan gardens and thatched roofs for Jackdaw, Wren, Dunnock, Collared Dove and the ubiquitous but nonetheless appealing Robin and Blackbird, with their uplifting songs. Listen for the ‘yaffle’ of Green Woodpecker in the open areas. Swallows will also be about in summer.
3 Follow the permissive path heading north through fields, then a footpath east towards Mackerel Cove. Scan hedges for Cirl Bunting. Kestrel and Raven are also
