We recently visited the Mid Devon area around Cadeleigh. As we were staying locally, we thought we’d take the opportunity to explore some of the walks nearby.

After a little research, we found a walk close by that we could do with some friends who were with us on this occasion – including the real star of our walk, a four-legged friend called Ralph. 🐾

The walk took us through quiet Devon lanes, countryside, farmland and the small hamlet of Little Silver, with plenty of ups and downs along the way. There were some fantastic views across the surrounding countryside too.

It wasn’t quite the walk we had originally planned, though, as we came across a few access problems along the route. More on that later!

🥾 At a glance

📍 Location: Cadeleigh, Mid Devon
📏 Distance: Approximately 5.33 miles
🥾 Terrain: Country lanes, tracks, fields and footpaths
⛰️ Hills: Several steep sections, including around Visitor’s Hill
👟 Footwear: Sensible walking footwear recommended
🌦️ Conditions: We visited in dry weather
⚠️ Route note: Our planned route was diverted due to access issues on the day

Highlights of the walk 🌳

There were plenty of things to enjoy along the way.

One of the little surprises was Chapel Cottage, a former chapel that has since been converted into a residential property. Just outside, built into the bank, is a small graveyard, which made for an interesting and slightly unexpected sight as we passed.

The walk was certainly up and down, but the climbs were rewarded with some lovely views across the Devon countryside.

One of our favourite sights was a distant field where a group of cows had gathered together in a near-perfect circle. They looked as though they were having some sort of countryside meeting! 🐄

There was also plenty of the usual Devon countryside wildlife and farm life to spot along the way, including squirrels.

And, of course, there was Ralph, who seemed to be enjoying the walk just as much as the rest of us. 🐶

A downside to the walk

On this occasion, we were a little disappointed that we couldn’t complete the exact route we had planned.

At one point, a gate had been tied shut, preventing access along the public right of way. We also came across an electric fence that had been erected across the footpath. With cattle in the field and a sign warning “Bull in field!”, we certainly weren’t going to risk trying to get underneath it.

Further along our amended route, the track was partly blocked by farm vehicles. This meant we had to make our way through an area covered in manure – not quite the scenic countryside experience we had hoped for!

It was frustrating, particularly as the original route looked as though it would have taken us through a wood before climbing back towards Cadeleigh. However, there wasn’t much choice, so we adapted the walk and carried on.

The Cadeleigh walk

Our walk started in the centre of the small village of Cadeleigh, near the Cadeleigh Arms pub.

From here, we took the road opposite, heading down Burnbridge Hill. Along this section we passed St Bartholomew’s C of E Church, a lovely 15th-century church.

We continued downhill until reaching Back Lane, a track on our right which climbed back up before eventually coming out onto Farleigh Back Road.

This was a fairly enclosed section, with dense hedges and vegetation on either side. At one point, we had to limbo underneath a fallen tree! There were also a few gaps in the hedge where we could catch glimpses down into the valley to the south.

We continued along the narrow road before turning right and joining Coombe Lane, heading east back towards Cadeleigh. This section was a little busier in terms of traffic, so some care was needed.

As we reached Cadeleigh, we took a left turn into Visitor’s Hill. We passed the village hall, a farm and a few houses as we made our way down the lane.

The road is quite steep in places, reaching around 25% as it approaches the hamlet of Little Silver. It was certainly a good downhill section – at this point we didn’t know that we’d eventually have to come back up it!

Around this point, we spotted Chapel Cottage, the delightful converted chapel with the small graveyard built into the bank outside.

We continued through Little Silver, passing some beautiful period cottages, before starting to climb uphill again.

After a while, we reached a public footpath on the left and followed this until we reached a track off to the right.

The track climbed gradually, with some far-reaching views across the fields and hillsides to the right. It was here that we spotted our unusual group of cows in the distance.

They had gathered together in a field and formed what looked like a circle. They genuinely looked as though they were having a meeting! 🐄

We carried on along this section until reaching a road with a couple of junctions. We went left onto the road and then left again towards Well Town.

We continued until the end of the road, where we took the public right of way through a field.

This was where things didn’t quite go according to plan.

At the other side of the field, we reached a gate that had been strapped shut, stopping us from continuing along the planned route. As we couldn’t use the gate, we had to climb over into the track on the other side.

At this point, our journey should have continued along the right of way between West Ridge and East Ridge. Unfortunately, an electric fence had been erected across the route, preventing us from continuing.

We could perhaps have gone underneath the wire, but there were cows in the field and, more importantly, a sign warning “Bull in field!”. That was enough to make the decision for us!

We were disappointed to have to stop here, particularly as beyond this field we would have gone through a wood and then continued climbing towards our finish in Cadeleigh.

There was no option but to head east along the track.

Before we could do that, however, we had to navigate our way past some farm vehicles that were partly blocking the track. This meant making our way through an area covered in cow manure.

Let’s just say it wasn’t quite the Devon countryside experience we’d had in mind!

Nevertheless, we eventually continued, with lovely Ralph leading the way. 🐾

It was still a pleasant forced diversion, and from here the route descended along the hedge line towards Little Silver.

Ralph even spotted some squirrels along the way – which seemed to make the diversion worthwhile for him!

Eventually, we reached a section of the route we’d already walked earlier, coming out next to one of the lovely little cottages we had passed before.

The only thing left to do was walk all the way back up Visitor’s Hill – and, as we’d already walked the 25% section downhill, we now had the pleasure of tackling it in the opposite direction!

As we neared the top of the hill, we came across a track emerging from the right, opposite the village hall.

This was where our walk would have rejoined the original route had we not been diverted. We decided to take a short walk up the track/driveway just to have a look at where we should have come through.

Ralph was very pleased that we did.

He was very excited to have made a new four-legged friend! 🐶

From here, it was only a short walk back to the finish near the local public house.

Our thoughts on the Cadeleigh walk

Despite the problems with access and having to alter the planned route, we still enjoyed our walk around Cadeleigh and Little Silver in Mid Devon.

The countryside was lovely, there were some great views and plenty to see along the way. The blocked sections were frustrating, but sometimes that’s part of exploring rural Devon – particularly when you’re walking through working farmland.

The walk also gave us plenty of memorable moments, from the cows apparently holding their countryside meeting to negotiating the farm vehicles and manure!

And, naturally, Ralph enjoyed himself.

Would we do it again? We’d certainly be interested in returning and seeing whether the original route is accessible, particularly as we didn’t get to experience the section through the wood.

Walk details 🥾

Location: Cadeleigh, Mid Devon
Distance: Approximately 5.33 miles
Terrain: Country lanes, tracks, fields and footpaths
Footwear: Sensible walking footwear recommended
Conditions: We were lucky that it was dry when we visited

The route is quite hilly in places, so be prepared for some steep sections, particularly around Visitor’s Hill.

Important: Our route was changed because of access issues encountered on the day, including a gate that had been secured and an electric fence across the planned route. Conditions and access can change, particularly on working farmland, so always follow signs and respect livestock and land management.

Overall, it was an enjoyable Devon countryside walk, even if it didn’t quite go to plan!

And Ralph? He’d probably give it four paws out of four. 🐾