Medium difficulty. Distance 5 miles (8 km)
A constantly undulating walk through typical Blackdown Hills scenery. Most of the route is on footpaths and bridleways, with small sections of quiet lanes.
The route is described from the starting point of the town centre.
Start at The Guildhall (Town Hall, Tourist info, building with a portico),Walk up the Fore Street then up High Street (pavement all the way) passing the museum and John Stringfellow’s house (121 High Street). Just beyond this turn left on the footpath (path starts opposite Snowdon Cottage Lane), through a quaint little turnstile. Cross a lane and continue on a path through Snowdon Park. After the park the path follows the edge of fields and runs adjacent to houses. (Do not take on right path uphill which passes next to the farm buildings) Through a gate turn left and almost immediately right up a track behind houses (just before path joining from Brutton Way). At a field boundary, with a stile at the left, turn right (before the path joining from Alun Rees Way) up a wide path along the field edge, with a hedge on your left. At the top, by some trees, you come to Bounds Lane. Turn left.
After 50 metres a footpath on the right gives a choice of directions. Take the left options, heading diagonally across the field and then along its edge. At the top of the field go left then right, still with a hedge on your left. In the dip, look for a stile on the left. Cross it and walk to the bottom of the field and meet a wide stony track. Turn right. After a while the track rises to a junction on the bend of a road. Keep ahead and ignore a right turn. This road bends right then left and takes you downhill. At the bottom of the hill there is a footpath on the right, signposted to Wambrook, 1 mile away.
Go through a gate and across the field, enjoying the view on the left. Pick up a more pronounced track which bears right, uphill, to another gate beside a small area of woodland. Just beyond the gate, the path splits. Take the left hand option, downhill. At a concrete farm path turn right then immediately left up a stony track. At a T-junction of paths at the top, turn left and follow this bridleway to a road. Turn left for just a short distance into Wambrook, where you will find a little medieval church and an inn.
There are several possible return routes. This is the shortest, but if you would like a longer walk, the map shows a number of lanes and paths from which to choose.
Retrace your steps up the lane. At the top, beyond the bends, look for footpaths on your right (the sign is not obvious). Take the left option, which maintains the same line as the lane. The route crosses the field to a signpost, just to the right of a small windblown tree. However, there is also a wide hedge side alternative. Cross a lane to another footpath. The hedge is on your left, then after a gate, on your right. With a large tree in front of you, bear left along the field edge. The path dips, then rises to meet another path. Here you turn right to turn back down to the town, emerging between houses back on to the Honiton Road.
