Walking at Arlington Court

Family walking under a tree in the woods at Arlington Court, Devon, with the sun shining from behind them — Exploring the woods at Arlington Court, Devon | © National Trust Images/John Millar

Rosalie Chichester bequeathed the Arlington estate with the desire that visitors could enjoy Devon’s outdoor landscapes. Today there are many walks on offer at Arlington Court, with over 20 miles of footpaths, ranging from easy strolls to more demanding stomps. Click on the title of each walk to find out more or view the route.

Lake walk

Get closer to nature at the bird hide and heronry on the lake walk. This is our most popular and established walk around the designed landscape of Arlington Court, created by the Chichester family over three generations, including carriage drives to view the best of the estate.

Start: From the tea-room, walk down the tarmac road, following the signs to the lake and wider estate. At the gates with herons on the top, keep left and follow the track down through the Monkey Puzzle Avenue.

Follow: The red arrows

Difficulty: Easy

Length: 1.8 miles

Deer Park walk

These lovely creatures are best seen on a misty autumn morning stroll. This walk takes you through ancient woodland and parts of the area designated a wildlife reserve by Miss Rosalie Chichester, the last owner of Arlington Court.

Start: From the tea-room, follow signs through the garden to the Stables and Carriage Museum. At the gate leading up to the stable yard, look out for the wooden signs with green arrows that direct you to Deerpark Wood. Walk up the track and bear right through a bit of woodland to emerge next to the Sawmill building.

Follow: The green arrows

Difficulty: Moderate

Length: 3 miles

A herd of red deer at Lyme Park — Look out for the red deer who visit the estate | © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

Centenary walk

While this may be a steep climb, it’s worth it for the stunning views. The parkland is particularly magnificent in winter when there are no leaves on the trees. Created in our centenary year, 1995, this walk is designed to show you the views of the house and parkland that you would have enjoyed had you entered the estate in your carriage at Woolley Lodge.

Start: From the tea-room, walk down the tarmac road, following the orange signs to the lake and wider estate. At the gates with herons on the top, keep left and follow the track down through the Monkey Puzzle Avenue.

Difficulty: Challenging

Length: 2.8 miles

Winford Valley walk

This is an ideal spring walk – it’s best around May – when the bluebells in Deer Park Wood are at their best.

Start: Begin from the tea-room, follow the purple way mark signs. Head along the drive towards the old lake and wider estate. At the gate with herons on top, turn right onto the road, then turn left down the road, past Home Farm.

Difficulty: Easy

Length: 2 miles

Family walking in the grounds of Arlington Court with two dogs — Exploring the grounds at Arlington Court, Devon | © National Trust Images/John Millar

Coombeshead walk

The Coombeshead valley provides a good walk, with rewarding views across the wider estate. The walk travels across fields, some of which may contain livestock, so whilst dogs are welcome on the walk, please keep them on a short lead. The route also goes through a working farmyard, so please shut all gates along the way. The path may be muddy in places.

Start: From the tea-room, follow signs through the garden to the Carriage Museum. By the Granary building look out for wooden signs with a pink arrow to direct you to Coombeshead.

Follow: The pink arrows

Difficulty: Moderate

Length: 1.5 miles

Loxhore Cott and Webber's Wood walk

This walk takes you through ancient woodland and parts of the area designated a wildlife reserve by Miss Rosalie Chichester. The route partly follows the route taken by the Court Canter, the annual 10km run organised by the North Devon Road Runners.

Start: From the tea-room, follow signs to the Carriage Museum. Before you reach the church, the path goes right and past the Wilderness Pond. From here, head down into the Wilderness. Follow the track down the hill for about 440yd (400m) and take the left-hand fork down a steep slope to a gate.

Difficulty: Moderate

Length: 5 miles