A walk to the Hydro Turbine at Castle Drogo
Take a gentle walk down to Castle Drogo's Hydro Turbine on the River Teign to find out more about how it works. It was built over 100 years ago to supply electricity to the castle and it still does to this day to the visitor centre.
Near to
Castle DrogoStart point
Castle Drogo, grid ref: SX721900Trail information
Total stages: 12
Total stages: 12
Start point
Castle Drogo, grid ref: SX721900
Stage 1
From the car park walk out of the car park and up the driveway towards the start of the Teign Gorge walks.
Stage 2
At the orange information board turn right and then walk downhill, following the sign marked Hunter's Path. You will then walk down two flights of steps.
Stage 3
On Hunter's Path turn right where you'll see some great views over Dartmoor and down into the gorge.
Stage 4
You'll now have reached a gateway onto a road: turn left to follow the road downhill. After a short while bear left to follow the footpath down to the Iron Bridge. You will have passed a house called Gibb House (private) to get onto the footpath. Continue on this footpath until you reach the Iron Bridge.
Stage 5
Once you've reached the Iron Bridge please walk over it and climb up the steep steps to cross over the medieval wall (which was built in around 1560 to contain a herd of fallow deer).
Stage 6
Once you've climbed over the medieval deer wall, turn left to walk along the track until you reach a gate.
Stage 7
At the gate please open it and bear to the left to walk to the Hydro Turbine.
Stage 8
You've now reached the Hydro Turbine. This building was finished in 1927 and produced electricity for the castle up until 1994. In 2017 it was restored so that it once again utilises the power of the river. Today the power is used by the visitor centre with any excess being used to heat boilers. It is open on selected days throughout the year, details of which can be found on the Castle Drogo website. You can now return the same way that you came. Or, for a longer route follow the Teign Gorge circular walk.
Stage 9
Turn right to walk over the medieval wall and down the steps to cross the Iron Bridge.
Stage 10
Once you have crossed the Iron Bridge, continue uphill to reach the tarmac road and continue until you reach the waymarker which points right towards Castle Drogo.
Stage 11
Once you've reached the waymarker which points right towards Castle Drogo go through the gate and walk along the track (called Hunter's Path).
Stage 12
Once you reach the same set of steps that you came down, please walk up these to return to the Castle Drogo car park.
End point
Castle Drogo, grid ref: SX721900
Trail map
Map of the Hydro Turbine walk at Castle Drogo | © Crown copyright and database rights 2013 Ordnance Survey
More near here
Piddledown Common walk
Enjoy a visually memorable walk from Castle Drogo that overlooks the dramatic Teign Gorge and takes in a variety of flora, including oak trees and wildflowers.
Teign Gorge classic circuit
Follow the breathtaking Hunters Path high above the river Teign for chances to spot wildlife and stunning views. The path then drops down into the beautiful woodland as you follow the river back to Castle Drogo.
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