Gara Point walk
A strenuous but rewarding walk round the wilder side of the Yealm estuary, from Gara Point to Noss Mayo, taking in a combination of Victorian history and wildlife along the way.
Map
Start:
National Trust car park at Warren, grid ref: SX541465
1
From the car park take the track until it joins the coast path, then turn right. You're now walking along Revelstoke Drive (also known as Nine Mile). Looking east you'll see the Gunrow signal station, while directly below you is Blackstone Point, a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Continue west along the path, enjoying views over Wembury Bay towards Plymouth Sound, and pass through two gates beside Warren Cottage. Once the home of the Membland Estate warrener, it was later rebuilt as a summerhouse and luncheon stop for carriage parties; Lord Revelstoke entertained the future King Edward VII here. If you want to explore secluded Warren beach, and perhaps spot a seal, take the steep path on the left after the second gate (recommended for agile walkers only), otherwise stay on the coast path.
Revelstoke Drive
Admire the Membland Estate carriageway, laid down by Edward Baring, which continues east along the cliffs as far as Beacon Hill. Along the drive there are several carriage walls built to prevent the horses from plunging into the sea on sharp bends.
2
Follow the path until you're above Gara Point. Continue around the headland, passing paths leading down to Gara Point, and an alternative route to Cellars Beach via Greylake Cove. The panoramic view extends from Rame Head in the west, past the Mewstone, Wembury Point, St Werburgh Church, Season Point at the mouth of the Yealm and east to Newton Ferrers.
Gara Point
The slopes here have been grazed by sheep for centuries and annual swaling (burning) of gorse ensures that there's a mix of young and old scrub, with corridors of maritime grassland an ideal habitat for scarce wild flowers such as autumn squill, ladys tresses and slender birds-foot trefoil, as well as common centaury, wild thyme and kidney vetch. A disused lookout stands on the Points lower slopes, and on clear days you can see the Eddystone lighthouse 16 miles out to sea, with its 199,000-candela light flashing twice every ten seconds.
3
Follow the path through Brakehill Plantation, a 19th-century woodland of ash, chestnut, sycamore, beech and gnarled oaks. Continue on past the former coastguard cottages. To visit the old fishing cove of Cellars beach (recommended for agile walkers only), take the path on the left just after you reach Battery Cottage.
Wildlife in Brakehill Plantation
Our policy of selective felling allows light to penetrate the leaf canopy. Felled trees are left as habitat for insects and fungi; look for orange tip butterflies and birds such as treecreepers, woodpeckers and nuthatches.
4
Continue along the road into Passage Wood (the path left leads down through woods and along the riverbank to the ferry and village). Turn right at the signposted path to Stoke (for a longer walk, keep on the road to Noss Mayo and the seasonal ferry) and climb the very steep hill, pausing occasionally to take in the views up the River Yealm to Warren Point and Newton Ferrers. Part way up the hill go through the gate on your left and into Piece Plantation, a willow woodland, where withies (willow stems) were once cut for thatching, basketry and crab pots. Go over a small bridge and up some steps to reach a stile.
Woodland alongside the River Yealm
We look after the woodland by controlling the spread of rhododendrons, allowing plants like hazel and holly to flourish. Local oak from the woodland is used for posts, rails, benches and signposts.
5
Turn right, following the track to Worswell Farm (left leads to Noss Mayo). The farmhouse dates back to the 17th century, but the farm is much older, and is mentioned in the 1087 Domesday Book. At the junction turn left and follow the lane, with its views of the coast and Dartmoor, until you reach the car park.
End:
National Trust car park at Warren, grid ref: SX541465
