Our favourite coastal walking routes
View from Overbecks
East Soar Farm to Overbecks
3.75 miles - East Soar National Trust car park, grid ref SX713375
o Drive to East Soar Farm, Malborough, TQ7 3DR.
o From the car park, go through the gate to the left of East Soar Farm. From there follow the signposts for Overbeck's.
o Follow the track that borders the former RAF Bolt Head airstrip until it bends round to the right, where you'll see a gate and signpost.
o Pass through the gate and cross the fields heading towards the next gate.
o After the gate, turn left and then right, continuing to follow the signs for Overbecks.
o Keep walking down the hedgerow path until you reach a stile and gate. Cross the stile, go through the gate and walk straight ahead, following the woodland path.
o As you turn the corner you should see several tree stumps; if you stand on these, you can just see the sub-tropical garden at Overbecks below and the view across to Salcombe beyond.
o The walk finishes outside the Overbeck's entrance gates.
Salcombe - Gara Rock
3.5 miles - Salcombe, East Portlemouth to Gara Rock.
Beautifully located Gara Rock Hotel, open to non-residents for a drink, lunch, or tea. Be mindful of ferry times for return trip.
o Park in Salcombe and get the passenger ferry across to East Portlemouth at the ferry Pier in Salcombe, 200m beyond Whitestrand along Fore St, where it runs from 1st March-31st October or Whitestrand Pontoon, 1st November-1st March.
o At the top of the steps from the jetty turn right along the road or if the tide allows, walk along the beach to Mill Bay.
o At Mill Bay bear right, signposted ‘Gara Rock 2½ m’. Ignore both a left turn signed ‘Top Path to Gara Rock’ and a left fork for the beach and follow the ‘acorn’ waymarkers along the coast path.
o When you reach the ‘Gara Rock’ waymarker, bear left and head up to the small round white lookout post. Pass in front of the lookout, through the gate, and turn left signed ‘Mill Bay 1¼ m’.
o Follow the lane leading inland. After 200m turn left onto public footpath.
o Cross straight over the field ahead where you drop down to a track, cross over and down bridleway, following blue waymarker arrows.
o At Mill Bay, turn right and retrace your steps along the road to the jetty, and the ferry back to Salcombe.
o Please note the last ferry times do vary, so be sure to confirm this when you get off the ferry.
Snapes Point
3.5 miles starting at Shadycombe Car Park Salcombe (or 2.75 miles starting at Snapes car park, grid ref SX738403.)
o From the Creek car park in Salcombe turn right down Gould Rd. Continue past Boat Park and along creek to Batson.
o At head of creek at Batson, turn right up lane signed as ‘No Through Road’.
o At the creek head by Snapes Manor, turn left through kissing gate up footpath.
o Footpath leads around back of manor house and up old green lane.
o At the top, turn right signed ‘Snapes Point’. Alternatively, for shorter walk, turn left and follow old carriageway up to National Trust car park. Turn left there along road, joining ‘Alternative’ route below.
o Follow carriageway downhill. As you near the creek, turn left following sign for Snapes Point. Walk up to viewpoint at knoll, and over brow to follow waymarker arrow along path which drops down to follow field edges above creek.
o After Tosnos Point, path climbs around back of small woodland. Just before the gate out of the field, turn left and follow fence line uphill then along contour.
o At fingerpost, turn left - signed ‘Car Park’, then right through next gate to National Trust car park.
o Here you can turn left and down the old carriageway and then left again to retrace your steps via the path around the back of Snapes Manor and along the road to Batson. Alternatively go straight on along the road and turn left at Hall Cross, signed ‘Batson ¼ Salcombe ¾’.
For other local walking routes, look in local post offices and village stores as there are usually copies available to buy.
