Here’s a wonderful 3-part day out for you and your pup:
1. A leafy walk and reviving splash in Bovey Valley Woods
2. A lipsmacking lunch in Lustleigh village
3. A light snooze in the dreamy apple orchard!
Aside from seeing fuzzy new lambs in the fields approaching Bovey Valley Woods, one of the most charming aspects of the walk is this fairytale bridge. If you peek under the arch you will see a little patch of sand leading to shallow golden waters…
Bodie had a good old frolic here – pouncing on sticks, jumping off the bank into the river Teign, running in feverish circles – then we moved on to dog-friendly Lustleigh, a picture-perfect village set within Dartmoor National Park. (Tis possible that Bodie needs a little work on his ‘welcome’ face.)
Ben Whitton, owner of The Cleave pub, has one of the zestiest personalities in Devon. ‘How are you?’ You ask. ‘I’m DELICIOUS!’ he replies. A customer enquires about the taste of a certain local ale and he compares it to ‘Angels dancing on your tongue!’ Which is pretty much how we feel about their locally-sourced food. I had the most delicious Halloumi Salad, my mum had a roast beef baguette with overly-generous thick-cut prime slices that also greatly pleased Bodie.
The neatly-thatched building has a lovely sprawling garden with abundant picnic benches or you can step through this beautifully blooming doorway…
The bar area welcomes dogs and you can perch for a quick cuppa (as demonstrated by my mum!) or settle in beside ye olde fireplace. Open 11am to 11pm every day.
Afterwards, enjoy a stroll through the village and find your dream cottage…
Then meander back to the village church, pass The Dairy shop and open the gate to apple orchard… Bodie loved paddling in the stream and lolling in the long grass…
We found a mossy boulder sofa and then Bodie spied something even better…
A stone seat where he could play his own game of thrones…
Longing to visit dog-friendly Lustleigh? Find it mapped here: Visit South Devon.
Bovey Valley Woods is a collective term for Pullabrook, Hisley & Houndtor Woods.
Still want more? Here’s the link to a wonderfully-written, lovingly-detailed description of this very walk (and beyond!) by Martin Hesp for the Western Morning News.