This route takes you through a range of wildlife-rich habitats from the Jurassic coast to meadows and broadleaved woodlands as you climb in a northerly direction from sea level at Branscombe Beach to join the East Devon Way at Farway.
On the way you will pass through the picturesque village of Branscombe with its National Trust restored mill and working thatched forge. Further north, Blackbury Camp Iron Age hillfort is hidden among the woods. Built during the 4th century, it still has a moat which can fill with water in wet weather.
Sections of this route have a wonderful remote feel about them, where you might be lucky enough to hear the eerie bark of a roe buck or glimpse a fox crossing your path.
Additional Information
Directions
1-5. Starting from the Sea Shanty on Branscombe Beach...
…take the tarmac footpath to the left of the kiosk and follow it inland towards Branscombe village.
2. Where the path divides, keep left.
3. Where the path divides again, keep left.
4. When you come to the end of a road, continue straight on towards Branscombe.
5. At the T-junction, turn left and then keep left at the next junction.
6 - 10. Turn right into the National Trust car park just before the Old Forge.
… Walk across the car park heading for a permissive path in the far left corner. Go through a wooden pedestrian gate and follow the fenced path around and up to another wooden gate.
7. Go through the gate to a minor road and turn right. Follow the road uphill to a junction just after a cattle grid.
8. Keep left after the cattle grid and follow Northern Lane uphill. Ignore the bridleway on your left and continue past a cattle grid to a bridleway on your right.
9. Turn right along the bridleway and follow it down to a junction with a track. Turn left and follow the track to Hole House.
10. At the path junction, turn right in front of the house. Follow the footpath downhill, ignoring the footpath on your right and then keeping right along the track at the next junction.
11-15. Go past the houses and continue uphill to a T-junction.
…Turn left and continue until you come to a footpath along the drive to Bickham Cottage.
12. Follow the footpath past Bickham Cottage and past a shed into the woods. Keep left at all path junctions and continue through the woods until you come to another house.
13. Follow the footpath around behind the house and up to the right to go up steps and through a gate onto a drive. Turn right.
14. Follow the drive for a short distance, going past a cattle grid and turning left onto a footpath.
15. Follow the footpath uphill to a field gate. Go through and head diagonally right up the field to another field gate.
16-20. Go through the gate and follow the footpath through the next field, heading for a stile in the far left corner.
17. Go over the stile to the A3052. TAKE CARE crossing this busy main road and turn right along the verge. Follow it for a short distance to a footpath on the left.
18. Turn left through a metal kissing gate onto a footpath and follow the hedge on the left to another field gate. Go through, turn right and follow the hedge on the right
19. Follow the hedge on the right down to a metal pedestrian gate and go through. After a short distance, turn right over a narrow footbridge and follow the footpath down to Borcombe Farm.
20. Walk down past the stables on your left to a field gate. Go through and past the house on your left to a track junction. Turn left and follow the track past the buildings on your left and through a gate.
21 - 25. Follow the track along the edge of a field, close to the hedge on your right.
22. Go through a gateway and bear right at the junction. Follow the track down past a pond and up the other side for a short distance. Turn left up a footpath through the woods.
23. Follow the waymarked path up through the woods to a metal pedestrian gate. Go through and continue to follow the footpath. Eventually you will come to some steps, a a metal pedestrian gate, a narrow footbridge and more steps up to a minor road.
24. Go through the gate and turn left along the road. Follow the road, ignoring the right turn and continuing to Blackbury Camp Hill Fort.
25. Continue past the Hill Fort and the entrance to Lovehayne Farm and take the next bridleway on your right.
26 - 30. Go through a gate and follow the fenced bridleway to a bridleway junction in the woods and turn right.
27. Head straight on along the bridleway beside the fence on the left. Continue until you come to a tarmac drive.
28. Go straight across the drive and through a metal gate and continue to follow the fenced bridleway to a minor road.
29. Go straight across the road and follow a track for a short distance to a wooden bridleway gate. Go through and follow the fence on the left to a metal field gate. DO NOT GO THROUGH, but bear right down through the field to a gateway in a wire fence.
30. Go through and continue diagonally right down to a metal field gate.
31 - 34. Go through the gate and bear right down a steep track.
32. At the next track junction turn left and follow the track down to a minor road.
33. Turn right down the road and, ignoring all side turns, follow it to join the East Devon Way at Farway.
34. From here you can:
- Turn right and follow the East Devon Way towards Lyme Regis.
- Turn left and follow the East Devon Way towards Exmouth.
This route was originally developed by James Baldwin and checked by Ted Swan. It was reviewed and updated in 2026.