Lynmouth to Ash Bridge circular walk
An interesting circular walk from the historic seaside village of Lynmouth via Watersmeet House Tea Garden to Ash Bridge, along the wooded banks of the East Lyn River.
Flora and fauna
This trail is rich in wildlife and birds – you may ieven see otters if you're very lucky. In early spring, the woods near Ash Bridge are filled with bluebells.
Total steps: 13
Total steps: 13
Start point
Lynmouth public car park, Countisbury Hill, grid ref: SS724494
Step 1
Walk out of the car park at the top left corner, heading towards the white metal bridge that crosses the river just ahead of you. Cross the bridge and turn immediately right. Continue walking upstream, with the river on your right, until you meet a road. Cross over (stay vigilant as it's a public highway) and follow the public footpath upstream towards Watersmeet.
Step 2
Follow the green signpost for Watersmeet. Keep an eye out for dippers, they can be seen on the rocks in the centre of the river. Across the water you can see the Middleham Memorial Gardens.
Step 3
Walk past the bridge spanning the river, carrying on upstream with the river on your right.
Step 4
At the next fingerpost, the path forks. Turn right here, following the sign for 'Watersmeet Riverside Walk'. Follow the path down towards the river, cross over the bridge and turn left. You're now walking upstream with the river on your left. Stay on this path, continuing to follow signs for Watersmeet.
Step 5
Just before you come to seven stone steps in the path, stop and look to your right where you will see a natural spring called the Lynrock Fountain. A pottery ginger beer bottle and an information panel set into the rock face nearby designate the site of the Lynrock Mineral Water Factory - destroyed in the 1952 flood. A fireplace and mantelpiece are all that remain.
Step 6
When you come to Watersmeet (where the East Lyn River and Hoar Oak Water meet), pause a while on the first bridge to look at the waterfalls. In the holiday season, stop at our tea garden and try our famous Devon cream teas. There's also a gift shop and toilets.
Step 7
If you're not stopping at Watersmeet House, cross the first bridge and then turn right upstream, just before the second bridge signed 'Rockford'. If you do stop at the tea garden, retrace your steps over the bridge closest to Watersmeet House and turn left upstream, keeping the East Lyn River is on your left. You will notice a mine adit in the rock face to your right, just by the bridge. This is a remnant of speculative mineral exploration by wealthy Victorian local landowners.
Step 8
At the next fingerpost, signed 'Rockford 1.5 miles', keep to the left. Just past here is the partially restored remains of an old lime kiln on the riverbank.
Step 9
At the next fork in the track is a three-finger signpost. Follow the footpath for Rockford to your left, down through Barton Wood towards the river.
Step 10
When you reach Ash Bridge, cross over the river and turn left at the fingerpost on the other side, signed 'Watersmeet'. Walk downstream with the river on your left. Stay on the path back to Watersmeet House.
Step 11
When you reach Watersmeet House, stop for tea and cake if the House is open. Follow the gravel track from the house towards Lynmouth, keeping the river on your left. Just past the house you'll pass an information board about Glenthorne Fisheries, showing the permitted fishing pools and contact information.
Step 12
Carry on past the stone bridge that you passed earlier on the opposite bank. Follow the footpath straight ahead signed 'Woodland Walk Lynmouth'.
Step 13
Stay on this footpath all the way back to Lynmouth. Where the path opens out, just before the small car park to your right, cross over the wooden bridge and walk back to the car park with the river on your right, past the Middleham Memorial Gardens located on the hillside to your left.
End point
Lynmouth public car park, Countisbury Hill, grid ref: SS724494
Trail map
More near here
Lynmouth circular walk via Watersmeet and Countisbury
This interesting and varied walk from a picturesque harbour town offers spectacular coastal views, woodlands, waterfalls, Iron Age archaeology and some intriguing wildlife.
Watersmeet to Ash Bridge circular walk
Enjoy amazing views of the Devon countryside on the Watersmeet to Ash Bridge circular walk along the East Lyn river, with the chance to spot otters and herons.
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Explore the varied landscape around Countisbury and Watersmeet, from open Exmoor coast path to sessile oaks, riverside paths and the impressive ramparts of an Iron Age hill fort.
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