Axminster Town & Countryside

Terrain difficulty: Easy - Gentle rolling countryside

Ease of navigation: Easy-Moderate -  Got to keep your eyes peeled for footpath signs!

Animal Dangers: Moderate - Several famrs to pass through, watch out for those collies!

Route

Travelling south down Trinity Hill Road from the A35 park in the first parking area for the Trinity Hill Nature reserve that you come to on your left. This is a great little area and is well worth an exploration.

For this walk however go back out onto the road and turn left walking for 200 yards then turn right to follow a footpath along a track. Pass through the buildings at Wykeleigh House and look out for a footpath on the right. Follow this across the fields to kings farm and a crossing of the A35. Take care here and head straight over following the footpath to Woodbury Lane.

Again go straight over and follow the footpath through Old Park Farm. The footpath forks here but both paths merge again in a few hundred yards so follow whichever is most clearly signed at the time! Follow the path uphill to the road.

Turn right and walk along the road for a short distance taking the 2nd left to follow a footpath between houses and then out onto fields. Keeping the field boundary on your left follow the path across two fields. Go through a gate and turn right so the boundary is now on your right and head straight on to a road.

  At the end of the road turn right to head into Axminster for shops and refreshments or turn left to continue on the route. Walk past the factory and take the first right. Head round the left hand bend to pick up a footpath. At a junction turn right and follow the footpath over a crossroads and out into the fields. Follow the footpath through an underpass beneath the A35.

At Lower Abbey Farm turn left at a junction on the path and head onto Higher Abbey farm and the remains of Newenham Abbey. Head out onto Abbey Lane and cross straight over at the junction.

Follow this lane going round a sharp left hand bend. Follow the lane for 3/4 mile ignoring a footpath on your left. At a tight left hand bend go straight on along a track picking up a footpath along the track. Follow this back to Wykeleigh House and retrace your steps back to the car park.  

Photo © Copyright William Bartlett and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence. 

 

If you want to make a map of a trip go routeyou.com yourself