Walk - Hartland Point short walk

Walk information provided with help from Natural England. Map reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown copyright and database right 2024. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100022021.

Difficulty: Easy
Some uneven ground and inclines
Start: Hartland Point Car Park - EX39 6DU
Finish: Hartland Point Car Park
Length: 1.6 miles (2.5 km)
Summary: A rumbustious romp through Hartland's rich heritage, from the Early Stone Age through Celtic saints, Saxon settlements, medieval monasteries and Tudor adventurers, to pirates, smugglers and a twentieth century lighthouse. The coastal grasslands are rich in wildlife and the spectacular cliffs and rocks are of international geological importance.
Public Transport: For timetable information, zoom in on the interactive map and click on the bus stops, visit Traveline or phone 0871 200 22 33.
Nearest car park: Hartland Point Car Park (Postcode for Sat Navs: EX39 6DU).

Route Description

From Hartland Point Car Park (where there is a small charge for parking) walk past the interpretation board which explains some background to the area. Follow the track towards the gates of Hartland Point Lighthouse.

Access is no longer available along the road beyond the gates due to the frequency of rock falls but there are some good views of the lighthouse from the walk further on.

Follow the Coast Path up the concrete steps to the Coastguard Lookout that is no longer manned but houses electronic surveillance equipment.

By walking along the narrow path around the Lookout you can reach a viewpoint with an interpretation board which gives further details of the wreck of the Joanna which came aground in 1982, and of Hartland Point Lighthouse, built in 1874.

Continue around the Lookout back to the Coast Path. Head south and after 300 metres you will find a memorial stone to those who died following the sinking by torpedo of the Glenart Castle Hospital ship 20 miles from Hartland Point on 26th February 1918.
After a further 600 metres there is a good view along "Smoothlands".

This valley was formed before the coast had eroded to its current position. The Abbey River used to flow along the bottom of the valley but as the coastline receded each end of the valley was cut off to form a "sea-dissected valley". It is an unusual feature in our landscape and many students visit the area to study the classic landforms of this section of coast. You will soon spot a lone caravan in the bottom of the valley; a caravan has been at this location since before the area was designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1959.

At the bottom of the valley cross the stile and follow the path inland towards Blagdon Farm. Join the track to the left of the caravan and after one field you will see an area of woodland/scrub on the right which once contained a large medieval fishpond, although there is now little evidence that this valley bottom was once flooded.
Further up the track keep left towards Blagdon at the junction. When walking through Blagdon Farm please respect the fact that this is a working farm. Beyond the farm buildings you will arrive back at the entrance track to the car park.

If you spot any problems or changes to this walk please email the details to [email protected] so we can get it fixed for those that follow in your footsteps.