Enjoy a virtual tour of Galmpton Creek a great circular country walk with breathtaking views over the creek at any time of year.
I managed to find a spot to park on the Stoke Gabriel road and started the walk down to Dartside Quay where there are many boats, sadly some of which have certainly seen better days. You’ll walk past a declining house with two boats covered in moss, it looks like it’s all been locked up, forgotten and left to rot. You then have to cross the beach very briefly here and again at the creek over the hill, so some waterproof footwear would be advisable, though I only had a pair of vans on and got through ok as the tide was out. Just check out the tide times below before you leave. If you’re here at the right time of day and you like a good sunset then the creek is one of the best places to sit and watch and take some amazing photos.
It’s a relatively easy walk with some gentle ascents and descents, but there are some stiles to climb over that some could find challenging if your not steady on your feet. When you reach the lane near Lower Galmpton Farm you have a choice at this point depending on how far you wish to walk. You can follow the road down to Greenway Quay, the ferry to Dittisham and the rear entrance to Greenway House Gardens. You can carry on going through Greenway Woods to reach the main Entrance of Greenway House or head toward Greenway halt, just to the left of the halt entrance is a field gate this footpath will take you down through the field and back to Mill Lane toward Galmpton, where the walk began.
If you’re after facilities there is the village shop and the Manor Inn pub.
Galmpton is a small village in Torbay, Devon, UK.
- To the west of Galmpton village the hills and landscape are protected from development by their AONB (area of outstanding natural beauty) status.
- Situated at the widest part of the River Dart, where at high tide the water stretches for over a mile to Dittisham on the far shore.
- Galmpton Creek has been a boatbuilding centre for centuries, and in its heyday over 300 sailing trawlers were built here, as well as wooden motor torpedo boats during WWII. It is still a bustling marine repair centre, but its use nowadays is mostly for pleasure craft.
- There are several lime kilns scattered on the estuary foreshore, and limestone from the quarry across the creek was burnt to produce a soil fertiliser.
- Galmpton Creek and Greenway are situated in the Devon borough of South Hams.
- There are herons, cormorants and wading birds such as sandpipers and whimbrels.
- Brixham small trading vessels were constructed here from Victorian times.
Large numbers of troops were stationed around Galmpton during World War Two. Small boats from the Dart joined in the Dunkirk evacuation of 1940 and the river provided anchorage for many of the landing craft used in the D-Day invasion. Motor launches and motor torpedo boats used in the war effort were built and repaired at Galmpton Creek.
This is a fairly easy walk, although there are sections which would be difficult for those who are a little unsteady on their feet.
- Unsuitable for wheelchairs
Parking is limited in the village so may be easier taking a bus to the main road in Churston from either Paignton and Brixham.
- Car, There’s no parking at Dartside Quay, try parking along Stoke Gabriel Road or consider parking in Galmpton Glade (opposite the school).
- Bus, The number 12 bus service runs every 10 minutes or so between Brixham and Torquay, stopping at Broadsands, Goodrington, Paignton
- Ferry, Dartmouth to Greenway Quay. When in operation, this service along the River Dart departs hourly.
- The footpath through the creek is tidal, so decent, water-resistant footwear may help, but I had no problems at all in my vans (I could have just been lucky though).
- When walking through the fields there are usually cows roaming, so dogs should be on a lead.
- The walk through the Greenway woods is sloped and can get muddy in places.
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