Green Circle 4: Hoopern Valley Walk

The start of Section 4 of the Green Circle Walk is at Stoke Valley Road. This then slowly follows Collins Road up to the Pennsylvania area, entering Argyll Road before taking an immediate left turn into Belvidere Road, which narrows down to just a track at the point you walk past the Duryard Valley Park. The park was once a royal deer-park and is still home to deer, foxes and badgers. Also in the nature reserve are the flower meadows.

Only a few metres down the track on the left is the path to the University of Exeter grounds, which was part of the Streatham Estate with its landscaped grounds and an arboretum and sculpture trail.

Moving further down the valley but also on university grounds is Lower Hoopern Valley, which gives you open green space where you can look out for sparrowhawks and buzzards. Follow the path through the valley to enter the small park of Bury Meadow. At the exit is the Buller Statue; this is General Sir Redvers Buller, famous for his activities in the Boer War.

After crossing the road from the statue you walk through the grounds of St Michael's Church, which has one of the tallest steeples in the South-West of England. When walking through the grounds of the church and if it is the right time of year, this is a nesting site for the peregrine falcon - you may just catch a glimpse.

Further down the walk you join Exe Street and then pass under The Iron Bridge. The cast-iron sections were brought to the city by sea and canal from South Wales in 1834 at a cost of £9,000. This was then next to the former St Anne's Well Brewery. Exe Street also has St Bartholomew's Cemetery which was the city cemetery. It is now a small park with some very old trees and the catacombs in the city wall, which were part of the burial grounds in Victorian times.

To the end of Exe Street and crossing the main road is Miller's Crossing. This bridge spans the River Exe and gives a very clear view of the weir and in the breeding season you will be able to see salmon jumping up the river.

England - South West England - Devon - Blackdown Hills

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Walk id: 4856

Walk grade

Easy Walk

Length

2.2 Miles

Height gain

74 Metres

Duration

1 Hours 1 Mins

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