Postbridge to Fernworthy Reservoir Circular Walk, Dartmoor

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Dartmoor National Park offers hundreds of potential hiking trails through gorgeous, rugged terrain and something for all levels of hiking ability, whether you’re looking for a challenging long-distance multi-day hike or an easy amble through beautiful moorland.

I recently walked from Postbridge to Fernworthy Reservoir on a beautiful sunny day, and it was a marvellous walk.

The hike is approximately 13.5 miles and is an easy to moderate hike with mostly flat stretches and only one steep ascent to Hartland Tour.

If this is your first time hiking this route, read on for a full guide of the Postbridge to Fernworthy Reservoir walk, including where to park, what amenities are located nearby and a full route guide. Read on to learn more about one of my favourite Dartmoor hiking trails.

The Route and Scenery

If you’re looking for beautiful, untouched scenery, you really can’t go wrong in Dartmoor National Park. This Postbridge to Fernworthy circular walk was especially enjoyable because the landscape is so varied.

Starting in the cute little hamlet of Postbridge, you’ll head across untouched moorland before climbing to Hartland Tor, then past the Grey Wethers Stone Circles and through a beautiful forest to the gorgeous Fernworthy Reservoir, before heading back to Postbridge. This walk truly offers a little bit of everything.

The circular route we planned is approximately 13.5 miles and is a relatively easy, flat hike with limited elevation. You can cut this hike short by walking along the road to avoid the last part of the hike. This is what we did, and the walk ended up being about 10 miles, cutting out the last 3.5 miles.

Difficulty

This Postbridge to Fernworthy walk isn’t a difficult hike if you’re comfortable with the 13.5-mile distance. The walk is mostly flat, aside from a short ascent to Hartland Tor. After that, the hike is flat all the way. I’d say this is an easy hike for seasoned hikers, but perhaps intermediate for beginners if you’re not used to walking longer distances.

Difficulty rating – 2/5

Parking

We parked at Dartmoor National Park Visitor Centre in Postbridge. Parking costs £5.30 for over 3 hours. Further information regarding parking charges can be found on the Dartmoor National Park website.

Postbridge to Fernworthy Reservoir Route Guide

Parking at the National Park Visitor Centre in Postbridge, we made our way past the Post Office and over the clapper bridge and turned left into a field to join the trail.

Did you know? The Clapper Bridge in Postbridge is thought to be one of the oldest bridges on Dartmoor. It was recorded as far back as the 14th century, likely built in the 13th century, and was probably built to help horses cross the river in medieval times.

Following the East Dart River north, we made our way past Hartland House and up to Hartland Tor. This is the only uphill section of the hike, and it’s quite a short, sharp incline to the top of the Tor.

We then continued to follow the river north until it bends to the left. The path can be difficult to follow at times, with a lot of overgrown shrubbery and bushes, but if you head in the general direction of north, following the East Dart River until it diverts to the left, you can’t go far wrong.

Once the river bends to the left, continue straight ahead until you come across two huge stone circles. Grey Wethers Stone Circles are thought to date back to the Bronze Age, which would put them at an astonishing 5000 years old!

Many of the stones in the circle have been restored in recent years, so not all of the stones are 5000 years old, but even so, standing in the middle of the circle, it’s amazing to consider the history and heritage of that patch of earth.

From Grey Wethers Stone Circle, you should spot a large forest to the northeast. Head towards the forest and follow the wall until you come to an entrance.

The forest path will lead through beautiful woodland areas, eventually bringing you to Fernworthy Reservoir, which is a lovely spot for a picnic. I’ve pinpointed our lunch spot below, where you’ll find a grassy area with picnic tables beside the reservoir.

From Fernworthy Reservoir, there are several footpaths that you can follow south. Either head towards Assycombe or follow the footpath along Lowton Brook until you reach the edge of the forest.

When we reached the perimeter wall, the path kind of disappeared, so we had to hop over the low wall before heading over the brow of the hill to rejoin the footpath.

From here, we followed the footpath to Merripit Hill, where we descended to meet the road and walked along the road to head back into Postbridge.

The official 13.5-mile route crosses the road and continues on a circular loop back to the car park for another 3.5 miles, but we decided to cut the hike short and walk back along the B3212 to the car park.

Tip: If you’re concerned about being able to carry enough water for the whole day, I’d highly recommend purchasing a Sawyer Mini Water Filter. The Sawyer Mini allows you to collect water from any river or stream and filters out any bacteria or dodgy stuff that may give you a bad tummy. I always carry one of these with me on every hike, so we know we’ll never run out of water.

Summary

If you’re looking for a beautiful Dartmoor walk with a variety of scenery, this Dartmoor hiking trail is for you.

This is a great hike for beginners who want to push their distance, without it being too challenging, and there are plenty of lovely spots to stop along the way to enjoy a drink or lunch with a view.

As is usually the case with hikes on Dartmoor, there are no cafes, pubs or restaurants along the route, so it’s important to bring your own food and plenty of water.

If you’re looking for other hikes in Dartmoor National Park, check out this guide to hiking from Princetown to Foxtor.