Butterfly Walk, Heddon Valley
3 miles (4.8 km), circular. Starts and finishes at Heddon Valley National Trust car park. About 1½ hours, moderate.
Start: SS 647 484, and finish. OS grid.
Take it with you: download the GPX file (it opens in OS Maps, Komoot, Outdooractive or a GPS unit) or open the start in OS Maps.
Along the way
Trentishoe, Grassy Path. Photo: Lewis Clarke, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. 
Footpaths above East Cleave. Photo: Bill Boaden, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. 
North Devon, River Heddon. Photo: Lewis Clarke, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Up and down
About 294 m of climbing and 294 m of descent; highest point 243 m.
Facts
- Code
- SW 1128
- Distance
- 3 miles (4.8 km)
- Publisher’s page
- nationaltrust.org.uk
- Type
- Circular
- Walking time
- About 1½ hours
- Difficulty
- Moderate (how we grade)
- Operator, in OpenStreetMap
- National Trust
- Region
- South West
- County
- Devon
- Total ascent
- About 294 m. Highest point 243 m
Getting there
Starts and finishes at the same place, marked by the dot on the map.
- Car parks
- Car park, 740 m from the start. Directions SS 654 481Car park, 850 m from the start. Directions SS 655 480Car park, 870 m from the start. Directions SS 655 479
No bus stop or station within a kilometre of the start. Nearest: Killington Lane station (heritage railway), 3.4 km away (Directions).
What to expect
Underfoot: paved or flagged 22%, earth, rock and mud 14%, grass 5%; the rest (60%) isn't recorded.
About 21% on roads with traffic.
On the way: 2 gates, 2 flights of steps.
Steepest climb: about 101 m in a kilometre (1 in 10), starting 2.6 miles in.
From OpenStreetMap, where mappers have recorded it: check before you go.
Pubs and cafés
OpenStreetMap records no pub or café within a quarter of a mile of the way: take food and drink with you.
Walked it? Log it
Connecting routes
- UK 007South West Coast PathShares 1.3 miles of path with this route.
- UK 043King Charles III England Coast PathShares 1.3 miles of path with this route.
- SW 109Tarka TrailShares 0.9 miles of path with this route. Finishes on this route at Lake. This route starts and finishes on it at Heddon Valley National Trust car park.
- SW 1136Heddon Valley coast walkShares 2.6 miles of path with this route. Starts on this route at Trentishoe. This route starts and finishes on it at Heddon Valley National Trust car park.
- SW 1200Heddon's Mouth circular walkShares 0.9 miles of path with this route. Starts and finishes on this route at Trentishoe.
- SW 1271Gentle walk to Heddon's MouthShares 0.5 miles of path with this route. Finishes on this route at Heddon's Mouth.
- SW 1067Heddon Valley to Woody Bay WalkStarts on this route at Trentishoe.
Walks nearby
- SW 1331Valley of Rocks1 mile. Starts 4.6 miles away
- SW 1233Vole Walk, Arlington Court1.1 miles, circular. Starts 5.2 miles away
- SW 1182Winford Valley walk at Arlington Court2 miles, circular. Starts 5.3 miles away
- SW 1245Arlington Court Coombeshead valley walk1.3 miles, one way. Starts 5.3 miles away
- SW 1071Woodland and Cott Brake circular walk at Arlington Court5 miles, circular. Starts 5.4 miles away
- SW 1124Arlington Court deer park circular walk3 miles, circular. Starts 5.7 miles away
Sources
Checked against nationaltrust.org.uk on 20 October 2026.
- Route line: OpenStreetMap relation 9774299, mapped by volunteers
Something wrong or missing?
Tell us what to change about this walk: a wrong distance, a moved start, a path that's closed.