A walk along the TTT (with a stop for tea)

Don't be put off by the full distance of this walk (9 miles/14.5 km): you can break it up by stopping on the way for lunch or tea (or both!) and there are shorter options too.

The full walk
Start at Livermead bus stop and walk towards Cockington along Cockington Lane. At the first junction take the footpath, and follow the path until you reach the end. Now follow the road until you reach the middle of Cockington Village.

At the junction, turn left up the hill for about 250 metres (275 yds). At the signpost, turn right into Cockington Court and follow the marked path past the pretty lodge and through the grounds of the Court. The path does not go to the main house, but instead takes you along roads and paths to the gamekeeper's cottage in the woods; the gamekeeper was the man who made sure that there were always plenty of 'game' birds such as pheasant in the woods for shooting and eating.

After the gamekeeper's cottage the path begins to climb through Manscombe Plantation, past the Warren Barn and into the fields, before going back into the woods again and descending to the bottom of the valley.
After about 700 metres (780 yds) take care: the path divides. Take the left path here.

Follow the path to the road. Turn left onto the road - being careful of the traffic - and carry on past Occombe Farm to the larger road. Cross this road and turn right, and follow the road until you reach a roundabout.

Use the subway to cross the busy road, then follow the signs to a small bridlepath through a narrow field. Follow this path for about 350 metres (400 yards) then turn left onto a footpath. Follow this to the next road.

You are now on Vicarage Road. Look left, and you will see two bus stops, where buses to and Torquay and Paignton stop. In front of these stops is a road called Meadow Park. Walk down this road and take the first road on the right (also called Meadow Park).

At the end of this road walk past the concrete bollards and into a lane. Turn left and walk to a crossroads.

When you reach the crossroads you can see the church straight ahead. To the right is the Church House Inn pub, which serves good food. The walk, however, continues straight on up the hill past the church.

The hill is steep, but short. At the top bear right and carry on along the road for about 100 metres (110 yards) and look out for a footpath on the left. Turn left up the steps onto the footpath. Keep on this footpath along the edges of the fields to the top of the hill.

Look around: there are great views here of the countryside across the valley. The high hill with two TV aerials is Beacon Hill, one of many hills in England with the same name which was the site of a fire used to warn of the arrival of the Spanish Armada in 1588.

At the end of the fields go through a gate and down steps into the woods.
At the road at the bottom turn right then - after a few paces - left onto another footpath into the fields.

Follow the footpath along the edges of the fields. The views open up here and to your right, on a good day, you can see all the way to the hills of Dartmoor.
Go through a gate and through some trees, then into another field and down to a small road. This is a 'green lane', an ancient road that was never modernised for cars. Turn left, and follow the lane across a stream and up to another small road. Take the left fork here and follow the road through the valley to a larger road at Afton Bridge. Turn left again, then take the first road on the right.
You are now near to Berry Pomeroy Castle. If you want to visit the castle (or have a snack in the excellent café), take the first footpath on the left and the castle is about 200 metres (220 yds) up the hill.

Carry on along the road and along the bottom of the valley. You can see the ruins of the castle up the hill on the left. Do you think it looks scary? Look out for the ghost!

After Castle Mill Farm and then take the left fork. You will pass the old sawmill on your right. Follow the track through the valley - do not take any of the forks to the left or right but keep on the main path.

Carry on until you reach a road at Netherton, then turn right past the houses and take the first road on the left. Past Gatcombe Mill turn left again - but watch out for cars. Carry on along the road then take the first road on the right, signed "Mare and Foal Sanctuary".

This is another Green Lane, and you should carry straight on up the hill and along this lane for just over a mile (1.6km). You will pass a lot of caravans belonging to 'travellers' - people who choose not to live in permanent houses.
The Green Lane becomes a proper road as you reach some houses, and you will soon come to the busy main road to Paignton. There is a pedestrian crossing to your left: cross the road here and walk down the hill into Totnes. Cross the bridge and turn right past the Royal Seven Stars. The bus stop for the return to Paignton is opposite the Seven Stars on the bridge side of the road.