Walk From Ivybridge To Western Beacon And The Red Lake Tramway

This walk in Dartmoor takes you from Ivybridge, and up and over two hills, Western Beacon and Butterdon Hill, before finishing back along the Redlake Tramway. It’s a very easy walk to navigate, with options to shorten it if you only want to do Western Beacon.

Whatever you choose, you get the hills out of there way first, and then to walk back to Ivybridge, it’s very easy walking along the Redlake Tramway.

It’s a fully exposed walk, with incredible far reaching views across Dartmoor National Park, and a chance to spot some Dartmoor Ponies.

A white Dartmoor Pony grazing on the grass, on the Ivybridge Western Beacon walk.

Two ponies grazing on the rocky grass on the Ivybridge Western Beacon circular walk. One pony is white, the other is brown.

The Redlake Tramway

It is a railway line built in the early 1900’s to carry supplies. What you will see is the remnants of it. Basically the track bed. So no railway tracks I’m afraid. You will walk by a disused quarry though, or as I called it, the boobs.

The gravel path of the Redlake Tramway on the walk back to Ivybridge. There is a sheep lying down on the path.

Logistics for the walk from Ivybridge to Western Beacon and the Redlake Tramway

Start/Finish: Ivybridge Station
How to get there: Ivybridge Station is on the Great Western Railway line. Journey time from Plymouth is 15min. Ivybridge is just on the edge of Dartmoor National Park.

Getting there by car: There is a car park at the train station. Post code is PL21 0DD.
Distance: 5.8 miles circular
Time: 2h

Difficulty: Easy
Terrain: Grass, mud, rocky ground, a bit of road.
Elevation: Highest point is about 367m

Options to shorten the walk: Yes. I will show you when I describe the walk below
Amenities: Nothing. You are all on your own for this one, unless you walk into Ivybridge town which is about 20min walk from the station in the opposite direction of this walk.
Dog Friendly: No stiles but there are Dartmoor Ponies and livestock about.

Time of year: Spring

Tips for the walk from Ivybridge

Dartmoor weather is unpredictable. In my short time there on this walk, it went from t-shirt weather, to being fully layered up and cold, to t-shirt weather again. So make sure to take adequate layers.
It can be windy up at Western Beacon, so I would also recommend taking a windproof jacket on the walk. It would also act as something to sit on if you want to chill up there, as there are no benches.

I actually found walking back along the Redlake Tramway quite tedious. It was fun at first, but then I was ready to get off it. The ground is very rocky and can be uncomfortable under foot. Due to the ease of navigation of this walk, you could easily mix things up for the walk back to Ivybridge.
Hiking boots or shoes. The ground can be a bit boggy in places, plus the tramway rockiness would be more comfortable with thicker soled shoes.

Map for the Ivybridge circular walk

More walk ideas near Ivybridge, with links to the guides, will be at the end

A Guide To The Ivybridge, Western Beacon, And Redlake Tramway Walk

Unfortunately there is a bit of road walking at the beginning, out of Ivybridge to reach Dartmoor. I don’t think there is a way around it. There is even a map at the station showing you how to get to Dartmoor, and it didn’t give me a better route.

When you exit the station, go in the direction of the slope exit, and then walk down the road, past a car park on your left. At the junction, turn right to walk to the main road. Turn left here. You will need to go onto the other side of the road if you want pavement.

Turn left onto Palace Lane which should be the next turning. From this point on, it’s all lovely. You are still on road, but it’s a really pretty one, with lots of green and flowers.

A small country road lined with bushes and trees and white flowers.

You will walk over the railway bridge, which only tall people can see over. Keep going all the way to the end to the white house.

A metal wall, with some tree tops visible on the other side.

A small country road lined with hedges with pretty pink and white flowers on the Ivybridge to Western Beacon and Redlake Tramway walk.

A country road lined with hedges with some pretty pink flowers and a white coloured house at the end of the road.

Walk into Dartmoor National Park

At the white house, go through the wooden gate just past it. It will feel like you have hit a dead, and and that you are entering someones private garden. Don’t worry, this is correct. There is a small trail here which takes you up to the right, then left and into all the overgrowth. Keep walking up, and when you hit the bigger dirt path, turn right.

A dirt trail in the woods, surrounded by masses of bushes.

A wide dirt trail leading through the woods. There is a wall covered in leaves on the right, and fern on the left.

You will actually see two rights. It’s the bigger flat one.

I mentioned earlier that the Ivybridge Western Beacon walk is fully exposed. Well, it is. Excluding this bit.

I found this bit of trail quite squidgy under foot, which is why waterproof hiking boots are a good idea. Keep going all the way to where the trail curves to the right. Don’t curve with it, but instead go through the metal gate straight ahead.

Remember this bit, as you will walk back this way to get back to Ivybridge.

Walk up the hill

You will now exit the woods, and keep going straight. You should walk past this thing:

A rock structure in the side of the hill.

Just past here, walk up the hill on the left. As you make your way up, there will be lots of trails to choose from. It doesn’t matter which you take, as long as you keep going up.

I imagine you will end up at the top in a different place to me. I found myself heading towards two lumps which looked a bit like boobs. My map tells me this is a quarry.

Looking up a grass covered hill with two small quarry hills at the top on the walk up to the Redlake Tramway.

Walk to the Redlake Tramway

Whichever route you took up, you should reach a more obvious path which is the Redlake Tramway. When you get here, if you haven’t already, take a look back at the fantastic view below.

The Redlake Tramway running straight on the Ivybridge Western Beacon walk. There is a downhill to the right of the trail, and some small bushes to the left.

Looking down the grass hill to the green grass field in the distance on the Ivybridge Western Beacon and Redlake tramway walk.

Now, wherever you are on the tramway, if you stand facing away from the view, ahead you should see a hill. This is Western Beacon. I walked along the tramway to find this bit here (see photo below) which marks a trail to take you straight to it.

Looking up across the grass hill to Western Beacon in the distance on the circular walk from Ivybridge.

Walk to Western Beacon

Now make you way over to Western Beacon. It will start off as a gentle uphill. Then as you get closer, it will start to get steeper, and there will be more rocks about. Maybe some sheep too. You will probably also notice the wind start to pick up.

The rocky hill with a sheep standing on one of the rocks on the Ivybridge Western Beacon walk.

Looking up the the rock tor of Western Beacon on the walk from Ivybridge.

Looking up across lots of rocks to the tors ahead.

At the top you will get a fantastic far reaching view across Dartmoor. If you look to the left, you will also see a bit of the Redlake Tramway trail.

Looking across the Dartmoor hills with Redlake Tramway visible below, on the walk from Ivybridge.

Walk from Western Beacon to Butterdon Hill – or shorten to walk

For navigation purposes, on the other side of the tor* look for this standing up rock that looks like an erect penis, and there will be a grassy trail just to the left of it.

*tors are the big rocks. They are granite poking out from the ground.

You should see ahead the next hill you are heading to. If you want to shorten the walk, then the turning will be coming soon.

Keep following the grassy trail towards the hill. You will be passing some more of those standing up rocks. Like way markers.

Looking across the grass towards a hill in the distance on the Ivybridge Western Beacon walk.

Looking across the grass to the hill in the distance on the Ivybridge to Western Beacon circular walk. There is a thin rock standing up on the grass.

I could see on my map, that this trail goes past a body of water. That’s why I chose to do this walk straight. I always like a good body of water.

This is the body of water in question.

A small path of water at the bottom of a grass covered hill.

Walk back to Ivybridge or up the hill

At the ‘body of water’ You can take a trail to the left. This will lead you back to the Redlake Tramway, where you turn left and make you way back around, and then back down the way you came, to walk back to Ivybridge…

Or you can walk up the hill. It was actually an easy hill, compared to the first one. Up here, there is a pretty cool view back down.

This is also where I found some Dartmoor Ponies.

Looking down the hill and to the hill on the other side, with a. grass trail running straight across, on the Ivybridge to Western Beacon walk.

Three Dartmoor ponies grazing on the grass on the Ivybridge to Western Beacon circular walk. Two ponies are white, one is brown.

I was admiring the ponies and taking some photos when I spotted them. The cows. For a brief moment my thought process was ‘it’s ok, the ponies will protect me’. Then I realised, that was a dumb thought and hurried along to get out of the cows line of sight.

Walk to the next rocks

Over Butterdone hill, keep going straight along a wide grassy trail. I had spotted some rocks (AKA a tor) ahead to the left which looked interesting, so decided to head over there.

A grass trail running across the moor, with hills visible in the distance.

As I made my way along this nice grassy trail, I saw some more cows ahead to the right. They had calfs with them. So I abandoned the rock idea, and turned left.

Now I was off the main trail, the ground was super muddy and boggy. I would take this over the cows any day.

As I walked across the wet ground, I reach another nice wide grassy trail. This one leads straight to the rocks. I was now further from the sight of the cows, so decided to go for it.

I realised I was wearing a bright peachy pink jumper. Not very camouflaged. So I hurried along quick with a plan to climb up the rocks if the cows come for me.

Looking across the grass to a tor on the Ivybridge and Western Beacon, Redlake Tramway circular walk.

Walk back along the Redlake Tramway

At the rocks, you can always keep going straight. You will meet the tramway a bit further along. I decided to go left, to get onto it now. For some reason, I felt I would be safe from the cows there. Like the tramway would offer me some invisible force shield.

At the tramway, turn left, and this will lead you all the way back around to where you were earlier. You do have a nice view to the right from here, and down to a section of forest, but as I said, it all started to get a bit tedious. The ground is super rocky and not very comfy to walk on.

The gravel Redlake Tramway on the walk back to Ivybridge.

There is a junction coming up (see photo below) where you can go onto the grass trail on the right.

I opted to stay on the tramway….

The gravel Redlake Tramway running straight, with a trail leading off to the right on the walk back to Ivybridge.

Looking down the hill towards some tres at the bottom and hill field sin the distance on the walk along the Redlake Tramway. There is a person with a red jacket walking down the hill.

Another way to leave the Redlake Tramway

I kept going, but sort of regretting not taking that detour. However, another opportunity presented itself to me (see photo below).

The Redlake tramway leading to the left with a grass trail leading off it to the right, near the end of the walk. There are fields down the hill in the distance to the right.

I wasn’t going to make the same mistake again, so took this one.

It felt so good to get back onto the grass.

If you go this route as well, it will lead you downhill to reach a stone wall, and maybe some pretty flowers. Keep on the trail as it turns left.

A grass trail lined with bushes and a view to fields in the mistaken below, on the walk back to Ivybridge from the Redlake Tramway.

A stone wall, with a small green field on the other side and pink flowers lining the other side of it. There is a view ti the field hills in the distance.

A grass trail with a couple of sheep walking on it.

This will lead you down to a fence guarding what looked to be a pretty flower growing area. I think this is actually a quarry. My map told me it is.

A dirt path with a bush to the left and a wooden and wire fence on the right.

Looking down across some bushes with yellow and pink flowers to the undulating fields in the distance.

Walk back to Ivybridge

Follow the trail running alongside the fence, and this will take you further downhill, where you will reach the metal gate that you went through earlier.

A dirt trail running along the side of a grass hill towards some trees at the end of the Ivybridge to Western Beacon and Redlake Tramway circular walk.

Turn right through it, and back into the woody area.

Continue through here, retracing your steps, and make sure to not miss the turning on the left. It’s at the stone wall thing.

A dirt trail leading through the woods, with a stone wall ahead to the left.

This will lead you back down to the white house. You should know where you are by now. From here, walk back to Ivybridge station.

More walking route ideas near Ivybridge

For a detailed side by side look, you can read my guide on walking routes in Dartmoor. Alternatively, see below for a quick look:

Sheepstor walk – This walk takes you up the mighty Sheepstor, with a view down to the Burrator Reservoir. You can also get to this one using public transport, if you don’t have a car.

Burrator Reservoir walk – This walk takes you on a circular around the whole Burrator Reservoir. I was pleasantly supprised by this walk, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Foggintor Quarry walk – One of my favourite places in Dartmoor. This is a stunning quarry, that you need to see if you are in the area. This walk also follows a tramway, but is much much shorter, so more fun.

Princetown Railway walk – This walk takes you up to King’s Tor, but also includes the Foggintor Quarry. Two for the price of one. If you enjoy tramway walking, then this one has lots.

Wistman’s Wood walk – Through a gorgeous mystical fairytale like woodland. My second favourite place in Dartmoor after Foggintor Quarry.

Drakes Trail – This walk is more on the outskirts of Dartmoor. It’s an easy route to follow, and takes you over a really impressive bridge, and through a seriously creepy tunnel.

For more walking route ideas, you could check out the Visit Dartmoor website.