Dog-friendly walks in Chagford

Fernworthy Forest and reservoir

A sheltered 3.8 miles round the reservoir and its spruce plantations, about two hours with 110 metres of climbing almost entirely on forest road and stone track, with a stone circle and two bronze age cairns just off the route. Start at the Forestry England car park by the dam, four miles of narrow lane south-west of Chagford, free with toilets in season and a decent bet on a wet or windy day when the open moor is unpleasant. Dogs are welcome and the forest roads are wide and firm for a long off-lead run with water at the reservoir edge, but the shoreline is a drawdown zone that turns to deep sticky mud in summer, the plantation gates open onto grazed moor at the western end, and the access land beyond carries the 1 March to 31 July lead rule.