Buckland Monachorum: Gardens, History and Walking

Buckland Monachorum lies just outside the boundary of Dartmoor National Park. Two themes are especially clear when choosing a destination: garden and architectural history, and walking routes featuring rivers, old mining sites and connections to the West Devon Way. You can weigh up which of these aspects you want to shape your stay by considering the named places and routes.

Gardens and traces of earlier uses

The Garden House was formerly the home of the vicars of Buckland Monachorum. On the lower terrace are the ruins of a former vicarage tower with a spiral staircase. Beside it is a thatched barn that was once used as a kitchen. The tower and barn thus represent different aspects of the house's former use: an architectural feature and its former kitchen function.

The walled garden covers two acres and is laid out around the remains of a 16th-century vicarage. The Jubilee Arboretum contains more than a hundred selected specimen trees. The garden areas therefore differ in their defining features: the walled garden is characterised by its size and the remains of the vicarage, while the arboretum stands out for the selection and number of trees. These details give garden enthusiasts two specific points of reference, rather than referring only in general terms to a garden.

Church and local history

The Church of St Andrew is predominantly a late-15th-century parish church and contains older architectural elements. The Gift House is believed to have been an almshouse dating from 1661. The two buildings offer different historical perspectives: at St Andrew, a predominantly late-medieval church building stands alongside older fabric; at the Gift House, the focus is on its identification as an almshouse associated with the year 1661. Those interested in local architecture can thus consider different historical connections side by side.

Walking routes and their connections

The Drake's Dartmoor circular walk follows the River Walkham to the Tavy and passes several old mining sites. It crosses the West Devon Way several times. The latter connects Okehampton with Plymouth. The routes can therefore be compared by different features: Drake's Dartmoor is a circular walk with a river route and mining sites, while the West Devon Way has two clearly identifiable endpoints. The multiple crossings are another connection between the routes. If you are more interested in river and mining links or in the route between two places, this distinction can help you choose a theme.

Getting here and finding accommodation

Buckland Monachorum is regularly served by buses to and from Yelverton. Check the current timetable before travelling. The village can be reached via relatively narrow roads. Both bus connections and road access therefore play a part in planning your journey. If you are looking for hotels for a trip to Buckland Monachorum, you can first consider whether gardens and architectural history or the walking routes described here will be the focus of your stay. Then take the bus connection and narrow roads into account when planning your journey.

For the wider travel overview: Devon.