Woodbury – Heathland, Hillfort and Local History

Woodbury brings together themes of nature, prehistory and local history. If you’re looking for a hotel in Woodbury, you can plan your trip around what interests you most in the area: heathland, historic sites, or walking and mountain biking routes. When planning your trip, the dates of local talks and access arrangements for the archive are also worth considering, alongside the landscapes.

Heathland and Birdlife

Woodbury Common covers an area of 102 hectares. Dry heathland predominates, with a small area of bog. The heathland of the Pebblebed Heaths around Woodbury Castle is part of the National Nature Reserve. Woodbury Common is also particularly well known for its Dartford warblers. This gives nature enthusiasts two specific points of interest: the character of the heathland and its birdlife.

Prehistory and Building History

Woodbury Castle is a 2,500-year-old Iron Age hillfort with massive ramparts and deep ditches. Two Bronze Age burial mounds lie on Woodbury Common, on either side of the B3179 between Yettington and Woodbury. The burial mounds date from the Bronze Age; the hillfort belongs to the Iron Age. A much later historical date is provided by the tower of St Swithun’s parish church: it was built in 1407–1409 and consecrated in 1409. The historical points of interest therefore range from prehistoric monuments to a building from the early 15th century with a precise date.

Walking and Cycling Routes

Woodbury Common Circular Walk 1 starts at an Iron Age hillfort and passes through heathland, woods and fields. If you’d like to experience different types of landscape on a single walk, this route is a useful point of reference. The East Devon Way includes a section from Exmouth to Woodbury Castle. These provide two different planning reference points: the landscapes of the circular walk and the named endpoints of this section.

For mountain bikers, the Pebblebed Heaths offer both short and longer routes. If you’d like to plan your time around the route length, you can start by choosing between a shorter and a longer route.

Local History and Trip Planning

The Woodbury History Society holds talks at 7:30 pm on the first Thursday of March, May, September and November at Woodbury Village Hall. If a talk is of interest during your trip, check the exact date in advance. The Society also maintains a reference library and an archive room at Woodbury Village Hall, with a large collection of papers, maps, books, photographs and newspaper cuttings about the parish of Woodbury and Devon in general. If you’d like to use the archive, check access arrangements with the Society in advance.

In July 1930, a revocable deed enabled public access to all parts of the Pebblebed Heaths commons for recreation and exercise. The nearest bus stop to the start of the East Devon Way is in Woodbury village. Check the current bus timetable before travelling.

Discover more destinations: Bridgerule, Tiverton, Bottreaux Mill, Broadhempston, Abbotskerswell, Stoke Gabriel, Beer, Westward Ho

For the regional travel overview: Devon.