Templer Way

The Templer Way is an 18 mile walk which traces the historic route of granite being taken from the quarries at Haytor to the docks at Teignmouth.

The Templer way starts off at Haytor, Dartmoor before passing through Bovey Tracey, Stover Country Park, Newton Abbot and following the River Teign before reaching the docks at the seaside town of Teignmouth.

The way marked walk is divided into 6 easy stages and passes through a wide range of scenery from open moorland, meadows, woodland, urban land and river banks. Where possible it follows the Haytor Granite Tramway and Stover Canal, the means by which the granite was moved.

The 6 stages of the Templer Way are;

Stage 1
Haytor to Edgemoor

Stage 2
Edgemoor to Great Plantation

Stage 3
Great Plantation to Locks Bridge

Stage 4
Locks Bridge to Newton Abbot Town Quay

Stage 5
Newton Abbot Town Quay to Coombe Cellars

Stage 6
Coombe Cellars to Teignmouth.

The Templer Way can be walked in either direction, starting at either Teignmouth or Haytor, or you can enjoy exploring one of the individual stages listed above which range from 2 to 4 miles in length. Many of the stages offer circular walks or shorter sections, but the complete Templer Way can be walked in one day and can take up to 10 hours, always check the tide times before setting out. 

The route gets its name from the Templer family. James Templer purchased the Stover Estate, near Newton Abbot, in 1765 after making his fortune at sea. His son, also James, built the Stover Canal in 1792 between Teigngrace and Newton Abbot, originally to carry clay. In turn his son, George, built the Granite Tramway to link Haytor with the Canal to help move the granite. It was 'exported' from Teignmouth and helped to build the old London Bridge (now in Arizona) and the National Gallery.

The Heritage Trail is a circuit in the centre of the Templer Way, based on the Templers' Stover Estate; it starts and finishes in Stover Country Park. Most of the route is signposted or waymarked. Look out for brown arrows.