Exeter Valley Parks

Ludwell Valley Park orchard

Matt Austin

Exeter's Valley Parks are there for all to enjoy. Close to people's homes, they offer a wide choice of leisurely walks, places to relax, fine views, and plenty of wildlife.

Location

Valley Parks can be found across Exeter.
A static map of Exeter Valley Parks

Know before you go

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Entry fee

Free

Access

All Valley Parks are open 24 hours seven days a week. See each Valley Park description for specific access details.

Dogs

Under effective control

Please clean up after your dog

When to visit

Opening times

Always open

Best time to visit

Always

About the reserve

The Valley Parks offer ample opportunities to experience wildlife and natural, open spaces. There are six Valley Parks framing the city which are now looked after for people and nature by Devon Wildlife Trust, following their transfer from Exeter City Council to DWT in May 2019. They are:

Exeter Valley Parks are managed by Devon Wildlife Trust for Exeter City Council.

If you would like to stay up-to-date with the latest Valley Park news, contact us and we can sign you up to our quarterly newsletter. Email valleyparks@devonwildlifetrust.org

 

Ash dieback

The disease ash dieback is now widespread in the UK and is present at many of our nature reserves, so we carry out tree felling across our sites in winter months. For your own safety please observe temporary path diversions and closures.

Where possible we will leave affected ash trees in place to decay naturally as an important habitat for wildlife. We plan to only fell diseased ash trees which pose a threat to people or infrastructure. Before trees are felled, we will check whether any rare or protected wildlife is present. If it is, we will postpone or avoid felling these trees. No felling will take place during the bird nesting season.

DWT’s Saving Devon’s Treescapes project are working with communities, landowners and businesses to help make Devon's precious treescapes more resilient in the face of ash dieback. Find out how you can get involved here.

 

NOTICE: If you are visiting our reserves, please note that there have been instances of H5N1 Avian bird flu found in birds in Devon. There is very low risk to public health, but we do ask that if you come across any unusual or unexplained bird deaths on or near our reserves, please do not touch them and avoid allowing your dog to come into contact with dead birds. Please report them to Defra here or call 03459 335577 and also report your findings to DWT by email at contactus@devonwildlifetrust.org.

Contact us

Contact number: 01392 279244
Map of Exeter Valley Parks
Wildflowers in bloom along Prince Charles Road

Exeter Wild City

Exeter is proud to be a wild city!

Exeter’s Valley Parks offer a variety of walks for everyone, with some short and comfortable circular walks in easy reach of a car park. You will find benches and picnic areas along the way, as well as dog bins. There are more challenging and hilly routes for some, as well as cycling routes for exploring greater distances.

Please help us care for these special places and their wildlife.  Please be aware that livestock may be grazing between April and October.

Ludwell Valley Park, Exeter

Ludwell Valley Park

Breathtaking views of the city

The parks offer some breathtaking views across the city, into the valley and towards the estuary. A rich diversity of habitats and wildlife are there to discover, including wildflower meadows alive with bee-orchids and field pansies, woodlands and stunning cherry orchards, stream side walks where dippers can be seen, and river views for spotting egrets and cormorants.

Devon Wildlife Trust is working to make these green spaces more accessible to more people around the city, to enjoy peace and tranquillity, leisure and play, social stimulation, and active learning. We want to involve as many people as possible, so look out for news of opportunities and events on our main website and on social media.

Thinking of running an event? 

You'll need to complete an application form and provide Public Liability Insurance and a Risk Assessment. 

For more information email:

 valleyparks@devonwildlifetrust.org 

Download the form below:

    Become a member and support our work

    The vital work we do for nature depends on the support of people who care about the future of Devon’s wildlife and wild places.

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