Barley Valley Park

Silver washed fritillary

Photo credit, Chris Root

A surprise awaits you in the Redhills part of Exeter. Barley Valley Park allows you to explore 11 hectares of pretty rolling hills and tranquil walks in the setting of a local nature reserve.

Location

Barley Valley Park, Exeter EX4 1SD
A static map of Barley Valley Park

Know before you go

Size
11 hectares
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Entry fee

Free

Walking trails

Exeter Green Circle (12 mile route)

Short walks

Access

This Valley Park has a network of paths. Some steep and muddy sections. 

Dogs

Under effective control

When to visit

Opening times

Always open

Best time to visit

Any time

About the reserve

Barley Valley Park is one of six Exeter Valley Parks managed by Devon Wildlife Trust. 

This western ridge line of the city has splendid rural valleys and offers excellent views of the city.

Barley Valley Park has a patchwork of woods and meadows for you to explore. A network of footpaths and bridleways lead to and from the Valley Park allowing you to extend your visit and explore the farmland fringes of Exeter. 

Directions

There are several entrances into Barley Valley Local Nature Reserve that can be found off Higher Barley Mount, at the junction of Bowhay Lane Bridleway and Barley Lane and at the end of Antonine Crescent.

Did you know, a German bomber crashed in the reserve during the bombing raid on Exeter in WW2?

 

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

Download your free map and guide to exploring Barley Valley Park

Watch an introduction to Barley Valley Park

Site improvements

We're very grateful to have been awarded a grant of £12,800 from Viridor Credits Environmental Company. This has enabled us to make some much-needed access improvements on the site in spring 2022 so new visitors and the local community can continue to enjoy this hidden gem. This includes:

  • 70m of paths improved with gravel surfacing
  • 31 steps and boardwalks replaced – the latter as stoned paths with banked sides
  • Five gates and two benches installed
  • A new site guide created (see pdf download above)

These improvements have been made in response to community feedback and we’re really excited to be able to carry out project works on a site which offers some of the best views of Exeter from its position above Exwick.

Alongside these improvements, Devon Wildlife Trust will be working with local people asking them to volunteer to become part of the team which cares for the Valley Park. People interested in helping care for the park, including litter picking and woodland planting, should contact valleyparks@devonwildlifetrust.org

This project has also been enabled by a donation from The Dixon Foundation.