Stover Country Park near Newton Abbot, Devon

Where to go · Devon

Forest bathing at Stover Country Park

A level, easy country park near Newton Abbot, with woodland around a lake and a walkway through the canopy.

Stover Country Park covers 114 acres between Bovey Tracey and Newton Abbot, run by Devon County Council. Stover Lake is the centrepiece, ringed by broadleaved woodland, conifer plantation, marsh, heath and grassland, and the whole site is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and Local Nature Reserve. It is known for dragonflies in summer, and a 90 metre aerial walkway on the southern side of the lake takes you up into the woodland canopy.

This is the easy-access choice in Devon: an extensive network of level footpaths, a Tramper you can hire, and wheelchairs to borrow if you ask the rangers in advance. Most people start at the Stover Centre by the entrance. For a quieter hour, follow the Heritage Trail or the waymarked Ted Hughes Poetry Trail away from the lake edge. The bird hide is a good place to sit still for a while.

Practical

Managed by
Devon County Council
Parking
Pay and display; annual permits available
Terrain
Level footpaths around the lake and through the woods
Nearest station
Newton Abbot, about 3 miles
Facilities
Toilets at the Stover Centre, coffee van, bird hide, aerial walkway, Tramper hire
Opening and entry
Free entry; park open all year, 24 hours
Official page
devon.gov.uk

Last updated 4 November 2026. Paths, parking and access can change, so check before you visit. Spotted something out of date? Please let us know.

Guides nearby

Three guides within 15 miles of Stover Country Park

More woodlands in Devon

All venues in Devon
Woodland walk on the Arlington Court estate, North DevonArlington CourtNorth Devon estate with ancient woodland, an old lake and red deerBellever Forest on Dartmoor, Devon, in MayBellever ForestHigh Dartmoor conifer forest by the East Dart, with Bronze Age remains among the treesWoodland in Fingle Woods in the Teign valley, DevonFingle WoodsSteep, wooded Teign valley where oak and hazel are slowly replacing old conifer plantation

Photos: Arlington Court, Bill Tyne from Oxford, England (CC BY-SA 2.0); Bellever Forest, Forester2009 (CC BY-SA 3.0); Fingle Woods, Nilfanion (CC BY-SA 4.0).