Nature reserve near Lyme Regis/Axminster (East Devon)
Circular child-friendly woodland walk
Buggies are a struggle but off-road buggies ok in dry season
Dogs welcome
Free entry
Free parking
No facilities
Nearest postcode EX13 5SS
Trinity Hill is a nature reserve not far from Lyme Regis and Axminster, with miles of track to explore through old English woodland and across colourful heath. It’s free to park, free to enter and open all year round! I apologise for my photos which don't do it justice, it was a foggy and wet July day.
The circular route we take is about 1.5 miles long (though it often feels a bit longer with one slightly reluctant four-year-old in tow!) and is great territory for a good old welly stomp in all seasons! You can take the bikes, though the rider would need to be able to cope with bumpy and boggy areas, and hilly sections.
I’d like to be able to say this route is buggy-friendly, but having tried it myself a few years ago, it didn’t go well – there are sections of this route that get really waterlogged and boggy which meant the buggy had to be carried and that, put simply, was a bit of a pain in the arse. When it’s been dry for a while, an off-road buggy would handle it ok.
There are lots of walks across this nature reserve but here’s our tried and tested route.
Starting off from the second of the two car parks off Trinity Hill Road from the A35 near the Lyme Regis/Crewkerne crossroads at Hunter’s Lodge, head down the track and keep going straight on until you’re into the woods. (Ignore an offshoot on your left soon after the car park.)
You’ll come to a fork at the bottom of the hill – go straight on (as the right-hand path is where the circular will spit you out at the end ready to return to the car park.)
The path winds round in a vague circle and eventually you’ll find yourself at a metal gate – go to the right-hand side of the gate and turn right here (and this is where it’s often a mud fest even in high summer!).
This will then bring you back on the return leg of the journey, through old twisted trees (it’s very ‘Sleepy Hollow’ on a foggy day) – and on clear days you’ll have amazing views over the Axe Valley, often with ponies grazing in the fields.
There are no facilities at Trinity Hill aside from the car park, but if you’re in the mood for some refreshments afterwards there’s lots to choose from. The nearest watering hole with a playground in the pub garden is at Hunter’s Lodge Inn; or head to nearby Axminster and stop in for ice cream and a light lunch at Diamond’s Tea Room off Cooks Lane.