Stover Country Park- Wildlife Walk
Stover country park on the edge of Dartmoor is the perfect spot for an easily accessible wildlife walk for everyone to enjoy! The park itself includes over 114 acres of lake, marshland, forest, and heathland, with a wide variety of wildlife but don’t worry you won’t be covering the whole park today! This short circular route will take you around the main lake and into some of the woodland to see the best wildlife Stover has to offer!
To see the OS Version of this walk click here!
Potential Wildlife:
- Mandarin Duck
- Mallard
- Tufted Duck
- Heron
- Great Crested Grebe
- Coot
- Moorhen
- Mute Swan
- Blue Tit
- Nuthatch
- Greater Spotted Woodpecker
- Cormorant
- Canada Geese
- Dragonflies and Damselflies
- Grey Squirrel
- Several Bat species
- Grass snakes
- Distance: 2 miles
- Type: Circular
- Ascent: not applicable
- Time: 45 minutes (Allow an hour to admire the wildlife along the way)
Start:
Park in the main carpark at Stover, it’s £1.90 for 2 hours which is plenty of time to complete this walk and more! You are then going to start your walk from the carpark and head towards the main park, passing the visitor centre along the way. Make an immediate left turn towards the Lake, where you will cross a small wooden walkway over the water.
This area is the perfect location for duck spotting; you can find Tufted, Mandarin, and Mallard ducks in this area, as well as Mute Swans and Geese. It’s also a good spot to see one of the Grey Squirrels that reside here. Once you have finished admiring the different ducks continue along the main trail, crossing over the bridge when you come to it. Then follow the main path down with the lake on your right hand side and the forest on your left.
Woods and Dragonfly Pond
You can now choose whether to go into the forest (where a range of wildlife sculptures have been placed) or continue to follow the main path. Don’t worry about missing out on the forest if you go past the first trail entrance as there are plenty of places to dip in and out. Whilst walking around the woodland keep a sharp eye out for Woodpeckers and Nuthatch that can be seen in this area. You may also notice bat boxes on several of the trees- if you are brave enough to follow this route after dark you may spot some of them flying in and out of this area!
When you have finished exploring the forest head back to the lake and main trail to continue the route. If you haven’t already passed the dragonfly pond- it will be on the left hand side to the lake. Be sure to check it out and see how many species you can spot, the British Dragonfly Society have named Stover as one of their top locations, so there is sure to be plenty around!
Walkway and Bird Hide
Continue following the main path around the lake. If you look out to the centre of the lake you might be able to catch a glimpse of some of the larger species; such as the Great Crested Grebe, Heron, and Cormorant. As you start heading around the edge of the lake and face towards the entrance again, keep an eye out for a wooden walkway on your left hand side! This will lead you around the aerial walkway. Here you can spot several bird feeders and if you glance over the edge you can also usually spot the grey squirrels enjoying snack.
Keep following the walkway all the way around and it will reconnect you with the main path. Then follow the path until you reach another wooden walkway over the lake and marsh. This is a good place to look for grass snakes on warmer days! Finally, you will find the path follows back along towards the main entrance and your starting point. Before you get there be sure to check out the bird hide located on the right hand side!
Tips for this walk:
- If you want to shorten this walk, just skip out the forest and aerial walkway and follow the main path around the lake!
- There are plenty of spots to sit down and have a break here, with benches located around the entire route.
- Stover can get quite busy during the summer months so arrive earlier if you are looking for a quieter experience.
