Stargazing & bat walk: a nocturnal nature experience

From the A38/Devon Expressway take the Totnes/Buckfastleigh exit. On arriving in Totnes, at the first traffic lights, turn right onto the A381 towards Kingsbridge. Half a mile outside Totnes turn left to Ashprington (about two miles).

On reaching Ashprington village turn left up the hill and onto the Sharpham Estate. Follow the road through the pillars and shortly you’ll see a wooden sign on your right, pointing to the Woodland Campsite parking.

Frequent direct trains run from London, Birmingham, and the North. The journey time by train is less than three hours from London Paddington via GWR (www.GWR.com) and under four hours from London Waterloo. Find train times and buy tickets from www.thetrainline.com

Trains to Totnes are on the Exeter, Plymouth and Penzance lines. Totnes railway station is a 5-10 minute walk from the town.

Click here to see how to book a single or shared taxi to The Sharpham Estate.

From Totnes railway station, walking takes 45-60 minutes and cycling takes about 25 minutes.

Out of Station Drive, turn left at the main road, crossing over at the pedestrian lights. At Morrisons petrol station take the road straight on-ish into town (you'll soon walk past Morrisons supermarket on left). Keep going straight on over the mini-roundabout. At the Doctors' Surgery the road swings right. You go straight on, passing the Doctors' Surgery to your right.

When the road bears left around the back of the Steam Packet Inn on your left, you turn right (signposted National Cycle Network 28), up the hill for 30 metres to a sign for footpath/cycle route to Ashprington. Follow this, taking the right hand route at the first fork, continue up a long hill, and through woodland.

Go through a gate at the top, then continue downhill along this path. You will reach another gate with the Sharpham compass logo on its post, and go through that gate. Continue on about 200 metres through a third gate and soon after you’ll pass a striking bench on your left commissioned by the Sharpham Trust as a wonderful sit-spot facing down the River Dart Valley towards Sharpham House. Follow the path down and through a fourth gate. Continue down and round and you’ll go through another gate.

Straight after that gate, you’ll reach a split in the path with a sign pointing toward Ashprington.

Choose the left fork to take a more level route to Sharpham House. When you get to the final gate, you'll need to climb up the winding hill until you see signs for the Woodland Retreat parking and luggage drop-off.

If you took the right fork at the Ashprington sign, you'll climb (sometimes steeply), eventually reaching the pillars at the entrance to Sharpham Estate. Go left through these and the Woodland Retreat parking and luggage drop-off is the next right.