Answers · River Otter & East Devon
Clear answers to common questions
Factual, locally-checked answers about the river, the trail, the heaths and the stewardship at Bowhayes. Each question has its own page if you want to share or cite it.
How long is the River Otter?
The River Otter is about 44 km (27 miles) long, rising in the Blackdown Hills above Otterhead and reaching the sea at Budleigh Salterton on the Jurassic Coast.
Read more →Where does the River Otter rise?
The Otter rises near Otterhead in the Blackdown Hills of Somerset/Devon, where springs and the disused Otterhead Lakes feed the first headwaters before the river flows south into East Devon.
Read more →Where does the River Otter meet the sea?
The Otter meets the sea at Budleigh Salterton, where its tidal estuary breaks through the pebble beach on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.
Read more →Is the Otter Valley Trail waymarked?
No. The Otter Valley Trail is a curated guide to walks, rides, places and stops along the River Otter — not a continuous waymarked national trail. Use it alongside OS maps and existing rights of way.
Read more →Where can I see beavers on the River Otter?
Beavers live across the Lower Otter between Ottery St Mary and the estuary. The best chances of a sighting are at dawn or dusk from quiet riverside footpaths near Otterton and the Lower Otter Restoration Project — give them space and keep dogs on leads.
Read more →What are the Pebblebed Heaths?
The East Devon Pebblebed Heaths are a 1,100 ha sweep of lowland heath on top of Triassic pebble beds laid down some 240 million years ago. They are an SSSI, SAC and SPA, managed by Clinton Devon Estates and Pebblebed Heaths Conservation Trust.
Read more →What are the Devon Redlands?
The Devon Redlands are the broad belt of red Permian and Triassic sandstones and mudstones that give East and mid Devon its distinctive red soils, red cliffs and red-brick villages — the rock that underlies most of the Otter valley.
Read more →What has Bowhayes achieved through FiPL?
Bowhayes Farm at Venn Ottery has been awarded and delivered Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) funding via East Devon National Landscape, improving water management, traditional orchards, tree-nursery infrastructure, habitat connectivity and visitor interpretation.
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