Landscape Character Types

Small scale marshy pasture on the valley floor of the River Yeo.

Summary description

The Secluded Valleys carve through the highest land of the districts, forming tributaries of the main rivers including the Taw, Torridge, Bray, Mole and Tamar.

Link to Devon Character Areas

DCA 31: Hartland Peninsula

DCA 44: North Devon Downs

DCA 53: South Molton Farmland

DCA 59: Taw Valley

DCA 63: Torridge Valley

DCA 64: Upper Tamar Tributary Valleys

DCA 66: Western Culm Plateau

DCA 67: Witheridge and Rackenford Moor

Key characteristics

• Steep-sided, incised valleys with fast-flowing streams and rivers carving through the landscape, crowned by rounded hill summits.
• Includes the main tributary valleys of the Taw, Torridge, Bray, Mole and Tamar, as well as the tightly enclosed southward-draining downland valleys of North Devon.
• Watercourses carve through underlying Carboniferous sandstones, mudstones and siltstones (Culm Measures). The downland valleys incise steeply through bands of Morte slate in their upper courses, flowing through the sandstones and mudstones from the Late Devonian as they flow south.
• Lakes / reservoirs occupy the heads of the Wolf and Tamar Valleys.
• Mixture of field sizes and shapes - often smaller, irregular medieval enclosures on lower slopes, with upper slopes merging into larger post-medieval and modern fields, often retaining earlier curving boundaries.
• Species-rich Devon hedges on wildflower-rich banks, with bank-side ferns and frequent hedgerow trees associated with lower valley locations.
• Steep valley sides dominated by pasture grazed by sheep and cattle, with patches of rough grazing land on upper slopes and rushy meadows fringing watercourses.
• Dense tree cover cloaking valley sides, including ancient semi-natural oak woodlands with a colourful ground flora, beech-dominated broadleaved woodlands and conifer blocks. Some ancient sessile oak woodland is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Patches of wet woodland trace watercourses.
• Woodlands interspersed with patches of Culm grassland, species-rich rush pasture, Molinia mire, unimproved acid and neutral grasslands, wet meadows and gorse and willow scrub. Many areas of semi-natural habitat are County Wildlife Sites.
• Parkland estates containing veteran trees within wood pasture feature along some valleys; one is a SSSI for its rich lichen and invertebrate communities.
• Sense of time depth provided by a scattering of Bronze Age barrows and tumuli, Iron Age hillforts on prominent hill-top sites, historic parkland estates and monastic remains; many are Scheduled Monuments.
• Mills, dismantled railway lines, mining shafts and stone bridges reflect the valleys' industrial heritage.
• Nucleated historic villages, hamlets and farmsteads grouped at crossing points, with some linear spread along valley floors. Settlement linked by minor roads running along valley floors and sunken lanes falling steeply down slopes.
• Strong local vernacular of exposed local stone and slate, along with cream, whitewashed and yellow buildings, some with thatched roofs. Derelict corrugated iron linhays frequently feature in valleys within Torridge district.
• High levels of peace and tranquillity frequently defined by sounds of fast-flowing water, although locally impacted by main roads in some valleys.

Tributary stream valley of the River Mole, with historic parkland enclosed by dense woodland on both sides, and riparian vegetation following the course of the stream.

Valued landscape attributes

• Unspoilt, secluded and secretive character providing a tranquil landscape.
• Broadleaved woodlands and coppice clothing valley sides, important for biodiversity, flood mitigation and carbon sequestration.
• Rich mosaic of water, meadows, grassland, hedges, small fields and woodland, all providing wildlife havens.
• Narrow sunken lanes with stone bridges plus other historic features creating a strong sense of time depth.

Cattle grazing floodplain pasture on the upper reaches of the River Carey.

The historic Chelfham viaduct signifies the industrial heritage of the landscape

Management guidelines

Protect

Protect valued ancient sessile oak woodland and implement appropriate management regimes. Conserve the mosaic of semi-natural habitats associated with woodlands. Including valued areas of Culm grassland.

Conserve existing areas of semi-natural habitat including rush pasture, unimproved meadows, wet meadows, ponds and willow scrub.

Manage

Restore lengths of lost Devon hedges, respecting traditional bank styles and species composition, to contribute to landscape structure, provide important linkages between semi-natural habitats and to prevent agricultural run-off.

Manage wood pasture and grassland habitats to prevent damage to tree root systems.

Retain veteran/dying trees for their wildlife habitats, seeking to plant the next generation of parkland trees using locally prevalent, climate-resilient species.

Manage wet woodland and meadows through traditional grazing and land management regimes to enhance their wildlife value and roles in flood prevention.

Manage areas of semi-natural habitat including water meadows and riparian habitats on valley floors. Link and extend habitats where possible to increase biodiversity and contribute to nature recovery networks.

Manage broadleaved woodlands on valley sides (including use of traditional techniques such as coppicing) for age and species diversity and promote woodland planting which extends and strengthens the existing woodland and hedge network, in line with Devon Local Nature Partnership's Right Place, Right Tree guidance.

Encourage natural regeneration of woodland and undertake new planting (using climate-hardy species) to link fragmented sites. Restore riparian corridors of native broadleaved trees to provide shade and keep rivers cool.

Plan

Understand likely hydrological changes in watercourses resulting from climate change and the impact of these changes on flood risk. Natural flood defenses and allowing space for flooding by restoring floodplain connectivity should be enhanced where appropriate within the landscape.

Create, extend and link woodland and wetland habitats to enhance the water storage capacity of the landscape (reducing incidences of downstream flooding) and improve water quality by reducing soil erosion and agricultural run-off.

Respond to the UK-wide policy drive for increased tree and woodland planting, implementing Devon Local Nature Partnership's 'Right Place, Right Tree' principles to create a balance of climate-resilient native species appropriate to the local landscape. Avoid siting new woodland where there would be an adverse impact on the expansive views from higher ground.

Reduce nutrient and sediment pollution of water courses by creating riparian buffer strips, creating new hedges along contours, and constructing wetlands to intercept pollutants.

Utilise the new Environmental Land Management scheme (ELMs) and other initiatives such as Local Nature Recovery Strategies (as they emerge) to manage and enhance the wildlife interest of the farmed landscape.

Expand and link fragmented Culm grassland habitats to increase biodiversity value, resilience to climate change and to contribute to wider nature recovery networks.

Diversify and enhance future sustainability of the area's conifer plantations, exploring opportunities for mixed stocking, the restoration of open habitats such as Culm Grasslands, and improved access and recreation.

Restore lost or degraded lengths of hedgerow to strengthen ecological connectivity and natural flood management whilst respecting the characteristic local field patterns. Follow guidelines published by Devon Hedge Group.

LCT 3H Secluded Valleys (PDF) [1MB]