Devon Character Areas

The River Torridge with valley sides clothed in dense deciduous woodland, viewed from a stone bridge south of Great Torrington.

Contextual description

This Devon Character Area (DCA) comprises the River Torridge and its tributaries, which flow generally northwards to emerge at the Taw-Torridge Estuary in Bideford. The longer (south-eastern) branch of the valley lies between the High Culm Ridges and the West Torridge Upland Farmland DCAs, extending south as far as the High Taw Farmland DCA. The shorter western tributary valleys of the Yeo and Duntz lie between the Bideford Bay Coast, the Western Culm Plateau and the West Torridge Upland Moorland DCAs. All of the DCA is within Torridge District.

Link to National Character Areas and Constituent Landscape Character Types

Constituent Landscape Character Types (LCTs) include 3A Upper Farmed Wooded Valley Slopes, 3C Sparsely Settled Farmed Valley Floors, 3G River Valley Slopes and Combes, and 3H Secluded Valleys.

This DCA is within The Culm National Character Area (NCA 149).

Summary character description

The River Torridge flows in a series of looping meanders through varied landscapes on its route to the sea. It passes dramatic gorges with dark forested sides, flows through open pastoral valley floors with sides cloaked in ancient woodland, and transitions to the tidal mudflats fringing the Taw-Torridge Estuary (DCA 58), echoing to the call of seabirds. The river is home to otters, which dart about in its clear waters, and is overlooked by ancient defences and historic villages perched high above on the valley sides. This is an intricate, complex and varied landscape, with unexpected views suddenly revealed as the landform and vegetation open out.

Tributary of the River Torridge viewed from Great Torrington Common, with dense mixed woodland (Pencleave Wood) on the valley sides and pasture above.

Distinctive characteristics

• Underlying Culm geology of mudstones, sandstones and siltstones incised by the River Torridge and its tributaries.
• Steep valley sides enclosing the wide main valley floor, contrasting with narrower tributary valley floors.
• River Torridge is deep and fast flowing, with a convoluted course and tightly meandering channel. It is tidal as far as Landcross, with mudflats exposed at low tide.
• Alluvial soils on valley floor generally used for pastoral agriculture, with a mixture of pastoral and arable agriculture and horse grazing on higher land.
• Fields of varying shape and size, comprising a mixture of medieval, post-medieval and modern enclosures. Mainly enclosed by hedgerows or hedgebanks, but with some loss of field boundaries in arable areas.
• Valley sides cloaked in deciduous woodland, including tracts of ancient origin. Some areas are defined by conifer plantations, particularly in the middle and upper reaches of the main valley.
• Other semi-natural habitats include water meadows and riparian habitats on valley floors, tidal mudflats and salt marshes on estuary fringes, traditional orchards around villages and unimproved grassland commons around Great Torrington.
• Many historic features associated with the river, including weirs, mills, bridges, a disused canal and railway (including the Tarka Trail).
• Prominent archaeological sites, including Iron Age hillforts providing evidence of a long-settled character at Castle Hill, Berry Castle and Ten Oaks Woods.
• Estate parkland on the valley floor adds to the sense of time-depth, as do prominent village church towers.
• A strongly rural, sparsely settled landscape with scattered farms (white cob/stone with thatch or slate roofs) and villages on higher ground.
• Great Torrington occupies a commanding position overlooking a crossing point of the River Torridge.
• Major roads (e.g. A386 and A3124) and transport routes (e.g. former Okehampton-Bideford railway line) generally follow the main valley floor.
• Elsewhere, winding lanes cross watercourses on narrow stone bridges, enclosed by high hedgebanks and marked by white fingerposts.
• Strong contrasts between enclosed wooded valleys and higher open farmland on either side, offering commanding views (e.g. from Great Torrington and Little Torrington towards Dartmoor).
• The tributaries and valley sides of the Torridge convey strong rural qualities and a sense of timelessness.

View to a densely wooded upstream section of the River Torridge from the A396, looking over a newly sown arable field on the valley floor.

Informal recreation at Great Torrington Common, from which there are expansive views of the pastoral valley floor and wooded valley sides. The ridgetop village of Monkleigh (with prominent church) is visible on the skyline.

Special qualities and features

Several Regionally Important Geological Sites covering geological exposures within the Torridge Valley around Torrington, including Barley Grove, Rosemoor Quarry and Beam Quarry.

Hunshaw Wood Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) designated for relic ancient semi-natural oak woodland with diverse ground flora and Halsdon SSSI designated for river, floodplain meadows and ancient oak woodland habitats.

Numerous County Wildlife Sites and nature reserves covering both riparian and woodland habitats.

Traditional orchards, gardens and designed landscapes, including the Royal Horticultural Society gardens at Rosemoor and estate parklands on the valley floor.

Variety of Scheduled Monuments covering many phases of the area's history, including Iron Age defences at Berry Castle, Castle Hill and Ten Oaks Wood, medieval crosses, holy wells, and later industrial sites such as lime kilns.

Conservation Areas covering the historic cores of Dolton and Beaford where there are clusters of listed buildings. The historic villages of Little Torrington and Dowland also contain concentrations of listed buildings.

Site of the last great battle of the Civil War at Torrington (1646), after which Oliver Cromwell and his New Model Army occupied the town.

Important otter habitat and strong cultural associations with Henry Williamson's book Tarka the Otter, which was inspired by the river setting at Weare Gifford and later filmed on location.

Area valued for recreation, including the popular Tarka Trail, many public rights of way, Great Torrington Common and Jennetts Reservoir (valued for fishing).

High scenic quality associated with the valley system's dramatic landform and strong sense of place.

Sense of peace and seclusion, with pockets of high tranquillity, particularly in tributary valleys.

Dark night skies in the southern part of the area (beyond the influences of Bideford and Great Torrington).

Forces for change and their landscape implications

Past and current

• Water quality issues resulting from agricultural intensification (e.g. increased use of fertilisers and agricultural run-off).
• Changing farming practices, including increased mechanisation (leading to loss of traditionally managed grasslands, and the introduction of large, modern farm buildings).
• Hobby farming (e.g. horse keeping with associated unsympathetic fencing and infrastructure) on settlement edges.
• Lack of woodland management resulting in loss of species diversity and age structure.
• Past replanting of ancient broadleaved woodland with conifers, changing valley character.
• Invasive water-borne weeds such as Himalayan Balsam and Japanese knotweed affecting native riparian vegetation and wildlife habitats.
• Loss of traditional orchards, reducing landscape diversity, heritage connections and wildlife value.
• Electricity pylons along the Duntz Valley which are visually intrusive in this intimate landscape.
• Development on settlement fringes viewed from across or above the valley (e.g. Bideford and Great Torrington) and linear expansion on the edges of Weare Gifford.
• Loss of trees resulting from spread of ash dieback (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) disease.
• The golf course at Great Torrington changing the character of the valley sides. The valley south of Bideford is dominated by Jennetts Reservoir.
• Visual and audible impacts of main roads affecting tranquillity.
• Increased farm, recreational and other traffic on narrow rural roads, reducing tranquility.
• Light spill from Bideford (and to a lesser extent Great Torrington) affecting dark night skies.
• Effects of climate change resulting in wetter and warmer winters, and more frequent hot and dry periods (increasing the risk of drought in summer), plus more frequent extreme weather events such as storms with more intense rainfall causing flooding in valleys.

Future

• Forthcoming changes to agricultural subsidies, including the new Environmental Land Management scheme (ELMs) which will pay landowners for the delivery of public goods and services, including for the restoration of nature. This may impact the viability of traditional grazing management and the management of landscape features such as Devon hedges and traditional linhays.
• Increased levels of diffuse pollution from agriculture, reducing fish stocks and affecting riparian wildlife.
• Potential planting of new woodlands to reduce flooding and improve water storage and carbon sequestration.
• Potential changes in sea level (resulting from climate change) including increased tidal reach, affecting river processes and habitats, particularly in tidal stretches near Bideford.
• Increased flood risk and drought impacting on the river, tributaries and associated wetland habitats due to changes in weather patterns and more frequent extreme weather events as a result of climate change. This could also lead to demand for engineered flood defences.
• More intense summer drought conditions as a result of climate change, leading to a drying out of wetland habitats including riparian woodlands and meadows.
• Increased levels of diffuse pollution from agriculture resulting in detrimental effects on water quality and riparian wildlife.
• Changes to woodland species composition as a result of climate change, affecting weather patterns and growing seasons, and allowing new pests, diseases and pathogens (e.g. Phytophthora) to spread.
• Pressure/demand for residential development around existing villages, hamlets and farmsteads, as well as farm conversions and new agricultural buildings on farms.
• Continued development of larger settlements visible from the valley floor (e.g. Bideford), affecting the valley's rural character and dark night skies.
• Increased levels of domestic tourism (exacerbated following the Covid-19 pandemic), leading to demand for new recreation and tourism facilities such as caravan parks and campsites.
• Potential for new renewable energy schemes, including small-scale hydro-electric power schemes, and wind turbines on adjacent higher ground potentially visible on the skyline from within the valleys.

View north-west along the A3124 north of Beaford. Large farm with new agricultural barns visible as well as a traditional thatched cottage.

View north-west across pony paddocks towards Beaford. Three wind turbines at Darracott Moor (in DCA 32) are visible on the skyline.

Landscape guidelines

Protect

• Protect the natural form and features of the river and the dynamic processes that form them (e.g. meanders, shingle banks and tidal mud flats).
• Protect the open character of the valley floor, with its framed vistas and views across the valley.
• Protect the landscape's prominent archaeological sites, including Iron Age hillforts. Manage these features though grazing at appropriate levels and recreation management.
• Protect, restore and manage other important historic features such as lime kilns, bridges, canal and railway features. Include sensitive interpretation where appropriate.
• Protect skylines above the valleys from intrusive development.
• Protect and manage remaining traditional orchards.
• Protect the local vernacular building styles (including white cob/stone with thatch or slate roofs).
• Protect the character of the Conservation Areas at Dolton and Beaford.
• Protect the network of rural winding lanes, enclosed by high hedgebanks. Avoid unsympathetic highways works, lighting and road upgrades.

Manage

• Manage areas of semi-natural habitat including water meadows and riparian habitats on valley floors and tidal mudflats and salt marshes on estuary fringes. Link and extend habitats where possible to increase biodiversity, contribute to nature recovery networks and provide suitable habitats for species including otters.
• Manage broadleaved woodlands on valley sides (including use of traditional techniques such as coppicing) 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.
• Promote the natural regeneration of the landscape's ancient semi-natural woodlands.
• Manage and maintain hedgerows and hedgebanks to enhance their multiple functions and wildlife interest, through regular hedgerow tree coppicing (and planting of new climate-resilient specimens) and re-laying of gappy sections, strengthening irregular medieval field patterns.
• Manage parkland estates, resisting conversion from pastoral to arable use. Manage wood pasture and grassland habitats extensively 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 agricultural run-off into the rivers from adjacent areas to reduce contamination of the water and impacts on semi-natural habitats within the landscape and further downstream.
• Manage and eradicate invasive water-borne weeds such as Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan Balsam.
• Manage recreation and conservation in an integrated manner to avoid potential conflicts, such as wildlife disturbance.

Plan

• Identify opportunities for enhancing agriculture as a result of market changes (including Brexit and increased demand for domestic food production) and the new Environmental Land Management Schemes. New crops may also become viable as a result of climate change and the potential landscape impacts of these should be considered.
• Create, extend and link woodland and wetland habitats including riparian woodland on the valley bottoms 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.
• Develop long-term restructuring of conifer plantations to a more mixed structure, while retaining their role in sustainable timber production. Re-create and restore open habitats as part of a varied mosaic, and explore opportunities for access and recreation.
• Restore hedgerows where they have been lost, respecting traditional bank styles and species composition, to contribute to landscape structure and provide important linkages between semi-natural habitats.
• Restore traditional orchards and encourage the establishment of new orchards, including community schemes.
• Ensure new facilities and infrastructure to meet increased tourism demand are sensitively sited and designed to conserve and enhance the distinctive characteristics, valued attributes and special qualities of the landscape that make it attractive to visitors. Mitigate potential negative impacts of tourists such as increased levels of litter and footpath erosion, particularly along the Tarka Trail.
• Respond to the national policy drive for woodland planting, following the principles set out in Devon Local Nature Partnership's Right Place, Right Tree guidance. Extending woodland along and up the valley sides could make an important contribution to local nature recovery networks, reducing flood risk and improving water quality.
• Avoid woodland creation on areas characterised by existing semi-natural habitat land cover, buried archaeology and open areas with long views. Also consider the impact of woodland creation on the setting of historic features within the landscape.
• Understand likely hydrological changes in watercourses resulting from climate change and the impact of these changes on flood risk. This could also lead to demand for flood defences to protect existing structures. Natural flood management and allowing space for flooding should be utilised where appropriate (e.g. along the River Torridge and tributary floodplains).
• Explore methods to reduce light spill from Bideford and Great Torrington to enhance the quality of dark night skies.
• Plan for future residential development demand, respecting the existing sparsely settled character and the traditional vernacular. In adjacent towns (e.g. Great Torrington), ensure development is well-integrated into the landscape to minimise visual impact on this area.
• Ensure that any new residential development, (including conversions and extensions) are sympathetic in form and style, replicating traditional vernacular where possible, whilst incorporating sustainable design and green infrastructure links.
• Ensure plans for new renewable energy developments consider landscape and visual effects (including cumulative effects) especially on south facing slopes and areas of high ground which are favorable for solar and wind development. Site in appropriate locations and mitigate impacts through careful design.

DCA 63 Torridge Valley (PDF, 1 MB)