Devon doesn’t fit into one kind of walking country, and these entries make that clearer than ever. Up on the North Devon coast, a jaunt on the South West Coast Path around Croyde and Baggy Point, with The Thatch waiting at the end of it, while further along, Heddon Valley climbs between two of the highest sea cliffs in England to reach The Hunter’s Inn. Inland, the East Lyn River cuts a gorgeous wooded gorge down from Brendon — home to The Rockford Inn — through to Watersmeet, while Lynmouth’s The Rising Sun sits at the foot of the dramatic Valley of the Rocks.

Further south, Dartmoor’s granite tors loom over Drewsteignton and The Drewe Arms, and the South Hams coastline opens out around Gara Rock and the Gara Rock Hotel. Further along this shipwrecked coast is East Prawle and the legendary Pigs Nose Inn. Out on Burgh Island further West, The Pilchard Inn adds something entirely different — a tidal crossing to a tiny, storied outpost in the sea. There are numerous river valleys to discover, and The Ferry Boat Inn at Dittisham provides a window on the Swallows and Amazons world of the River Dart. And tucked away in the quiet farmland of Mid Devon, orchards and country lanes lead to the thatched Ring of Bells at Cheriton Fitzpaine — proof that this county’s pubs reward you just as much away from the coast and moor.

Down in Slapton, The Tower Inn sits beneath the ruins of a medieval chantry college, with Slapton Sands and the freshwater sweep of Slapton Ley just a short wander away. It’s another reminder that Devon’s landscapes shift quickly: from Exmoor’s combes to the coast path, Hartland’s wild remoteness, the South Hams’ coves and headlands, Dartmoor’s high moor, and East Devon’s gentler AONB — this county covers more ground than most on this site, and there’s still more of it to add.