Canonteign Falls

Upper section of falls	Mid section of falls	lower section of falls
Click on images above to see larger versions  or on hyperlinked text to see the original and access to larger versions

This is one of the waterfalls that claims to be England's tallest falls, dropping 220ft down the Devon hillside into the lakes beyond feeding into the River Teign.

The Falls were created in 1880, when Susan the 3rd Lady Exmouth, to keep the redundant silver miners in Devon employed, used them to divert the water over the high outcrop of rocks as a part of starting the landscaping of the estate. The existing waterfall this was diverted from still also exists. Lower down you can still see some remains of other uses of the water for providing power and feeding water elsewhere.

To see the falls you climb the Victorian steps upwards through a 'Secret Garden' and 'Fern Garden' to reach the top of Lady Exmouth Falls and Buzzard’s View, offering a view across South Devon and Dartmoor. The path down takes you through ancient woodland, and provides a great opportunity to view the original Clampitt Waterfalls and secret garden waterfall as they plunge and drop into the valley, while taking in some of the native wildlife that lives alongside. Taking the path alongside Lily Lake leading to the wetlands and lakes, gives you the opportunity to visit wildlife in its natural habitat and spot kingfishers, bats, butterflies, wildfowl and otter.

In the early 1990s the current Lord Exmouth constructed a further four lakes and here, particularly in spring and early summer, carpets of yellow buttercups and orchids adorn the grassland.

The woodland is a haven for wildlife and wildflowers. In spring and early summer you will see an abundance of primroses, bluebells, wood anemones and wild garlic. There is a chance of spotting Roe or Fallow deer, which are prolific in our woods. The woods also provide a perfect habitat and places to nest for robins, blackbirds, finches, woodpeckers, nuthatches and wrens. Once coppiced for a variety of uses, the last time the woodland at Canonteign was managed for commercial purposes was during the 2nd World War, when wood was felled for the war effort, some of this wood was never in fact collected.

You can find out more about the history of the estate by clicking here

I have not visited this location, and don't know if the photographs above are all of one or different falls within this park.

Location: Canonteign Falls, Canonteign, Devon Grid Reference: SX832824 Ceremonial County: Devon Map Link: StreetMap  Aerial photo: Google Aerial  showing layout of land, falls do not show up. Getting there: Off the A38 take the Teign Valley exit and then left off the slip road. Take next right signposted to Dunsford/Teign Valley (B3193). Follow the brown tourist signs. Access: Incline from disabled car park to shop, no steps. Access to Clampitt Falls is along an even path from the shop, with seats by Lily Lake for rests. Access to the the bridge at the base of Lady Exmouth Falls involves a steep incline of about 20ft. Website: Own Other Useful Websites: Geograph   Email: Address: Canonteign Falls, near Christow, Devon Postcode: EX6 7NT Telephone: 01647 252434. Opening Times: March to end October - check their website for exact dates Daily: 10am-4pm.  Gates locked at 5.30pm In times of heavy rain, high winds and due to the nature of location, it may be necessary to close the falls for health and safety reasons. Charges: Adult:£7.50; Child (4+) £5.75; Senior/students/concessions £6.50; Family (2+2) £24; Download 10% discount entry Voucher Nearby Locations: Dartmoor locations Other Location Pages: Waterfall    Waterfalls of Devon Notes: Free parking

Please let us know any other information that we can add to the Further information and Planning Grids or page and any errors that you discover. Before making a long trip to any location it is always wise to double check the current information, websites like magazines may be correct at the time the information is written, but things change and it is of course impossible to double check all entries on a regular basis. If you have any good photographs that you feel would improve the illustration of this page then please let us have copies. In referring to this page it is helpful if you quote both the Page Ref and Topic or Section references from the Grid below. To print the planning grid select it then right click and print the selected area.

Please submit information on locations you discover so that this system continues to grow.