Woodbury Common, Devon

Heath at Woodbury Common, showing Heather (Calluna vulgaris) and Western Gorse (Ulex gallii) in bloom during the summer

Woodbury Common in East Devon, England is an area of common land that is predominantly heathland adjacent to the village of Woodbury. It is bordered to the south by the edge of the towns of Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton, the hamlet of Yettington to the east, and the A3052 to the north. It is part of the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty,[1] and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Aerial view of the common.

Within the common is Woodbury Castle, an Iron Age hill fort situated on a viewpoint overlooking westwards the villages of Woodbury and Woodbury Salterton and across the Exe estuary to the Haldon Hills, and overlooking eastwards the Otter Valley, part of the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The heathland has wide swathes of gorse and heather (bell, cross-leaved and ling varieties) and is a popular spot for orienteering, hill-walking, mountain biking and flying radio-controlled aircraft. It has a wide variety of wildlife, in particular the Nightjar, which migrates from Africa each year.

The common contains a training ground for the Royal Marines, part of the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines based at nearby Lympstone in the parish of Woodbury.

To the north end of Woodbury Common is the Woodbury Park Hotel, Golf and Country Club complex established by former Formula One driver Nigel Mansell.[2]

  1. ^ "Woodbury | information and guide to Woodbury Devon UK". Devonlink.co.uk. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  2. ^ Woodbury Park Hotel, Golf and Country Club