The Templer Way is an 18-mile waymarked footpath that follows the route along which Dartmoor granite was once hauled down to the sea — first by horse-drawn tramway and then by canal and barge — for shipping to London. The Newton Abbot end of the trail follows the Teign estuary out to Teignmouth, a flat, easy walk of about eight miles past mudflats, herons, and old quayside warehouses.
You can pick up the path at the Forde House end of town and follow it east. The estuary is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and good for birdwatching, especially in winter when overwintering waders gather on the mudflats. The trail finishes at the Teignmouth ferry, so you can take the train back from there to Newton Abbot in about ten minutes.