Great Torrington is bounded on three sides by some 365 acres of common land which provide a wonderful natural habitat for a rich variety of flora and fauna.

Twenty miles of footpaths across the Commons are described in a series of leaflets available from the Tourist Information Centre. The Tarka Trail (a 180 mile cycling and walking track) and many miles of Devon lanes, bridleways and footpaths also make excellent walking in the Torrington area.

Features to look out for include: Taddiport Bridge and Rothern Bridge (prior to the opening of the Town Mills Bridge, these were the only local crossings of the River Torridge. Rolle Road is the site of the Rolle Canal which opened in 1827 to help transport clay, lime and other commodities between the boats on the tidal river at Landcross and the lime kilns, clay pits and farms around Great Torrington. It was closed in 1871 and was later filled in to create a toll road across the Common, now a delightful riverside walk. Waterloo Monument is a stone obelisk errected in 1818 to the south of the town by "the ladies of Great Torrington" to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo and finally look out for the Leper Fields in Taddiport. Two narrow, strip fields which uniquely illustrate Medieval strip farming and are all that remain of a much larger number which were there in living memory, cultivated by lepars for at least 500 years.

Park in South Street car park for walks near the river or there is a car park on the west side of the town on the road towards Bideford. There is a picnic area here, along with toilets and usually an ice-cream van! There is also a good access point with a car park to the west of the town at the Puffing Billy pub. The walks from here, along the Tarka Trail, are well surfaced, ideal for bikes, wheelchairs and pushchairs.