Outdoors & Nature in Dartmoor National Park
River Dart Country Park, Ashburton, Dartmoor National Park
The River Dart Country Park is an area of woodland and parkland in the eastern section of Dartmoor National Park. The country park is named after the River Dart that flows through its grounds. This listing provides information on the country park from the perspective of a day visitor. Note that y...
Haytor Down, Haytor Vale, Dartmoor National Park
This is probably the most popular area of moorland in Dartmoor National Park. In high Summer, or after a good dumping of snow in Winter, its many car parking areas are rammed full with vehicles. Its popularity is partly owing to its location on the eastern side of Dartmoor near the large towns of So...
Peek Hill and Burrator Circular Walk, Yelverton, Dartmoor National Park
Burrator Reservoir is pretty much surrounded by high moorland. This means that you can drop down to the reservoir from high ground to enjoy both moorland and waterside walking. To approach from the north, it's easiest to wander over Peek Hill from one of the many car parking areas along the B3212 be...
Stone Lane Gardens and Mythic Garden Sculpture Exhibition, Chagford, Dartmoor National Park
Gardens/family attraction The team behind Holiday in Dartmoor run a number of UK travel sites. We've spent over a decade photographing and researching South West England. Whilst it's not particularly well known, Stone Lane Gardens is as impressive as anything we've seen from the edge of Salisbury...
Ryder's Hill and Huntingdon Warren Circular Walk, Dartmeet, Dartmoor National Park
This walk is one for the Dartmoor enthusiast. It crosses remote, boggy moorland on Dartmoor's south moor with Avon Head Mires, Fishlake Mire and Ryder's Mire in the shallow valley to the west. It takes in the highest point on the south moor and the wonderfully named barrow Heap of Sinners. We'd reco...
Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust Education and Visitor Centre, Bovey Tracey, Dartmoor National Park
Dartmoor National Park is known for its moorland ponies. Take a holiday in Dartmoor and it's difficult not to see ponies grazing or wandering the moors. These ponies come in a huge variety of colours, shapes and sizes. This variety can be confusing. A trip to the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust Educati...
White Wood River Dart Walk, Holne, Dartmoor National Park
[Main photo: the River Dart at the bottom of White Wood in the heart of the Dart Gorge] Walking the deepest section of the Dart Gorge Dartmoor's famous for its rain and rivers. After a period of heavy rain, there are a few places where the noise of the water is awesome as i...
Sheeps Tor, Yelverton, Dartmoor National Park
Sheeps Tor dominates the eastern side of Burrator Reservoir. It rises steeply from the plantations that fringe the water and is topped by huge rocky outcrops and crags that are popular with climbers. Given its height and relative isolation, the 360 degree views are sensational. If you're exploring t...
Totnes Rare Breeds Farm, Totnes, Dartmoor National Park
Totnes is a thriving South Devon town topped with an English Heritage castle. Clearly, it's not within Dartmoor National Park. We include it on Holiday in Dartmoor because it's at the end of the South Devon Railway that runs between Buckfastleigh and Totnes. It's a great place for young kids to enjo...
Holwell/Becka Brook Valley, Haytor Vale, Dartmoor National Park
Becka Brook runs from the moor between Haytor Rocks and Widecombe-in-the-Moor down to the River Bovey by Hisley Bridge in the lower part of the Bovey Valley. The brook can be split into three sections. The upper section flows through open moorland. The middle section is at Bovey Falls Woodland Pa...
Wray Valley Trail in Dartmoor, Moretonhampstead, Dartmoor National Park
Within Dartmoor National Park, the Wray Valley Trail runs from Mill Marsh Park at Bovey Tracey along the dismantled railway line to the end of Parke Estate. From there, a new section of the trail takes you to the edge of the popular Dartmoor village Lustleigh. The trail then runs to&n...
Mardon Down Headless Cross, Moretonhampstead, Dartmoor National Park
The Dartmoor expert William Crossing writes: 'On Mardon are some antiquarian remains, but they have been despoiled. About 1/3 m. on the R. soon after entering on the down the visitor will find some vestiges of a cairn known as Giant's Grave, 1,170 feet, and a little to the north of this part of a...
Lints Tor, Okehampton, Dartmoor National Park
A number of Dartmoor tors stand proud at the head of a valley. The most obvious, and impressive, is Steeperton Tor at the southern end of Taw Plain. Another is Lints Tor at the top of the Upper West Okement Valley. Study the area around Lints Tor on the Ordnance Survey Explorer OL28 'Dartmoor' ma...
Three Hares Trail, Chagford, Dartmoor National Park
The Two Moors Way, the Dartmoor Way and the Granite Way are examples of well known, official walking and multi-use trails in Dartmoor National Park. The Lych Way and the Abbot's Way are examples of lesser known trails that cut across the moors. The Three Hares Trail is a superb new initiative by Ele...
Mardon Down Cairn Circle, Moretonhampstead, Dartmoor National Park
There are many heavily weathered cairns on Mardon Down. In addition, there's a particularly fine cairn circle.