Things To Do near Walkers Retreat

Gidleigh Holy Trinity Church, Gidleigh, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 12 miles away)

The north and eastern fringes of Dartmoor's north moor are lined with villages and hamlets and their churches. Moving clockwise, the towers of Belstone, South Tawton, Throwleigh and then Gidleigh churches rise against the backdrop of high moorland. Gidleigh Holy Trinity Church is...

Black Ridge, Okehampton, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 12 miles away)

This is one of the strangest places in Dartmoor National Park. Huge peat hags and channels have been cut from the high moorland. Piles of white rocks have been placed on the black peat to guide visitors along the old peat pass. Walking along Black Ridge is quite easy. Getting there is much more diff...

Gidleigh Castle (Landmark Only), Gidleigh, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 12 miles away)

An information leaflet from the church next door to the castle reads: 'Gidleigh Castle dates from about 1324 and was built over an earlier castle by William le Prouz, a powerful knight and overlord in the district. It was never a true castle in the military sense, but rather a fortified manor hou...

North-South (Track) Ancient Travel Route, Okehampton, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 12 miles away)

This is one of the most difficult long distance routes we’ve walked in Dartmoor National Park. It’s marked on the Harvey British Mountain Map ‘Dartmoor’ map as an ancient travel route across Dartmoor. We’ve split it into two sections running north to south.   Section 1. North...

Mardon Down Cairn Circle, Moretonhampstead, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 12 miles away)

There are many heavily weathered cairns on Mardon Down. In addition, there's a particularly fine cairn circle.

Mardon Down, Moretonhampstead, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 12 miles away)

There are a number of islands of open access moorland rising from surrounding farmland just south of the Teign Gorge and Fingle Woods in the north eastern section of Dartmoor National Park. The largest is Mardon Down. At Mardon Down, two domes of moor are connected by a thin strip of land in whic...

Ted Hughes Memorial Stone, Belstone, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 12 miles away)

A memorial to the Poet Laureate Ted Hughes was unveiled in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey in December 2011. More appropriately, another memorial was helicoptered onto the high moors of Dartmoor National Park a decade before. It's a simple granite stone sunk into a mound close to the head of the...

Butterdon Down Standing Stone, Moretonhampstead, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 12 miles away)

There's what is thought to be a prehistoric standing stone on the western side of Butterdon Down where the Dartmoor Way Walking Route skirts the moorland. See our Butterdon Down listing for directions. Note that there are cairns topping the down. In addition, there are cairns, a stone circle a...

Butterdon Down, Moretonhampstead, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 12 miles away)

Butterdon Down tends to be one of those places on Dartmoor that you pass through as opposed to being a destination in its own right. Located between Fingle Bridge and Moretonhampstead, the Dartmoor Way Walking Route runs around the western and southern fringes of this small island of moorland. Th...

Mardon Down Headless Cross, Moretonhampstead, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 12 miles away)

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...

Granite Song Sculpture, River Teign, Chagford, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 12 miles away)

Granite Song is a superb sculpture located on a small island in the River Teign between Chagford and the Teign Gorge (National Trust). We've positioned Granite Song on Google maps so zoom in on the 'Satellite' setting to see its location. Created by Peter Randall-Page, it's one of many sculptures...

Buttern Hill, Gidleigh, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 12 miles away)

Buttern Hill is one of a number of unremarkable domed hills on the edge of the National Park's north moor. There are hut circles, cairns and a chambered cairn on this stretch of moorland. To its west, in a shallow valley, is Buttern Hill Stone Circle. Most people pass Buttern Hill as they walk be...

Buttern Hill Stone Circle, Gidleigh, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 12 miles away)

There are many stone rows and circles on the moors above Chagford. Some, like Scorhill Stone Circle and The Grey Wethers Stone Circles, are well known and much visited. Others, like Fernworthy Stone Circle, are less well frequented because they are a little harder to find. Buttern Hill Stone Circle...

Whiddon Deer Park, Chagford, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 12 miles away)

[Main photo: the southern end of Whiddon Deer Park in spring]   Huge views, bluebells, trees and a sculpture Whiddon Deer Park offers huge views of the Chagford area, the eastern section of Dartmoor National Park and the high north moor from Fernworthy Forest through Hangings...

Whiddon Deer Park Bluebell Circular Walk, Chagford, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 12 miles away)

In 2014, the bluebells up at Whiddon Deer Park were at their best in the middle of May. Clearly, this is a Spring walk when the bluebells are out. For other bluebell walk recommendations, see our listing for Bluebell Walks. Start at Iron Bridge below the National Trust's Castle Drogo (National Tr...