Things To Do near Buckfast Abbey
Erme Pits, Sheepstor, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 7 miles away)
Follow the path marked Abbot's Way on the Ordnance Survey Explorer OL28 'Dartmoor' map from either the east or west and you'll cross the heart of Dartmoor's south plateau. Where the Abbot's Way crosses Erme Head Ford by Erme Head are a number of very deep pits known as Erme Pits. These are the...
Yarner Wood Templer Way Walk, Bovey Tracey, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 7 miles away)
Yarner Wood is part of the East Dartmoor National Nature Reserve. The Templer Way is a long distance footpath running between Dartmoor and the South Devon coast following, as far as possible, the route of the old granite railway. This walk takes in some of the best sections of the wood and railway....
Yarrow Mine/Devon Wheal Francis/Yarner Copper Mine, Bovey Tracey, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 7 miles away)
At Yarner Wood Reserve Base, painted on an angled wood panel, are depictions of the Yarner Wood area through history. One, particularly dark, is of a bleak landscape. In the foreground is a mine. It's hard to imagine when wandering around this wood today that there was once a thriving copp...
Swincombe Reservoir, Hexworthy, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 7 miles away)
Most Dartmoor reservoirs are large, impressive and reasonably easily accessible. Swincombe Reservoir is small and fenced off from the public. The moorland around the reservoir is flat, boggy and tussocky. Whilst there's a metal bridge at the eastern end of the reservoir, it's closed to the public so...
Fox Tor, Princetown, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 7 miles away)
In comparison to the larger north moor, the National Park's south moor has relatively few tors. One of the most impressive is Fox Tor. Situated on the edge of Dartmoor's south plateau, overlooking the infamous Foxtor Mires to which the tor gave its name, Fox Tor provides magnificent views over Da...
Quirky Dartmoor, Dartmoor, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 7 miles away)
Once, there was a giant chair but, sadly, they took it down. You'll still find plenty of other quirky sights and names across the moors. There are exquisite sculptures dotted around the landscape and in the towns and plenty of weird rock structures. Many of the ponies are remarkably small, some o...
Childe's Tomb and Cross, Princetown, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 7 miles away)
Who was Childe? Whilst hunting on Dartmoor, Childe was overwhelmed by a snowstorm. To survive, he killed his horse, disembowelled it and then climbed inside for shelter. The snowstorm continued and Childe froze to death. Upon the event of his death, it became known that he'd leave his lands at Plyms...
Erme Head, Sheepstor, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 7 miles away)
Famous South Devon rivers such as the Plym, Avon, Yealm and Erme rise in the heart of Dartmoor's south plateau. The Erme takes the longest and most dramatic route across the moor to Ivybridge and then down to the South Devon coast at Erme Mouth between Wonwell Beach and Meadowsfoot Beach. It's also...
Stalldown Stone Row, Cornwood, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 7 miles away)
Many people think this is the most impressive stone row in Dartmoor National Park. Its giant stones can be seen from miles around. If you didn't know they were there, from afar, you'd assume they were a long line of people wandering to or from the heart of Dartmoor's south moor. These days, the...
Yarner Wood, Bovey Tracey, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 7 miles away)
'Yarner Wood was purchased in 1952 by the Nature Conservancy and became England's first National Nature Reserve.'* Today, it's part of the East Dartmoor National Nature Reserve that incorporates nearby Trendlebere Down and parts of the Bovey Valley. It's a superb place. There are nature trails, bird...
Stover Country Park Local Nature Reserve, Bovey Tracey, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 7 miles away)
Dartmoor Zoo, the National Trust's Buckland Abbey and many other major visitor attractions are located just beyond the border of the National Park. Clearly, lots of people visit them when on holiday in Dartmoor which is why we include them on this site. Another superb attraction just beyond the east...
Yarner Valley, Bovey Tracey, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 7 miles away)
Two streams arc through Yarner Wood and meet near Yarner Wood Base Reserve. To the north is Woodcock Stream. To the south is Yarner Stream. The valley cut by the latter is particularly impressive and we'd recommend visiting for its natural beauty, birdlife and historical features. We've positione...
Hameldown Beacon, Widecombe in the Moor, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 7 miles away)
The Oxford English Dictionary defines a beacon as 'a fire or light set up in a high or prominent position as a warning, signal, or celebration’. There is a chain of beacons on Dartmoor running from the edge of the north moor down to the edge of the south moor. Hameldown Beacon is, roughly spe...
Plym Head, Princetown, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 7 miles away)
Walk the South West Coast Path between Plymouth and Bigbury-on-Sea/Bantham and you'll encounter the stunning estuaries of many famous Devon rivers. They all rise on Dartmoor's south plateau relatively close to one another. The headwaters of the River Plym are on Crane Hill near Erme Head and within...
Stall Moor, Cornwood, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 8 miles away)
The River Erme and River Yealm rise on Dartmoor's south moor. They flow south to the border of the national park. Between them is Stall Moor. The terrain is difficult and boggy but the moor is peppered with amazing attractions from the world's longest stone row to a stunning waterfall. Stall Moor is...