Things To Do near Shapley Tor
Castle Drogo Estate, Chagford, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 5 miles away)
The National Trust's Castle Drogo is a superb place. The estate in which it sits is even more impressive. The estate makes Castle Drogo one of the finest visitor attractions in the Westcountry. Stunning walks, views, wild swimming, wildlife and a great pub in a Dartmoor beauty spot make for great da...
Haytor National Park Visitor Centre, Haytor Vale, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 5 miles away)
At present, Dartmoor has three National Park Visitor Centres. The largest and most impressive is up in Princetown. Next is Postbridge National Park Visitor Centre with its special display relating to Dartmoor's rich prehistory. The smallest is at the foot of the hill that rises to Haytor Rock...
Yar Tor Stone Row, Dartmeet, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 5 miles away)
Triple stone rows are rare. The best example is Cosdon (The Cemetery) Stone Row. Challacombe Stone Row is in a superb location. Yar Tor Stone Row is much more difficult to see but when you've located the row, it becomes clear that it's exceptionally long in comparison to the other triple stone rows...
Mardon Down Stone Circle, Moretonhampstead, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 5 miles away)
Prehistory/views Dartmoor's stone circles are invariably situated in stunning locations. Arguably, Mardon Down Stone Circle provides the finest views. Positioned on top of an island of moorland in the north eastern section of the National Park, there are massive views from the stone circle to Dar...
Hisley Bridge, Lustleigh, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 5 miles away)
Dartmoor is known for its rainfall and rivers which radiate from the National Park's high plateaus. To cross these rivers, there are bridges, clam bridges, clapper bridges, stepping stones and fords. The medieval packhorse bridge that arcs over the River Bovey in Hisley Wood is one of Dartmoor's mos...
Spinster's Rock, Chagford, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 5 miles away)
Neolithic burial chamber erected around 3500-2500 BC Explore high moor across the Westcountry and you’ll come across plenty of dolmens or burial chambers (see below). These distinctive structures consist of standing stones topped by a large capstone. Spinster’s Rock in Dartmoor’s National P...
Yarner Wood Nature Trail, Bovey Tracey, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 5 miles away)
Yarner Wood is part of the East Dartmoor National Nature Reserve. Dotted around the wood, you'll find posts to which are attached numbered Yarner Wood Nature Trail waymarkers. You can follow either the short loop that runs close to the Yarner Wood Reserve Base or extend it into a longer loop&nb...
Stone Lane Gardens and Mythic Garden Sculpture Exhibition, Chagford, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 5 miles away)
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...
Bagtor Down, Haytor Vale, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 5 miles away)
As you climb the B3387 from Bovey Tracey past Haytor Vale to the high moors, Haytor Down runs north of the road and Bagtor Down to the south. Note that the River Sig rises on Bagtor Down from two boggy sections of moorland. The western section is called Bag Tor Marsh and is best avoided. If you...
Yar Tor, Dartmeet, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 5 miles away)
Yar Tor rises steeply above the East Dart River and Dartmeet. Surrounded by ancient farms on three sides and the bulk of Corndon Tor with its barrows to the east, it's an impressive location. We've positioned Yar Tor on Google maps so zoom in on the 'Satellite' setting to see its...
Mardon Down Giant's Grave, Moretonhampstead, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 5 miles away)
According to Phil Newman in his excellent 'The Field Archaeology of Dartmoor', 'it was Dean Jeremiah Milles of Exeter, President of the Society of Antiquaries, who first undertook archaeological fieldwork on Dartmoor barrows in 1752 on Mardon Down (Grinsell 1978, 87), and the literature of the early...
Kit Steps, Postbridge, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 5 miles away)
It's easy to cross the East Dart River after a long period of dry weather. After heavy rain, the river becomes a formidable barrier. If water levels are high, as a rule of thumb, it's best to head upriver to find a safe crossing place. In these conditions, Kit Steps is a potential candidate. A set o...
Datuidoc's Stone, Lustleigh, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 5 miles away)
Zoom in on Google's satellite imagery and you'll see that the graveyard surrounding Lustleigh St John the Baptist Church is an oval shape. According to experts, this suggests that the church was built on a much older pagan burial ground. Evidence for this can be found inside the church in the form o...
Lustleigh St John the Baptist Church, Lustleigh, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 5 miles away)
Lustleigh St John the Baptist Church dominates the centre of Lustleigh village. Located on an oval island of land and surrounded by a road, the church dates from the 13th century although some argue that it's the site of a much older place of worship. Datuidoc's Stone, or the Datuidoci Stone...
Wray Valley, Moretonhampstead, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 5 miles away)
In the north eastern section of Dartmoor National Park, between, roughly speaking, Moretonhampstead and Lustleigh is the Wray Valley. Cut by Wray Brook, today the A382 runs along the valley floor connecting the east of the National Park around Bovey Tracey to the north around Chagford and Whiddon Do...