Things To Do near Mardon Down
Honeybag, Chinkwell & Bell Tors Circular Walk, Widecombe in the Moor, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 6 miles away)
Start at one of the car parking areas by Bonehill Rocks. These are not marked on the Ordnance Survey Explorer OL28 'Dartmoor' map but are clearly visible on Google's satellite imagery. Follow the track that runs around the western flank of Bonehill Down. There are super views back down the East W...
East Webburn River Valley, Widecombe in the Moor, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 6 miles away)
Widecombe-in-the-Moor is located towards the middle of the East Webburn River Valley. As a consequence, the valley is one of the most visited in the National Park. The upper section of the valley is dominated by Hamel Down. The lower section is heavily wooded where the East Webburn River meets th...
Haytor Granite Tramway, Haytor Vale, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 6 miles away)
Up on Haytor Down, near Haytor Quarry, is a big lump of granite into which are carved the words Templer Way Haytor - Teignmouth. The Templer Way is a modern recreation trail following the route of the old Haytor Granite Tramway on which granite was transported from the high moor down to the...
Chinkwell Tor, Widecombe in the Moor, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 6 miles away)
Chinkwell is a very easily accessible tor overlooking the popular village Widecombe-in-the-Moor. The tor provides spectacular views over the eastern section of Dartmoor National Park including Hound Tor and Haytor Rocks. Hamel Down dominates to the west. Chinkwell Tor is one of four rocky outcrop...
Kestor Settlements and Field System, Chagford, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 6 miles away)
Spend time walking in the northern section of Chagford Common and you'll see plenty of people heading up to Kestor Rock or wandering across to see the Shovel Down Stone Rows. Others strike out across the common on their way to high north plateau around Wild Tor and Watern Tor. Few explore the settle...
Bovey Tracey Heritage Centre, Bovey Tracey, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 6 miles away)
The Moretonhampstead & South Devon Railway ran from Moretonhampstead through Lustleigh and Bovey Tracey to Newton Abbot. Opened in 1866, the line was closed to passengers in 1959. The stretch between Moretonhampstead and Bovey Tracey is being turned into a multi-use trail called the Wray Valley Trai...
Hamel Down, Widecombe in the Moor, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 6 miles away)
Drive along the A30 that skirts the northern boundary of Dartmoor National Park and you'll see the unmistakable dome of Cosdon Hill topped by Cosdon Beacon. Further south, towards the heart of the National Park is the equally vast Hamel Down topped by a tor, barrows and its own beacon. The views fro...
Haytor Quarry, Haytor Vale, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 6 miles away)
One of a number of quarries on the moorland around Haytor Rocks. Granite was quarried here in the 18th and 19th centuries. A granite tramway was built in 1820 to transport the granite down to Stover Canal. From there, quarried granite was taken by water to the Teign Estuary and Teignmouth. Granit...
Single Barrow, Widecombe in the Moor, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 6 miles away)
The Dartmoor expert William Crossing writes 'this tumulus was opened in 1873 by the late Mr. C. Spence Bate, and was found to consist of earth with the exception of a low hedge of stones which encircled it, and a low cairn in the centre. About six feet from the latter a small heap of burnt human...
Birch Tor, Postbridge, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 6 miles away)
There are a number of places on Dartmoor that attract lots of visitors. The Haytor Rocks area, for example, is packed in the holiday season. Burrator Reservoir can turn into a car park on sunny summer weekends. The Warren House Inn area is another busy spot. Southern England's highest pub, The...
Kestor Rock and Middle Tor Rock Basins, Chagford, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 6 miles away)
Across Dartmoor, you'll find plenty of basins worn into the flat granite surfaces of tors. These are referred to as rock basins. Some of the best examples can be found in the northern section of Chagford Common. They look like miniature paddling pools that have been carved and polished into the rock...
Challacombe Valley and Farm, Postbridge, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 6 miles away)
This beautiful valley sits between Hamel Down to the east and Challacombe Down to the west. At the top of the valley are Headland Warren Farm, Hookney Tor and English Heritage's Grimspound. At the bottom of the valley, by Challacombe, the land flattens out into an area of farmland leading down t...
Kestor Rock, Chagford, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 6 miles away)
If you're on holiday in the Chagford area of Dartmoor National Park and want to start exploring the high moors, we'd recommend following the narrow road that winds up to Batworthy Corner. As this road flattens out when it reaches the moors, you'll see a large granite outcrop to your left. This is Ke...
Fernworthy Hut Circles, Chagford, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 7 miles away)
Fernworthy Forest and the surrounding moorland are home to a high number of prehistoric sites. Highlights include Fernworthy Stone Circle and Hurston Ridge/Chagford Common Stone Row. The most common prehistoric sites you'll see are hut circles. There's a particularly good example just off...
Bovey Tracey Parish Church of SS Peter, Paul & Thomas of Canterbury, Bovey Tracey, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 7 miles away)
On 29th December 1170, Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral. According to the guide to 'Bovey Tracey Parish Church', there is 'a dramatic link with our small town and its Parish Church through one of the perpetrators of that dreadful crime, Sir William de Tracy. The suggesti...