Nature Trails & Reserves in Dartmoor National Park
Headland Warren and Headland Warren Farm, Postbridge, Dartmoor National Park
Study a map of Dartmoor and you'll see plenty of places named 'warren'. For example, in the south west section of the National Park, Hentor Warren, Ditsworthy Warren, Willings Walls Warren, Legistor Warren and Trowlesworthy Warren are names given to moorland on either side of the River P...
Houndtor Wood, Manaton, Dartmoor National Park
Houndtor Wood is part of the Bovey Valley Woodlands which, in turn, are part of the East Dartmoor National Nature Reserve. Houndtor Wood is situated at the bottom of Trendlebere Down near Manaton. The River Bovey and Becka Brook run through the wood. Between them is Houndtor Ridge. Manaton Old Ro...
Hisley Wood, Lustleigh, Dartmoor National Park
The heavily wooded section of the Bovey Valley runs for about 4km, as the crow flies, from Foxworthy in the north west down to Drakeford Bridge in the south east. The upper section of the valley is dominated by the magnificent Lustleigh Cleave. The lower section is a collection of woods called Bovey...
Ditsworthy Warren, Sheepstor, Dartmoor National Park
Study a map of Dartmoor and you'll see plenty of names with the word 'warren' in them. Perhaps the most well-known example is Headland Warren by The Warren House Inn in the heart of the National Park. Another is Ditsworthy Warren in the Upper Plym Valley in the southern section of Dartmoor. Warre...
Evil Combe, Sheepstor, Dartmoor National Park
The moor around Plym Steps is full of points of interest with evocative names. There's Grim's Grave, Deadman's Bottom, Giant's Hill and Great Gnats' Head. Arguably the best, and appropriately named, is Evil Combe. The upper section of the combe is steep and scarred by the remains of the tin mining i...
Corn Ridge, Sourton, Dartmoor National Park
South of Meldon Reservoir, high above the West Okement River as it flows past the Black-a-Tor Copse National Nature Reserve, is Corn Ridge. It’s an impressive site from High Willhays or Black Tor. To walk Corn Ridge, we’d recommend parking at Meldon Reservoir and heading south west to Sourton...
Black-a-Tor Copse National Nature Reserve, Okehampton, Dartmoor National Park
BBC’s ‘Secret Britain’ rare high altitude oak woodland Black-a-Tor Copse National Nature Reserve is one of Dartmoor’s rare high altitude oak woodlands. The copse runs along a bank of the West Okement River in the north west section of Dartmoor National Park. The Reserve was featured in th...
Chagford Common, Chagford, Dartmoor National Park
As marked on the Ordnance Survey Explorer OL28 'Dartmoor' map, Chagford Common wraps around the eastern and northern border of Fernworthy Forest and Fernworthy Reservoir. The land is on the edge of the high moor. Below, a gentler and more pretty rolling countryside surrounds the National Park gatewa...
Whiddon Deer Park, Chagford, Dartmoor National Park
[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...
Okehampton Old Town Park Local Nature Reserve, Okehampton, Dartmoor National Park
If you're visiting English Heritage's Okehampton Castle then we'd recommend a walk in Okehampton Old Town Park Local Nature Reserve afterwards. There's access via the car park by the castle. Salmon can be seen in the West Okement River. Note that the Two Castles Trail and the West Devon Way...
Houndtor Down, Manaton, Dartmoor National Park
Houndtor Down is home to Hound Tor, Hound Tor Abandoned Medieval Settlement (English Heritage) and Holwell Lawn. The latter has one of the best bluebell showings in Dartmoor National Park. Houndtor Down was used for crops and livestock during the medieval period when the abovementioned settl...
Kestor Rock and Middle Tor Rock Basins, Chagford, Dartmoor National Park
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...
Okehampton Common, Okehampton, Dartmoor National Park
According to Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA), 'common land covers about 37% of the Dartmoor National Park'. Okehampton Common covers the high ground above Okehampton in the north western section of the National Park. Roughly speaking, Okehampton Common runs from Okehampton Camp past Yes Tor...
Black Down, Okehampton, Dartmoor National Park
Black Down is on the edge of open access moorland below the highest ground in Dartmoor National Park and southern England. Yes Tor and High Willhays rise to the south. The British Army's Okehampton Camp sprawls out across private land to the north and north east. The down is criss-crossed by army tr...
Wistman's Wood National Nature Reserve, Two Bridges, Dartmoor National Park
Rare, high altitude oak woodland Piles Copse, Black-a-Tor Copse and Wistman's Wood are rare, high altitude oak woodlands in Dartmoor National Park. Piles Copse is situated towards the southern border of Dartmoor near the village Harford. Black-a-Tor Copse is situated below Dartmoor's highest g...