Valleys, Cleaves & Gorges in Dartmoor National Park
Holwell/Becka Brook Valley, Haytor Vale, Dartmoor National Park
Becka Brook runs from the moor between Haytor Rocks and Widecombe-in-the-Moor down to the River Bovey by Hisley Bridge in the lower part of the Bovey Valley. The brook can be split into three sections. The upper section flows through open moorland. The middle section is at Bovey Falls Woodland Pa...
East Okement Valley, Okehampton, Dartmoor National Park
The East Okement River rises by the army ring road on Okement Hill high on Dartmoor's north plateau. It flows north over Deep Ford and Henry's Ford to the popular crossing point Cullever Steps. Beyond a wild swimming pool, below Scarey Tor, the river cuts the beautiful East Okement Valley that runs...
East Okement River, Okehampton, Dartmoor National Park
Okehampton is one of Dartmoor's gateway towns. It sits beneath the highest ground in the National Park. As clouds are blown across Cornwall, they hit this high ground and dump rain on the moors. The rain collects in rivers and flows downhill back towards the coast. The River Okement is one such wate...
Scorhill Gorge, Chagford, Dartmoor National Park
Dartmoor National Park is fringed by some of the UK's best wooded valleys (often referred to as cleaves) and gorges cut by rivers that flow down from the high moors to the coast. Many of these valleys and gorges are classed as access land which means you can follow many paths within them. Others, li...
Upper Plym Valley (English Heritage), Sheepstor, Dartmoor National Park
The English Heritage Handbook states that the Upper Plym Valley has 'some 300 Bronze Age and medieval sites, covering 6 square miles of Dartmoor landscape'. Roughly speaking, these sites can be found on the moor between Plym Head and Cadover Bridge. Between these two points of interest, the...
Avon Dam Reservoir Valley, South Brent, Dartmoor National Park
The River Avon rises on remote moorland and flows into the Avon Dam Reservoir. From there, beyond the dam wall, it cuts a stunning valley as it meanders down to the car parking area at Shipley Bridge. The stretch of valley between the dam and Shipley Bridge is exceptionally popular with wa...
Moretonhampstead to Butterdon Valley, Moretonhampstead, Dartmoor National Park
If you look at the Ordnance Survey Explorer OL28 'Dartmoor' map, you'll see a path marked as a broken green line running north of Moretonhampstead to Butterdon Down. On older Ordnance Survey maps, this is marked as part of the Dartmoor Way Walking Route. In Spring, when the wild flowers are out, the...
Tavy Cleave, Mary Tavy, Dartmoor National Park
Roughly speaking, Dartmoor National Park consists of two areas of high ground separated by a central bowl. Rain falls on these plateaus, collects in rivers and then flows fast to the Devon coast. Fringing the plateaus are numerous stunning valleys and cleaves. Some of the most beautiful are heavily...
Piles Valley, Harford, Dartmoor National Park
Home to one of Dartmoor's rare high altitude oak woodlands, Piles Valley is cut by the River Erme as it flows from Dartmoor's south moor down to the South Devon coast. Marked on the Harvey British Mountain Map 'Dartmoor' map, Piles Valley is a stunning place. High above to the west is Stalldown Barr...
Hawns and Dendles Gorge, Cornwood, Dartmoor National Park
The River Yealm rises at Yealm Head on Dartmoor's south moor. It flows to Yealm Steps Waterfall where is cascades into Hawns and Dendles Gorge as marked on the Harvey British Mountain Map 'Dartmoor' map. Zoom in on the accompanying Google map to see its location.
Teign Valley, Dartmoor, Dartmoor National Park
The River Teign rises in two locations on Dartmoor National Park's north moor. It flows down to Chagford and then enters the Teign Gorge below the National Trust's Castle Drogo. It cuts through Fingle Woods to the village of Dunsford. From there, it arcs into the Teign Valley. 'Holiday in Dartmoo...
Taw Plain and Taw Marsh, Belstone, Dartmoor National Park
Walk south from Belstone village and you come to a vast natural ampitheatre of moorland, river and rock. This is Taw Plain. At the southern end of the plain rises the conical Steeperton Tor. Two arms of high ground embrace the flat river plain. The high ground to the west is formed by Belstone Tor a...
Dart Gorge, Holne, Dartmoor National Park
[Main photo: River Dart in the Dart Gorge with White Wood to the left and Meltor Wood to the right. Browse the photo gallery for more images of the Dart Gorge through the seasons] One of the most beautiful places in Dartmoor National Park The Dart Gorge is one of the most beautiful p...
West Okement Valley, Okehampton, Dartmoor National Park
The West Okement River rises by the remote Cranmere Pool on Dartmoor's north moor. The river tumbles through the Upper West Okement Valley past Black-a-Tor Copse National Nature Reserve on its way to Meldon Reservoir. Beyond the reservoir dam is what we refer to as the West Okement Valley. It r...
Bovey Valley, Bovey Tracey, Dartmoor National Park
The River Bovey flows, roughly speaking, from the high moor north east of The Warren House Inn down to the River Teign near Stover Country Park. On Dartmoor, the Bovey Valley is usually taken to mean the beautiful wooded valley between Foxworthy Bridge and Drakeford Bridge. You could spend a holiday...