This wild area is best known for its stunning National Park, a walker's paradise, home to wild Dartmoor ponies and offering some of the best campsites on Dartmoor. But it's a place of rugged scenery and intense folklore, too. Make time for Haytor Rocks, or explore the magical Wistman's Wood. Scale the Two Moors Way or try climbing up Brent Tor. Dartmeet is a pleasant stretch of river, or walk Lydford Gorge to find England's highest waterfall.
Tavistock, Devon
A small 5 star, family-run park offering excellent facilities, such as a cafe, playground and swimming pool!
4.87 /5
Tavistock, Devon
Award-winning camping, touring and glamping site on the edge of Dartmoor. Onsite games room, restaurant and more!
4.84 /5
Avonwick, South Brent, Devon
Idyllic views from your wild pitch, bell tent or shepherd's hut. Enjoy easy access to Dartmoor and Devon's coast.
4.91 /5
Bovey Tracey, Newton Abbot, Devon
Peaceful adult only (16+) and dog friendly park set next to a nature reserve. Just ten minutes from Dartmoor.
4.89 /5
Okehampton, Devon
A peaceful site nestled between Devon's coastlines just five minutes from waterfalls, with views of Dartmoor.
4.75 /5
Hatherleigh, Okehampton, Devon
Small, peaceful site nestled in beautiful farmland. Wild camping, traditional camping, and glamping available.
4.88 /5
Tavistock, Devon
Camping, glamping and touring site in Dartmoor National Park, by the River Tavy. Five minutes to Tavistock.
5 /5
Denbury, Devon
Woodland, wild-style camping with private pitches and fire pits, ten minutes from Dartmoor. Dogs welcome!
4.65 /5
Exeter, Devon
Secluded camping and touring site set in the stunning Dartmoor National Park, close to the River Teign.
4.78 /5
South Devon, Newton Abbot, Devon
Small peaceful eco site by Dartmoor National Park, within 30 minutes of Totnes, Ashburton and the coast.
4.76 /5
Okehampton, Devon
Award-winning camping and glamping overlooking Dartmoor National Park. A place to relax and unwind.
4.89 /5
Tedburn St Mary, Exeter, Devon
Back-to-basics woodland camping with a river running through the site, 15 minutes from Dartmoor National Park.
4.85 /5
Littlehempston, Totnes, Devon
Spacious adults-only glamping site on a welcoming alpaca farm, and just five minutes from Totnes.
4.85 /5
Broadbury, Devon
A pretty, secluded campsite in rural Devon, edging Dartmoor offering unique glamping igloos, an Airstream and more.
4.72 /5
Cheriton Bishop, Exeter, Devon
On the edge of Dartmoor, enjoy luxurious family and dog friendly safari tents with your own private hot tub.
5 /5
Exeter, Devon
Off-grid peaceful site with excellent country views over the Devon hills and Exeter city.
4.27 /5
Stokeinteignhead, Newton Abbot, Devon
Family friendly, waterside glamping with onsite fishing ponds. Within 15 minutes of the coast and Torquay!
Yealmpton, Plymouth, Devon
Luxury ensuite glamping cubes, deluxe geodome and an EcoPod with hot tubs and an onsite fishing lake.
4.8 /5
Ivybridge, Plymouth, Devon
Back to basics and dog friendly camping and glamping set just outside of Dartmoor. 20 minutes to the beach!
Plymouth, Devon
Family-friendly, off-grid glamping domes in a woodland meadow with private kitchens, bathrooms and hot tubs!
Harford, Ivybridge, Devon
A small, independent glamping and camping site situated on Dartmoor National Park, 20 minutes from Plymouth.
4.87 /5
Totnes, Devon
Family friendly campsite on a working farm with spacious pitches and fire pits to hire.
Ugborough, Ivybridge, Devon
Award winning family and pet friendly safari tents with hot tubs on the edge of Dartmoor.
Moorshop, Tavistock, Devon
This dog friendly site lies on the west side of Dartmoor National Park and enjoys fabulous views over the moor.
Modbury, Devon
Ideally located between the Dartmoor National Park and the South Devon Coast, this site is a perfect holiday spot.
Callington, Saltash, Cornwall
Set in the heart of the Tamar Valley, picturesque farm camping 30 minutes from the coast and beaches.
4.37 /5
Drewsteignton, Devon
Excellent 5-star camping, touring and glamping site, exclusively for adults. Located in Dartmoor National Park.
Modbury, Devon
Dog friendly pitches and holiday homes for all the family, set in the stunning South Hams, with views of Dartmoor.
Ashburton, Newton Abbot, Devon
A working farm site situated in the beautiful River Dart valley, close to the town of Ashburton, on Dartmoor.
Woodleigh, Devon
A country camping retreat with a private sauna, hot tub and wild swimming. Groups and families welcome.
Dartmoor National Park is a large area of moorland in South Devon. Peppered with dangerous bogs and mires, prehistoric stone circles, rocky granite outcrops, strange medieval stone crosses and burial chambers, Dartmoor is the subject of countless myths and legends.
Much of the park is covered in thick layers of peat and the landscape is characterised by hills topped with huge granite boulders known as tors. Mysterious, spooky and wild, Dartmoor offers a whole range of outdoor activities and a visible history that stretches deep into prehistoric times.
• Hound Tor and Haytor
• The Miniature Pony Centre
• Grimspound
Hound Tor is a good starting point to get a feel for Dartmoor’s character and history. It is easily accessible by car and the tor is a short and manageable walk up from the car park. Just over the back of the tor is an abandoned medieval village.
Spectacular Haytor is one of the region’s most famous landmarks and should not be missed. You can scramble up on the rocks here for some great views all the way down to the coast.
Ever popular and always teetering on the brink of certain ruin (according to the National Trust anyway), Castle Drogo was the last castle to be built in England. That’s enough to pique anyone’s curiosity, so go before it’s gone. Seek out the quaint Bunty House (Wendy House) complete with its own miniature garden in Drogo’s grounds.
From here you can walk down to Fingle Gorge where there is an ancient stone bridge and a nice traditional Devonshire pub for a well-deserved and hopefully large lunch.
700 year old Buckland Abbey in Yelverton is also impressive and has beautiful grounds to wander around in.
Time, then, to visit some of the historic houses and buildings in Dartmoor. Buckland Abbey, Okehampton Castle and Brentor Church are popular. The fascinating Clapper Bridge and the stunning gardens of The Garden House are also worth visiting.
You can tour all kinds of spooky and mysterious sites in Dartmoor. Whether by car or on foot, coming across Jay’s Grave is a chilling experience you won’t forget. There are always fresh flowers on this unmarked grave - but where they come from is the subject of local folklore.
Childe's Tomb is the most elaborate of the Dartmoor Crosses and there is known to be a burial chamber underneath it. Legend has it that this is the grave of a wealthy hunter who became lost in the snow and died here, despite having first disemboweled his horse and climbed inside its body for protection. Beay Gryll's would have been impressed! The tomb is located right by Fox Tor Mires, supposedly the setting for The Hound of the Baskervilles by Conan Doyle.
The Dartmoor Prison Museum makes for a fantastically quirky and atmospheric visit. And don’t forget to keep an eye out for the Beast of Dartmoor while you’re hearing of the hair-raising exploits of escaped convicts.
Grimspound is one of the best preserved and most popular of Dartmoor’s prehistoric settlements, where you can walk around the surviving remains of 24 Bronze Age stone houses and their huge boundary wall. There are also numerous standing stones and stone circles to visit, each more intricate and hard to explain than the last.
Lying just outside Dartmoor is the South West’s deepest gorge. Owned by the national trust, Lydford Gorge has well marked trails leading to various waterfalls and the intriguingly named Devil's Cauldron, a naturally formed pot hole.
With all this focus on nature and the outdoors, it is easy to forget that Dartmoor is very much lived in and is home to some charming historic market towns and picturesque villages. Moretonhampstead and Bovey Tracey both vie for the title of ‘gateway to the moor’ and both are welcoming market towns that belong on the list of any Devon foodie.
Ashburton is another pleasant town that has become known for its high quality shops and restaurants. Widecombe-in-the-Moor, a lovely small village right in the heart of Dartmoor, is well set up for visitors wanting to learn more about Dartmoor life.
Given the spectacular scenery and countless sites of interest, it’s no surprise that the most popular activity on Dartmoor is walking. Yes Tor, Wistman’s Woods, Teign Gorge, and the Dartmoor Way are all walking highlights and there’s no better way to stride between the ancient sights than on foot.
Dartmoor’s overwhelmingly rugged landscape lends itself well to a host of outdoor activities: rock climbing, abseiling, geocaching, horse riding, and wild camping. So long as you're keen on scaling rock, Dartmoor has you covered.
The River Dart which runs through the park has rapids and white water and provides ample opportunity for rafting, canoeing and kayaking. Permits are available for fishing on the river.
Cycling and MTB are popular pursuits in the area. Be aware that cyclists are not permitted to ride on the open moor land and it is an offence to do so where there is no indicated right of way. Instead, make for the Granite Way cycle path which takes in some fantastic scenery and, running along a disused railway, is also traffic free.
No one in the family will be able to resist the adorable creatures at the Miniature Pony Centre, which offers a range of activities and fun for children (and big kids) of all ages. You can meet otters, butterflies, terrapins and all manner of interesting small animals at the Buckfast Butterfly Farm and Dartmoor Otter Sanctuary. Basically, they’re some of the cutest creatures in the world and they’re dying to meet you.
There are numerous activity centres in the area where you can ride, canoe, climb, abseil, and generally make the most of what Dartmoor has to offer. The very popular Dragon Archery Centre provides you with some interesting targets to shoot at: orcs, wolves, armoured knights and, of course, dragons.
If the idea of scrambling up trees and then jumping off them appeals to you, both Tree Surfers and Go Ape offer active days out with high rope courses and zip wires that can satisfy that itch.