Campsites on Dartmoor

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.

Don’t Miss

• Hound Tor and Haytor
• The Miniature Pony Centre
• Grimspound

Wanderlust on the moors

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.
 

Off the tourist path

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.
 

Wild ponies and tree surfing

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.