Dartmoor

Dartmoor, Devon

Dartmoor Letterboxing started in 1854 when a naturalist named James Perrott placed a jar with a visiting card at Cranmere Pool, a remote bog at the northern edge of the moor, and invited visitors to leave their own cards. The practice has evolved over 170 years into a form of orienteering-scavenger-hunt specific to Dartmoor: there are now tens of thousands of “letterboxes” hidden across the moor, each containing a rubber stamp and a logbook, found using cryptic clues rather than GPS coordinates. It is possibly the longest continuously running recreational activity in Britain, still entirely non-commercial, and essentially unknown outside the Dartmoor community.

Dartmoor is 368 square miles of granite upland in Devon, studded with ancient tors, Bronze Age settlements, and semi-feral ponies. It looks like nowhere else in southern England. The open moorland is studded with ancient stone crosses, Bronze Age settlements, and the weathered granite outcrops called tors. The ponies are semi-feral and wander across roads without particular concern for traffic. The weather can shift from sunshine to horizontal rain in twenty minutes.

It’s also one of the few places in England where wild camping is legal, which draws a particular kind of visitor who values that freedom.

What to See

Haytor Rocks is the most accessible of the tors, there’s a large car park nearby and the walk up is straightforward. The view from the top across the southern moor and toward the coast on a clear day is excellent. It gets busy on summer weekends; go early or try one of the less famous tors like Hound Tor or Bonehill Rocks for more solitude.

Widecombe-in-the-Moor is the quintessential Dartmoor village, thatched cottages, a 14th-century church known as the Cathedral of the Moor, and a village square where the famous annual fair takes place on the second Tuesday of September (the one immortalised in the folk song). It’s busy in summer but worth a stop.

Grimspound is an extensive Bronze Age enclosure roughly 3,500 years old, with preserved hut circles. It’s a 15-minute walk from the road near Manaton and almost always uncrowded. Genuinely atmospheric.

Dartmoor Prison Museum in Princetown covers the history of the prison that’s operated here since the Napoleonic Wars. It’s more interesting than you’d expect, and the town itself has a bleakly honest quality that feels right for the location. Entry is free.

Eating and Drinking

The Rugglestone Inn near Widecombe is a small, unspoilt pub with a garden and decent local ales. The Warren House Inn on the B3212 is one of the most isolated pubs in England and has had a fire burning continuously since 1845, allegedly. The Dartmoor Inn in Merrivale does good food and is a reliable lunch stop on the western moor.

Dartmoor Brewery in Princetown is worth a visit and does tours. Their Jail Ale is reliably good and widely available across the moor.

Where to Stay

Gidleigh Park at Chagford is the luxury option, a country house hotel with a Michelin-starred restaurant and prices to match (rooms from around £400). For something more in keeping with the landscape, there are numerous B&Bs in Chagford, Moretonhampstead, and Okehampton. Self-catering cottages are plentiful and suit longer stays.

Camping is good here. The Dartmoor campsite at Runnage Farm and Hook Farm near Okehampton are both decent. Wild camping on the open moor is permitted but requires following the National Park’s guidelines, essentially camp small, leave no trace, and don’t light fires in dry spells.

Getting Around

A car is essentially necessary. There’s a seasonal Transmoor Link bus service running weekends and bank holidays, but it covers limited routes. Walking between places is possible for the committed; cycle hire is available in several towns.

Practical Notes

• The moor can be used by the military for live firing exercises in several areas. Red flags indicate when access is restricted. Check dartmoor.gov.uk before heading to the northern training area.
• Dartmoor Letterboxing has been a tradition here since 1854. There are tens of thousands of hidden “boxes” across the moor containing stamps and logbooks. dartmoorletterboxing.org has the basics.
• Adders (Britain’s only venomous snake) are present on the moor, particularly in warm weather. They avoid people but watch where you put your hands among rocks.