Book a cottage in Dartmoor to really escape to the country. Many parts of this Devon national park in the south of England offer acres of wilderness and tranquillity. The South West of England is generally famed for its iconic landscapes, rich history and abundance of activities but none more so than the sensational splendour of Dartmoor National Park and its picturesque surroundings.
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Full of unexpected delights, this extraordinary national park is the perfect setting for exercise fanatics. If your heart leans towards water-based activities, you will enjoy canoeing through the Dart Valley, a Special Area of Conservation and Site of Special Interest, or fishing for Salmon, Sea Trout and Brown Trout on the banks of the impressive River Dart. On the other hand, if you want to stay on firmer terrain, you can take advantage of the many walking and cycling routes in the area. With fantastic off road and traffic free routes, suitable for bikers of all ages, why not follow the Wray Valley Trail, a 10-mile route across a dismantled railway line from Bovey Tracey, a beautiful market town that is also known as the gateway to Dartmoor across to Moretonhampstead, a busy and picturesque town best known for its luxurious countryside hotel; Bovey Castle. Want to appreciate the luscious countryside at your leisure and on your own two feet? How about walking 7 miles through an old mining landscape with historical landmarks and unrivalled views? Visitors can enjoy Widgery Cross, a 13-foot-high granite cross on top of Brat Tor, erected by artist William Widgery over 130 years ago, to commemorate the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria and Bleak House, the disused former home of the Site Manager of Rattlebrook Peat Works, who was awarded the house because of the company’s financial success as well as its proximity to the railway.
Try letterboxing on holiday in Dartmoor
Did you know that Dartmoor is also the home to the fun filled family activity of Letterboxing? Combining enjoyable challenges for the body and brain like orienteering, treasure hunting and problem solving, letterboxing which first started more than 150 years ago is a fantastic way to reunite the family and test out their navigational skills by introducing them to life in this spectacular part of the world. The activity is simple. Walkers strolling through the moors can use clues like a map reference and compass bearings to find a small hidden pot with a stamp and a visitor’s book. Once found, the letterboxer then takes a copy of the stamp, before leaving a few words in the visitor’s book. Definitely one for all the family including the pet pooch to get their teeth in to!
Fabulous places to visit during your Dartmoor break
Awarded national park status a little more than 65 years ago, Dartmoor showcases an abundance of riches that goes far back before this time. An example of this is Castle Drogo, a dramatic early 20th century masterpiece overlooking the Teign Gorge and the perfect place to sit back, relax and take in the splendour of your surroundings with a traditional cream tea or a venison stew, made especially for its customers from deers on the estate. The gardens are a real treat and especially colourful in spring when rhododendrons flower. Look out for wild orchid that flourishes in the surrounding countryside.
A few days on Dartmoor to find your spiritual haven
Looking to go further back in time? Buckfast Abbey, a working monastery with a community of Benedictine monks, is incredibly in its millennial year. The ideal way to escape from the hustle and bustle of city life, a trip to this tranquil refuge is a spiritual haven. Those with green fingers will also appreciate the abbey’s spacious gardens, separated into three segments; a lavender garden, physic garden and sensory garden. All with splendid plant life and consisting of many areas for an intimate family picnic with a jaw dropping view.
Go walk Dartmoor
At the top of the national park is the charming market town of Okehampton; known as the walking centre of Devon. As well as being a great place for the outdoor enthusiast with a vast array of activities like horse riding, golf and walking routes such as the popular Granite Way, Okehampton provides a traditional Victorian shopping arcade, one of the oldest Norman castles in the country and the fascinating Museum of Dartmoor Life which explores what life was like in Dartmoor many years ago.
Encourage any naturalist tendencies in your children with a Dartmoor adventure
Throughout Dartmoor, you will encounter a weird and wonderful range of wildlife. Known as the ‘little five’, fascinating creatures like the blue ground beetle, one of the largest and rarest of its kind in the UK, the globally threatened marsh fritillary butterfly, the cuckoo who spends the summer in Dartmoor before going off to warmer climates in the winter, the otter which is a national conservation success and the ash black slug, which can exceed 20cm and is therefore the world’s largest land slug.
A Dartmoor holiday is healthy
As well as all of the aforementioned activities, Dartmoor also wishes to promote good health and wellbeing; hence the reason they have introduced a brand-new Walking for Health scheme. A project which encourages people just starting to exercise or those with a busy working schedule to go for a well surfaced and flat two mile walk and appreciate the pure, unadulterated bliss of their surroundings. Wanting to know more about the scheme? Packs of viable routes are able to be picked up at quaint towns and villages in the area like Ashburton, incidentally the largest town in the park with an important history in tin trade and Yelverton, with its closeness to one of the many shining lights in Dartmoor; the beautiful Burrator Reservoir.
With all of this entailed, Dartmoor National Park really is one of the hidden gems not just in South West England but in the whole of the UK. The ideal place to escape those city stresses, gather your thoughts and spend some great times with the ones you love.
