Dartmoor, Devon

Dartmoor is an area of wild beauty, occupying about 365 square miles in south west Devon. Established as a National Park in 1951, it contains a variety of landscapes steeped in rich history, and is the inspiration for many myths and legends.

It includes the largest area of granite in Britain, most of which is hidden below a surface of peat. The effects of erosion have exposed numerous outcrops, know as tors, whose fascinating arrangments form iconic landmarks throughout the area.

The River Dart, from which the moor takes its name, rises as two separate rivers, the East and West, meeting at Dartmeet to carve a deep, boulder-strewn wooded valley on its way out to the sea at Dartmouth. The river is fished for salmon, sea trout and brown trout during the summer, and canoed by adventurous sorts during the winter, when the high rainfall creates dramatic torrents.

Walking on Dartmoor will bring you into contact with a vast, ever-changing landscape with remains of prehistoric settlements from the late Neolithic and Bronze Age littered throughout, as well as many standing stones, stone circles and stone rows. The fascinating network of water channels, known as leats, that follow the contours of the hills, provide a reminder that ingenious engineering methods were required to mine and work this harsh, unforgiving land.

Before setting up our B&B on the Cornwall / Devon border, we lived and worked on Dartmoor and the surrounding area for several years, and so can provide plenty of advice on which areas to visit.