Dartmoor National Park
A land of contrasts
Wild, open moorlands and deep river valleys, with a rich history and rare wildlife, striking tors and swathes of heather, Dartmoor will touch your soul.
With 450 miles of paths to walk, cycle, run or ride, thousands of archaeological sites and features to discover the past, Dartmoor is packed full of stunning views that steal your breath, mysterious stories to intrigue and spaces to simply sit and be.
Key activities
Exploring , Activity
Follow one of the many routes such as the Dartmoor Way or Wray Valley Trail on foot or by bike. Or maybe take a compass and a map to explore the moor in your own way.
Eating & Drinking , Activity
What can be more rewarding after a long (or short!) walk than visiting one of Dartmoor’s pubs, restaurants or tea houses. Whether you prefer gourmet food or a cream tea, there are plenty of choices.
Discovering , Activity
Dip into Dartmoor’s incredible history, find out more about its rare wildlife and special habitats. Come along to one of our many events or discover for yourself.
Special qualities
Overview
“I have never before, in my long and eclectic career, been gifted with such an abundance of natural beauty as I experienced filming War Horse on Dartmoor.” Steven Spielberg.
Dartmoor’s granite tors, rich coloured rivers and open landscapes have inspired authors, poets and artists for years. From Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie’s detective Poirot and the evocative works of Widgery to the contemporary folk songs of Seth Lakeman.
Steeped in history Dartmoor is the most important site for Bronze Age archaeology in western Europe, it’s home to the Dartmoor pony which can be seen grazing wild with foals close by and it’s the only place in the world where you can find the tiny Bog Hoverfly. In Dartmoor’s woodlands you might spot the world’s largest land slug the whopping Black Ash Slug that can exceed 20cm!
Find a river side spot for a picnic, walk Stallmoor stone row – the longest in the world, explore a hut circle and cross a clapper bridge or climb a tor and take in the natural beauty of Dartmoor, it will leave you uplifted, refreshed and revived.
Did you know?
Enjoying Dartmoor
Dartmoor doesn’t just have places, it has special places. These are places that are set apart from the ordinary or the mundane. This could be due to their history, their setting, their offer or often due to all of this and more.
Start your journey in one of Dartmoor’s towns or villages and discover what makes them so special. Maybe it’s because they’re a market town, a Medieval Stannary town or just a great place to start a walk or ride from. What you can be sure of is the welcome and the quality of the food and drink.
Venturing further up on to the Moor, come and discover one of three National Park Visitor Centres. With a wealth of natural and built beauty, opportunities for short or long walks and things to do for people of all ages, they make great bases to explore Dartmoor.
Getting around
Dartmoor can be explored on foot, bike, horse or vehicle. There are several bus services running from the main moorland towns and for hassle free travel there are organised trips with a variety of coach companies.
Getting there
Dartmoor National Park has train stations nearby in Exeter, Newton Abbot, Totnes, Ivybridge and Plymouth. The average journey time from London is 4 hours.
Exeter Airport offers access from the rest of the UK and internationally.
There are good road links to the gateway moorland towns.
Has the rain reached you yet? 🌧️
A change in the weather is making its way across our National Parks. And with it comes a different rhythm to the landscape - changing how our surroundings look, sound and feel.
The sound of rain. The smell of wet earth. The air feeling fresher. Wildlife finding shelter.
What do you notice most when the rain arrives?
#RainyDay #BritishWeather #NationalParksUK
They may look like windmills, but in The Broads National Park, they are actually windpumps.
Rather than grinding flour, they were built to pump water from the marshes, helping to drain the land for agriculture and grazing.
Today, these distinctive structures are part of what makes the Broads landscape so recognisable.
And while this is a story from the Broads, it’s one that can be found across all 15 of our National Parks - landscapes shaped by people finding ways to adapt to live and work within their landscape. Something which still remains the case today.
Did you know that one of these mills is said to be haunted? Comment down below which one you think it is 👇
In photograph order:
📍1. St Benets Mill
📍2. Horsey Mill
📍3. Turf Fen Mill
📍4. Thurne Mill
📍5. Bograve Mill
#NorfolkBroads #NationalPark #Windpumps
✨🌙 Look up!
With a partial solar eclipse taking place tonight across the UK, we’re reminded about how important it is for our dark skies to be protected. Our National Parks are home to some of the best places in the UK to enjoy them, due to low levels of light pollution.
These incredible photos capture another recent celestial phenomenon that has been on display for stargazers and is peaking tonight - the Perseid meteor shower.
The sightings were captured in @northyorkmoors - home to one of the UK’s largest areas of protected dark sky.
🌟Tag us in your eclipse photos across our National Parks. Just be sure to follow safe viewing and photography guidance while you snap!
📷 1. Perseid meteor shower at Skelton Tower by Richard Horsman.
📷 2. Milky Way and Perseid meteor shower at Sutton Bank by Russ Norman.
📍North York Moors National Park #DarkSkies #SolarEclipse #Perseid #MeteorShower
Just goats being goats. 🐐
These incredible animals call the Valley of Rocks in @exmoornp home - scaling walls and cliffs, grazing on the rich meadows and, occasionally, blocking the roads!
They’re a wonderful reminder of why our National Parks are so important, providing a home for such a diverse range of wildlife.
Have you ever spotted one?
📷 Exmoor National Park
#ValleyOfRocks #Exmoor #Goats #NationalPark
Look out for us at the cinema. 🎬🌳
Our latest Wild Spaces episode, screening before selected films, takes you to Northumberland National Park. Their team, alongside farmers, landowners and volunteers, is working together to create healthier, more resilient landscapes through woodland creation and hedgerow planting.
It’s a story of partnership, long-term thinking, and the small actions that can have a lasting impact.
Find out more about the project and watch the episode via the link in our bio. 🔗
@northumberlandnationalpark
#WildSpaces #Northumberland #TreePlanting
💭You might have heard of peatland, but what exactly is it and why does it matter so much?
Peatlands are our natural climate allies. They store vast amounts of carbon, support rare wildlife, improve water quality, reduce flood risk and preserve thousands of years of archaeological and cultural history.
Some of the UK`s most important peatlands are found within our National Parks, making them critical places for tackling the climate and nature crises.
Across the UK`s National Parks, peatland restoration projects are helping damaged peatlands recover, benefiting both nature and people.
📍Dartmoor National Park
#NationalParks #Peatlands #NatureRecovery
Our National Parks tell the stories of the people and places that came before us.
A new Joint Statement on the Historic Environment in the National Parks of England, Scotland and Wales has launched.
Bringing together the 15 National Parks and heritage partners, the statement sets out a shared commitment to protecting the historic places and features that help shape our landscapes.
From ancient monuments and archaeological sites to historic buildings and traces of past generations, our National Parks are home to thousands of years of history.
Together, we’re working to care for these special places so their stories can continue to be discovered, valued and enjoyed for generations to come.
Read the full statement via the link in our bio 🔗
#NationalParks #UKHistory #Heritage
Hello, August. 💚
Some habits we’re holding on to this month, for our National Parks and for ourselves.
Little changes can have a lasting impact when it comes to caring for our 15 special places.
What will you be taking into August?
#UKNationalParks #UKOutdoors
