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Since we moved to Devon 5 years ago we have discovered lots of lovely new places to visit but my favourite place of all is still Dartmoor. It is a moorland area that covers 954 square kilometres and sits right in the middle of Devon.
Today I thought I would share with you my 10 reasons to visit Dartmoor…
The Views
The views are simply breathtaking and it doesn’t seem to matter where you look there is always a spot that is worthy of a photo.
The Hidden Gems
Dartmoor is massive and it has hundreds of hidden gems all over it. Bellever Forest is one of our favourite spots (pictured below). Another one of my favourite spots is Haytor Quarry which can be found just up behind Haytor, it’s the perfect place to sit, have a picnic and take in the beautiful surroundings.
Climbing Adventures
Everywhere you look there is a rock that needs to be climbed.
The Dartmoor Ponies
The Dartmoor Ponies can be seen wandering around all over the place. They are quite happy for you to walk past them and take a picture, although bear in mind it is illegal to feed them. It is a common misconception to think that the ponies are wild when actually they all have owners.
To Be At One with Nature
Our two love nothing better than running wild and free on Dartmoor. They can literally run for miles without disturbing anyone.
The Local Foods
There are hundreds of places to stop for food. There are some lovely local pubs, normally with roaring open fires, perfect for a rest after all that fresh air.
This real Devon fudge can be bought at Pixieland near Princetown which is one of our children’s favourite places to visit and as a bonus, it’s free to get in.
To Get Away From it All
All you see for miles around you is a massive expanse of wide open space. Perfect for clearing your head and getting lungs full of fresh country air.
Letterboxing
Letterboxing is only something we have recently been made aware of by a friend and apparently, it originated on Dartmoor. It started in 1854 and involves boxes being left in certain spots, like under rocks, which are filled with stamps and letters.
The idea is to find the box and use the stamp you find in your own letterboxing book. The challenge is to see how many different boxes and stamps you can find. When we last went we found 10 all around the same spot.
It was lovely to read some of the letters and notes that had been left in the boxes. Just remember to put it all back where you found it so the next person can enjoy it too.
The Tors
The Tors are rock formations and each one on Dartmoor has its own name. The one pictured below is Haytor. It’s our aim this year to see and photograph as many different ones as we can, although this may take a while as there’s a fair few of them!
The Long Walks
We love going for a walk on Dartmoor, not only is it free but it’s great exercise too. It’s also a great opportunity to let the dog off the lead so he can have a real run around. If you can find a walk that ends next to a pub even better!
Have you visited Dartmoor before? If so I’d love to hear about your experiences.
If you like letterboxing then you might enjoy geocaching as well – it’s similar but not just on Dartmoor.
Hi Janice,
Thank you for the tip. I shall look into that.
Great blog! Great images 🙂
For anyone wanting to visit Dartmoor, please enjoy looking at the official tourism website at
http://www.visitdartmoor.co.uk
for places to stay, things to do and places to eat!
It looks wonderful and a perfect place to add to my 2016 adventures list 😄 #whatevertheweather
I love moorland areas, they are so beautiful and dramatic in different weather conditions. I love the idea of visiting as many tor’s as you can find, looking forward to reading all about them. It looks like you’ve already had lots of great adventures on Dartmoor and I love the idea of letter boxing, I wonder if that’s where geocaching developed from?
Thank you so much for linking up to #Whatevertheweather, I’m looking forward to reading all about your 2016 debentures! 🙂 x
Dartmoor is so, so beautiful. I really want to come and explore it more. It’s so peaceful and so nice to get away from it all isn’t it. I’ve never heard of letterboxing before. That sounds like so much fun!! I’m off to have a google now. These are all incredible reasons to visit the moors. I will definitely be visiting at somepoint this year. Thank you so much for linking your adventures to #whatevertheweather x