Dartmoor National Park

[Note: this website was launched December 2010. It's a baby site and we're adding lots of fresh new content daily using our database of over 40,000 Dartmoor photographs. Check back over the course of 2011 as we'll be adding thousands of things to do in Dartmoor National Park and growing that database of photographs. We also run PictureTheUK which grew by 400% last year and other local travel sites. Many thanks.]

Fringed by some of the most beautiful wooded valleys in the UK, Dartmoor National Park attracts millions of visitors every year. Famous for its tors, the Park is home to the only mountains in southern England and many magnificent ponies.

It's small, about 365 square miles, but its towns and villages diverse. The high ground is to the north west, many of the Park's extraordinary wooded valleys to the east. There are National Trust properties and English Heritage buildings, top class museums and quality hotels.

Areas of Dartmoor

We split Dartmoor into five areas. In its middle is the Heart of Dartmoor National Park. This is surrounded by four additional areas, the North, East, South and West. The following introduces these areas but please read the longer pieces in the links to the left of this page for more detailed information on each area.

Heart of Dartmoor
Central Dartmoor. The area surrounding Princetown, Two Bridges and Postbridge on the B3212. Whilst there are some great attractions such as the High Moorland Visitor Centre and Postbridge Clapper Bridge, we'd recommend the area for walking. Try the Wistman's Wood Circular Walk (Medium) and Bellever Tor & Forest Circular Walk (Medium). There's also fine walking west and south west of Princetown.

North Dartmoor
The high stuff. Up in the north west of Dartmoor, you'll find the only two mountains, Yes Tor and High Willhays, in southern England. You'll also find Castle Drogo, National Trust and Okehampton Castle, English Heritage, the magnificent Teign Gorge and the Museum of Dartmoor Life. The north is a great blend of high moorland and popular visitor attractions.

East Dartmoor
This is where you'll find many of Dartmoor's most stunning wooded valleys and cleaves and the Park's most famous tors. Try Lustleigh Cleave and the Dart Gorge Circular Walk (Hard), Haytor Rocks and Hound Tor (east Dartmoor). Given that the landscape here is easily accessible and so beautiful, it can get very busy in the high season.

South Dartmoor
Least visited but packed with great walking and attractions. We'd recommend the Upper Plym Valley and Avon Reservoir, Dartmoor Zoological Park and the start of the Two Moors Way. Remember that Plymouth and the South Devon AONB with its amazing beaches are a short drive away.

West Dartmoor
High ground and stunning valleys, possibly the Park's most beautiful area and a National Trust gorge, the West also offers cracking views across the Tamar AONB into Cornwall.

Visitor levels
According to the National Parks website, there are 2.5million visitors to Dartmoor National Park each year. These visitors take 3.3million visitor days here and spend £123million. There are 23 conservation areas and 1208 scheduled ancient monuments. The population is 34,000 and Dartmoor was designated a National Park in 1951.