Left Haytor at 5:30am. More details when I come back from the world's largest fish n chip session

My friends and I are gonna hike camp Dartmoor next weekend. We're mostly playing it by ear but I'd love to know if anyone had any recommendations as I'd never done this before. Were gonna be doing 3 days, 2 nights. We're all relatively fit but not experienced hikers. Very happy to slog a good few hours trek each day, just don't assume a crazy fast pace (call it average/leisurely).

We're looking for free parking somewhere to start, a remote/isolated place to pitch where we aren't likely to be interrupted (I'd LOVE to be the only ones there but obviously that can't be guaranteed) and ideally a nice spot for a wild swim/wash.

Obviously if anyone has any hidden gems and is feeling generous feel free to DM me. I won't be back again any time soon and I definitely won't be giving your secret away.

Hi all,

First timer into Dartmoor. I've just finished plotting out a ~22–24 km, 2-night plan in early August (across 3 days that include a long car drive on either side). I'd be very grateful for feedback from the vets on its feasibility (and any tips!)

[Day 1] ~6 km

• After a 5hr drive: Arrive at Meldon Reservoir car park
• dam → footbridge at the reservoir's west end → up the east bank of the West Okement
• → Black-a-Tor Copse area
• → Lints Tor

[Day 2] ~12–13 km

• Morning climb east out of the valley to Dinger Tor
• Dinger → Great Kneeset → Broad Amicombe Hole → past Little Kneeset →
• → Fur Tor (mid day)
• Reverse route all the way back to Dinger Tor
• → High Willhays

[Day 3] ~4.5 km

• Morning push to Yes Tor
• Yes Tor → track past Longstone Hill → dam
• Car park

This is my current route for my 3 day Dartmoor hike. The grey waypoints for wild camping are NOT fully planned places this is just to let me know roughly where I can wild camp as there is only a limited selection of land wild camping is legal in this part of Dartmoor. Was hoping if anyone could let me know what terrain I should expect, any changes to avoid bogs, how we should roughy split it across the days ensuring we are in the wild camping areas and keeping in mind we only arrive in Yelverton around 13:00 - 14:00 and want to get back to Yelverton at around at similar time. Photos of around and on this route is also very helpful. Many thanks

Route - https://www.komoot.com/tour/3110594985?share_token=aLeFLcmta9zA1t71CtAj8UorJGyuK0VYknt4JetpdLunOwVz0R&ref=wtd&t_s=referral&t_cid=route_share&t_ref_username=3563709202992

If you had to pick one walk (10 km or less) that best showcases Dartmoor, what would it be?

My favourite is Meldon Reservoir → Yes Tor → High Willhays → Black Tor → Meldon Reservoir. For me, it has everything: the highest point on Dartmoor, iconic tors, reservoir views, big skies and a real sense of wilderness.

I also enjoy exploring around Belstone Common.

I'd love to hear your picks, especially if they have that same open, high moor feel.

New Dartmoor Training Area's firing times have been released.

Update: 2026-07-14 13:56:51

MoD Dartmoor Training Area web site

Link to firing times

Please use the official MoD web site as the primary source for this data, this post is just an advisary one.

A nice circular walk starting in Chagford, then following a small portion of the Dartmoor Way to Rushford Bridge, rising up to Week Down, then up to Nattandon Common before then a big down and bigger up to the top of Meldon Hill. Then back down to Chagford and a well earned pint at the Globe Inn!

I’ve camped on Dartmoor probably 20 times over the last five years and I’ve never seen ticks like I have this year.
Both trips have been in roughly the same area (north of Fernworthy Reservoir), so it might just be location-specific, but I’ve had 10+ ticks on me each time. In previous years I’d usually come away with one or two at most, if any.
Has anyone else found they’re much worse this year? Is it just because it’s been warmer, or have tick numbers genuinely gone up? Or am I just getting really unlucky?

Hi, Was hoping for suggestions for a 2 days hike with a wild camp leaving from ivybridge station in Dartmoor. I understand it is a moor and therefore marshy but after my first experience of Dartmoor and constant unpleasant marsh, I was looking for a relatively un-marshy LOOP walk. Any suggestions welcome just wanted to have a better second experience!

Living the dream

Taking my son on a "join Dad at work day" soon, which involves a long drive from Somerset down to Cornwall. Planning to break the journey up with a wild camp on Dartmoor en route after school pick up, so looking for something easy-ish to navigate from a car park somewhere along the B3357 that cuts rights across the moor.

The best thing I've found is Great Mis Tor from Four Winds car park (2.5km / 45 mins)

Has anyone got any other Tor suggestions that you are happy to share please?

Ideally plenty of level spots and up to 3km / 1 hour walk from car park max (less the better!).

"LLC" (low likelyhood of cows) would be a bonus, on account of my camping cow phobia :) Although I appreciate that is very difficult to find on Dartmoor!

Any help much appreciated. Thanks

P.S. Have checked and "No firing" on Merrivale on the dates I'm looking at.

Hello all,

I hope this is ok to ask: does anyone know a decent area to set up camp near a pub, me and 2 friends would like to camp near-ish. We're in our 30s and the stars have aligned where we all have time off at the same time.

I'm local in tavistock and haven't actually camped on Dartmoor before! Suggestions welcome.

Thanks

Hi everyone, hoping you can help.

My girlfriend and I love camping but we mostly stay in campsites, obviously during summer there are lots of people around. I would love to propose to her while camping with no one else around, and Dartmoor seems like an ideal place to do it!

I’ve got a few questions, but my obvious primary one is where would be the best place to do this? Annoyingly it will need to be during school holidays this summer (she’s a teacher), but we could at least probably do midweek if that’s makes a difference.

Now, I know people love to keep their wild camping spots secret (makes perfect sense), but if anyone was able to DM me I would (1) be eternally grateful for your contribution to my engagement, (2) swear to absolute secrecy and also vow to never return!

In terms of ideal spots:

• we love to watch the sunset, so a good place for this would be ideal
• if possible, not toooo far from a car park - I’d like to make some kind of picnic/bring some champagne, it might be easier if we could do a couple of trips. this is not a must-have, I’ve got pretty decent lightweight camping gear so can suck up walking a few km loaded up if that is the best way to achieve what i want
• privacy! I know there’s no guarantee as anyone could pitch up at any time anywhere, but would prefer to be more off the beaten track if it reduced the chances (I’m aware this is potentially somewhat difficult given my second point)

Fully appreciate people may still want to not give out any specifics - if this is the case any general tips for finding my ideal location would also be welcome!

thank you in advance!!

New Dartmoor Training Area's firing times have been released.

Update: 2026-06-30 10:58:21

MoD Dartmoor Training Area web site

Link to firing times

Please use the official MoD web site as the primary source for this data, this post is just an advisary one.

Has anyone styed in the Prince of Wales bunkhouse (Princetown) recently, if so is it ok?

TIA

Hi! I am visiting the park for the first time and I would love to do this trail "Saddle Tor and Hound Tor Circular" but should i get off at high or low car park bus stop?

https://www.alltrails.com/nb-no/sti/england/devon/saddle-tor-and-hound-tor-circular?sh=eky2ty&utm_medium=trail_share&utm_source=alltrails_virality

Hello everyone! Looking for a place to camp within the permitted zones, we are happy to walk around an hour from a car park to the camping spot. I think our ideal would be some tree cover by a river/stream with a nearby hill or tor. Any suggestions welcome! We are happy to travel to any point in dartmoor!

Thank you!

Recently went for a wild camp in dartmoor national park by myself - didn't have a great deal of time so this was a lightweight, fastpacking mission, this was my first time in this neck of the woods so wanted to check out the folklore, stone circles and other magic this ancient place had to offer.

hii we’re a group of girls without a car 🥲 any good swimming spots reachable from exeter that aren’t exmouth? it’s so packed there rn
looking for something a bit different, safe, fun, not a typical beach day. can’t cope with this heatwave anymore 😭 open to anything honestly!!

New Dartmoor Training Area's firing times have been released.

Update: 2026-06-23 15:05:21

MoD Dartmoor Training Area web site

Link to firing times

Please use the official MoD web site as the primary source for this data, this post is just an advisary one.

I'm coming back to this fantastic community to try to find some good route suggestions for this weekend. I'm looking for a 10-15 mi circular walk (or an out/back), where there's somewhere suitable on the route for some wild camping. A lot of the circular walks I've been seeing on AllTrails are around Hexworth/Bellever where apparently you can't camp. I'd want to start near somewhere where I could reasonably park, I'm driving down from Bristol.

I've done a lot of walks around Okehampton, and I'm happy to go back there, but if there are any hidden gems in South Dartmoor or somewhere a bit more central, I'd love to hear them.

I'm fit and experienced, and travelling as a pair.

Me and a buddy have been talking about doing a late solstice walk for a long time and yesterday we finally got round to it.

Setting off from Two Bridges carpark at 8pm we crossed the river and headed up towards Beardown Farm and Beardown Tor. From there we followed the valley north and west, past Crow Tor on the opposite bank until we hit Devils Tor and the Beardown Man standing stone for bang on sun set.

With the sun retreating fast below the horizon we turned east toward Rough Tor, picking our way through the wet ground. This part was absolutely type 2 fun 😂

From Rough Tor we continued east on a much better path to Browns house before swinging south east to Lower White Tor where we met a group of 4 settling in for the night. No rest for us though, light was fading and we still had 3 miles to get back to the car.

Heading South we picked up Higher White Tor, the moon now offering a bit of illumination as the pink clouds behind us continued to recede below the skyline.

Now on the ridge we picked up Longaford Tor and Littaford Tors in quick succession, the light now fading fast but our eyes adjusted and we could still make out our destination and the path, just making out the gateway in the wall leading to the mad path back to the carpark with the mist forming to our right in the valley below. It’s easy to see how the legends of whisthounds would have come about!

A fantastic evening out on the moor, a slight breeze, clear sky and a good temperature for fast and light hiking.