Dartmoor towns and villages
Should you feel the need to get out of Lustleigh whilst holidaying at our Dartmoor self catering cottage, there is a wide and varied range of Dartmoor towns and villages nearby for you to visit and explore. Some are stooped in folklore with fascinating stories whereas others have independent shops showcasing the work and produce of local artisans.
15 minutes from our Dartmoor Holiday Cottage
Bovey Tracey
Pretty market town just 3 miles from Lustleigh, packed with small independent shops offering local produce, small supermarkets, pubs, tourist information, banks, delicatessen etc. Visit the local farmers market held every other Saturday, selling local meats, fish, cheese and cake. Interestingly, Bovey Tracey’s town hall is now home to Devon’s only Whisky Distillery.
Moretonhampstead
A bustling and pretty Dartmoor town with lots to see and do as well as offering a great choice of pubs and other places to eat. Head for the Tourist Information Centre where their friendly local volunteers will help you select walks and tell you about the area.
Moretonhampstead also has a public outdoor heated swimming pool which is open from May to September and great fun for the whole family on warm sunny days.
30 minutes from our Dartmoor Holiday Cottage
Ashburton
Ashburton is the largest town within the National Park and is only 12 miles from our Dartmoor holiday cottage. It’s a great place for hunting antiques and treasures! Why not try the outstanding Taylors Tea Room for a quintessentially English afternoon tea – Devon cream tea of course.
Buckland in the Moor
Buckland in the moor is considered one of Devon’s prettiest villages. There is a clutch of delightful and beautiful thatched cottages, a victorian post box and a medieval church built from Dartmoor stone. The church has a very unusual clock face which has letters instead of the numbers 1 to 12. These letters spell “My Dear Mother”. The clock was donated by the Lord of Buckland, Mr William Whitely, in 1931 in memory of his mother. The same William Whitely commissioned the creation of the Ten Commandment Stones on Buckland Beacon, one of our Dartmoor Must Sees.
Chagford
Ancient Stannary town with a charming but small town square. Several good places to eat but can be pricey. Like Moretonhampstead, Chagford also has an open-air swimming pool. However, Chagford’s swimming pool is a bit different. It is set outside of the town on the banks of the River Teign and is fed from the river. Don’t let that put you off, the water is treated, filtered and heated.
Widecombe in the moor
One of Dartmoor’s “must see’s” with souvenir shops, ancient church with an interesting dartmoor legend and a nice pub “the old inn”.
There’s a village market usually held on the fourth Saturday of the month apart from December and a Craft’s market every Thursday from mid May to mid October. About ½ a mile from the town is the unique and unspoilt Rugglestone Inn, well worth popping in for refreshment.
40 minutes from our Dartmoor Holiday Cottage
Okehampton
A busy market town on the north edge of Dartmoor with a Castle, well the remains of the largest Castle in Devon, a nature reserve and the Museum of Dartmoor Life.
Okehampton is easily accessible from the main A30 plus it has recently been connected to the Railway network by the reinstatement of the Dartmoor Line linking Okehampton to Exeter.
Princetown
Famous for Dartmoor Prison which was constructed in 1806 to house prisoners from the Napoleonic wars. Shortly after, American prisoners from the 1812 war started to arrive. Although the Prison Museum is worth a visit, you can see the flags from various prisoners on display in the church.
Princetown is also home to the Dartmoor Brewery. Whilst visiting, why not try their Jail Ale in either the Prince of Wales pub or the Plume and Feathers Inn.
Like Postbridge, Princetown is a key starting point for many great walks on Dartmoor such as the walk to nun’s cross farm.
45 minutes from our Dartmoor Holiday Cottage
Tavistock
An ancient and beautiful stannary town which lies on the south west edge of Dartmoor.
Tavistock is a flourishing market town with interesting architecture, a good range of shops, a riverside park, leisure centre and theatre – a great place for exploring. It is probably most famous for being the birthplace of Sir Francis Drake – a statue of him can be seen not far from the town centre, on the road to Plymouth, where he set sail to beat the Spanish Armada (once he finished his game of bowls).
Now explore nearby Devon Coastal Towns
