Where the Moor Meets the Market Square
There is a stretch of eastern Dartmoor where the wildness of the moor softens into something more intimate. The granite tors are still visible on the skyline, but down in the valleys you find market squares, thatched pubs, artisan shops, and villages that have been quietly getting on with being beautiful for the better part of a thousand years. This is the country around Chagford, Moretonhampstead, and Drewsteignton — three settlements that between them offer everything you could want from a day out on Dartmoor without requiring waterproofs or a compass.
These are not wild, remote places. They are lived-in, working villages with butchers and bookshops and post offices. But they sit on the doorstep of some of the most spectacular walking country in southern England, and they have the kind of unhurried atmosphere that makes you want to linger over a second coffee, browse one more gallery, or take one more detour down a lane you had not planned to explore.
If you are looking for a day out from Exeter that combines good food, beautiful scenery, and the kind of gentle adventure that leaves you feeling restored rather than exhausted, this is your territory. And if you bring a friend or two along, all the better — as we explored in our guide to the best day trips from Exeter for groups, the best outings are the ones where the company is as good as the destination.
Chagford: The Jewel of Eastern Dartmoor
Chagford is the kind of town that makes people move to Devon. Set in the valley of the River Teign on the north-eastern edge of Dartmoor National Park, it is a former stannary town — one of the places where tin was weighed and taxed during the medieval period — and its prosperity shows in the handsome granite buildings that line The Square.
The town is small enough to explore in an hour but interesting enough to hold you for a full day. At its centre is the octagonal Market House, surrounded by independent shops that resist the usual high street blandness — a makers' shop, a bookshop, a butcher, a delicatessen, a bakery and a farm shop café among them, with the mix changing from year to year as small-town independents do. Jaded Palates on The Square is the local wine shop, where the welcome is warm and the recommendations are sound.
This is not a town that has been prettified for tourists. It is a working market town that happens to be exceptionally attractive, and that combination of authenticity and beauty is what makes it special.
The Swimming Pool
Half a mile outside Chagford, on the banks of the River Teign, sits one of Devon's finest hidden treasures: Chagford Swimming Pool. This is an open-air lido, dug out by hand by local residents in the 1930s, and it is still run entirely by volunteers — one of the only pools left in the country of which that is true.
The pool is the largest river-fed open-air swimming pool in the South West. The soft river water is filtered and gently heated, with minimal chlorine. There is a toddler pool complete with toy boats and rubber ducks. The setting — surrounded by rolling green hills, with Dartmoor rising behind — is the sort of thing that makes you wonder why anyone swims indoors.
It is, without question, one of the most joyful places in Devon — but it is a volunteer-run pool with a short season and the occasional unplanned closure, so check chagfordswimmingpool.co.uk before you set off.
Chagford Swimming Pool is one of the last volunteer-run pools in the country. Entry fees are modest and go directly to maintaining this community treasure. Check chagfordswimmingpool.co.uk for exact opening dates — note the address, as a similar domain is squatted and does not belong to the pool — since the season depends on the weather and volunteer availability.
Gidleigh Park
For something at the opposite end of the spectrum from a volunteer-run lido, Gidleigh Park sits two miles from Chagford in mature grounds on the upper reaches of the River Teign. This Tudor-style country house hotel holds one Michelin star in the 2026 Michelin Guide and three AA Rosettes, with a formidable wine list.
The restaurant focuses on the best seasonal ingredients prepared with classical technique and modern interpretation. Service days change with the season, so book through the hotel rather than turning up. It is not an everyday outing — this is a special occasion destination. But if you are looking for a meal that will live in your memory, Gidleigh Park delivers.
The Three Crowns
More accessible but no less characterful, The Three Crowns is a listed inn in the heart of Chagford. Behind its imposing granite facade lies a medieval manor house that became an inn centuries later. Recently refurbished, it now has boutique bedrooms and a restaurant that combines classic pub favourites with more refined dishes, all made with locally sourced ingredients.
The bar is dog-friendly, the snug has an open fireplace, and the glazed atrium dining room lets in the kind of soft Dartmoor light that makes everything taste slightly better. This is a superb lunch stop.
Moretonhampstead: The Gateway to the Moor
Four miles east of Chagford, Moretonhampstead sits at the crossroads where the road from Exeter meets the high moor. It is a smaller, quieter town than Chagford — less polished, perhaps, but with a character all its own and a history that stretches back to the Domesday Book.
The White Hart
At the centre of everything is The White Hart, a family-run Georgian hotel that has been serving travellers since 1775. It was an old posting inn where horses were changed on the journey from Exeter to Princetown — one of the coaching inns that lined the routes across Devon before the railways arrived.
Today, The White Hart is a free house offering local beers, ciders, and spirits alongside hearty breakfasts, superb lunches, traditional afternoon teas, and dinners. On 14th September 2025, the hotel celebrated trading for exactly two hundred and fifty years. That kind of longevity tells you something about the quality.
Beyond the Town
Moretonhampstead is a natural starting point for walks onto the high moor. Mardon Down, just to the north, offers sweeping views across Devon with relatively gentle terrain. The town also sits on the route of the Two Moors Way, the long-distance path that connects Dartmoor to Exmoor, should you fancy something more ambitious. For those interested in local food and drink, this eastern edge of Dartmoor is rich territory — as we explored in our guide to Devon's food, drink, and heritage, the moor and its margins produce some of the county's finest ingredients.
Drewsteignton: Castle Drogo and Fingle Bridge
South-west of Moretonhampstead, tucked into the hills above the Teign Gorge, the village of Drewsteignton is tiny but mighty. It has two of the finest attractions on Dartmoor and one of the best community pubs in England.
Castle Drogo
Castle Drogo is the last castle built in England. Commissioned in 1911 by Julius Drewe, a wealthy tea merchant who claimed descent from the Norman baron Drogo de Teign, it was designed by Edwin Lutyens and constructed from local granite over nearly two decades. Despite its medieval appearance — complete with battlements, a portcullis, and twin octagonal turrets — it has electricity, telephones, and a custom-built kitchen. It is a castle built by a man who wanted the romance of the Middle Ages with the convenience of the twentieth century.
The National Trust now cares for Castle Drogo, and visitors can explore the house, the gardens — which the Trust describes as the highest in its care — and the estate walks that wind down into the Teign Gorge. The formal terraces, circular lawns, and rhododendron garden are quietly spectacular. Admission is free for National Trust members; non-members pay an entrance fee, and there is a charge for parking — check the National Trust's page for current rates.
Castle Drogo underwent an extensive ten-year restoration project to address persistent leaks that had plagued the building since its construction. The castle and grounds are now fully open to visitors, and the story of the restoration is itself part of the exhibition.
Fingle Bridge
From Castle Drogo, the classic circular walk descends through ancient oak woodland into the Teign Gorge, following the Hunter's Path along the lip of the gorge with exceptional views, before crossing the River Teign at Fingle Bridge. This early packhorse bridge sits in one of the most photogenic spots on Dartmoor — a narrow granite bridge over clear water, surrounded by ancient trees, with the sound of the river filling the valley.
Allow a good half day — it is a gorge loop with a steep climb back out, not a stroll. At Fingle Bridge itself, the Fingle Bridge Inn sits on the riverbank, on the site of a tea shelter opened here in the late Victorian era. They serve bar snacks, cream teas and hot meals at lunchtime and in the evenings, and dogs are welcome. Ring ahead if you need step-free access or want a table for the Sunday carvery.
If you enjoy this kind of walking, you might also appreciate our guide to the best walking routes around Exeter and Devon, which covers routes for all abilities.
The Drewe Arms
Back in the village square, the Drewe Arms is one of England's great village pubs. Built in the seventeenth century, it is on CAMRA's national inventory of historic pub interiors. The pub is remarkable for having no bar counter — local ales are served straight from the cask, from stillage to hatch, across four rooms.
The Drewe Arms has a remarkable history. Mabel Mudge took over the pub in 1919 and ran it for the best part of seventy-five years, and is widely remembered as one of the longest-serving landladies in the country. After a period of closure, the local community crowdfunded to purchase the freehold, and the Drewe Arms reopened as a community pub in March 2024. It is a living example of what happens when a community decides that its pub matters.
Getting There from Exeter
Chagford is approximately thirty minutes by car from Exeter, heading west on the A30 before turning south onto the B3212 and then the smaller roads that wind through the Dartmoor fringe. Moretonhampstead is on the same road, slightly closer to Exeter. Drewsteignton is best approached from the A30, turning off at Whiddon Down.
By public transport, a bus runs from Exeter to Moretonhampstead and on towards Chagford, but not frequently and not every day. Rural Devon service patterns change every year, so check the operator's live timetable in advance and plan around the schedule. There is no regular bus service to Drewsteignton — you will need a car or a very willing taxi driver.
A good day out itinerary: drive to Drewsteignton first, walk the Fingle Bridge circuit, have lunch at the Fingle Bridge Inn, then drive to Chagford for the afternoon. Browse the shops, have a cream tea, and if it is summer and the pool is open, finish with a swim at the lido. Return to Exeter via Moretonhampstead, stopping at The White Hart for a pint.
The Social Case for Dartmoor Villages
There is something about visiting a place together — navigating unfamiliar lanes, discovering a pub you did not know existed, standing on a bridge over a gorge and saying nothing for a while — that builds connection in ways that a restaurant dinner or a night out simply cannot replicate. The eastern Dartmoor villages are perfect for this kind of shared adventure. They are close enough to Exeter to feel spontaneous, beautiful enough to feel special, and varied enough to offer something for everyone.
As we explored in our guide to exploring Dartmoor as a social day out, the moor is not just a landscape — it is an invitation to slow down, look up, and pay attention to the people you are with. Chagford, Moretonhampstead, and Drewsteignton make that invitation irresistible.