More Than a Place to Walk Alone
Dartmoor has a reputation. Wild. Remote. A bit bleak. The kind of place you go to be alone with your thoughts, or to get lost in mist and question your life choices. And yes, it can be all of those things — 368 square miles of open moorland, granite tors, and bog will do that.
But Dartmoor is also one of the best social destinations in Devon. It has ancient pubs with fires that have been burning for nearly two centuries. It has wild swimming pools surrounded by woodland. It has a treasure-hunting tradition that predates geocaching by over a hundred years. And it has some of the finest pub walks in England — the kind where you work up an appetite on the moor and then sit down to a proper meal in a 15th-century inn while your boots dry by the hearth.
The problem is not that Dartmoor is unfriendly to groups. The problem is that most people only think of it as a place for serious hikers or solo adventurers. In reality, it is the perfect place to spend a day with friends — whether you are walking, swimming, eating, or simply sitting outside a pub watching the light change over the tors.
This is our guide to Dartmoor as a social destination. Not the guidebook version with ordnance survey references and grade-five scrambles, but the version where you bring your friends, have a brilliant day, and end up in a pub.
The Best Pub Walks
Haytor to the Rock Inn
Distance: 3–4 miles circular | Difficulty: Easy to moderate | Time: 2–3 hours including lunch
This is the classic Dartmoor pub walk, and for good reason. You start at the Haytor car park, walk up to Haytor Rocks — one of the most visited tors on Dartmoor, with panoramic views across Devon and sometimes as far as Cornwall — and then descend to the Rock Inn in Haytor Vale for lunch.
The Rock Inn is an 18th-century coaching inn that was originally built by George Templer to house the quarrymen working at the nearby Haytor granite quarries. Those quarries supplied stone for the construction of London Bridge between 1824 and 1831, which gives you something to talk about over your pint. The pub serves excellent food using locally sourced produce, with Dartmoor ales on the bar. The walk back to the car park takes about 30 minutes, mostly uphill but manageable after a good lunch.
This walk works for groups of any fitness level. The ascent to Haytor is steep in places but short, and the path is well-defined. It is the kind of walk where even the person in the group who "does not really do walks" will enjoy themselves, because the reward at the end is a proper pub.
Wistman's Wood Circuit
Distance: 4–5 miles circular | Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 2–3 hours
Wistman's Wood is one of the most extraordinary places in Devon — an ancient temperate rainforest clinging to a boulder-strewn hillside in the heart of Dartmoor. The wood is made up of twisted, stunted oak trees draped in mosses and lichens, growing out of a tumble of granite boulders that look like they were placed there by a giant having a bad day. It is eerie, beautiful, and like nowhere else in England.
The walk starts from the car park opposite the Two Bridges Hotel, about a mile south of the wood, and follows the West Dart river valley northward. Allow a good two hours for the return walk, plus time to stand and stare — because you will want to stand and stare. The wood is small — a few hectares — and is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall. It is home to the exceptionally rare horsehair lichen.
A word of caution: do not walk through the wood or scramble across the boulders. The mosses and lichens are fragile and irreplaceable, and every footstep causes damage. Stay on the paths, admire from the edges, and leave it as you found it. Keep out of any areas cordoned off for the regeneration work — the Duchy of Cornwall and Natural England are running a long-term scheme to expand the wood, and fenced sections come and go.
Wistman's Wood is a fragile ancient habitat. Do not walk through the wood or climb on the boulders — the mosses and lichens are irreplaceable and every footstep causes damage. Admire it from the established viewing points and stick to the marked paths.
Lustleigh Cleave and the Cleave Inn
Distance: 5–7 miles depending on route | Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 3–4 hours including lunch
The walk through Lustleigh Cleave on the eastern flanks of Dartmoor is regarded as one of the finest walks anywhere in the area, and it finishes at one of the best pubs. From Lustleigh, you cross the River Bovey at Hisley Bridge and ascend via Trendlebere Down, passing through ancient woodland and open hillside with views across the moor. The longer version of the route takes in Smallacombe Rocks and continues towards Haytor before looping back, but you can shorten it to suit your group's energy levels.
The reward at the end is the Cleave Inn, a gorgeous thatched-roof 15th-century pub in the centre of Lustleigh village. It has a log fire for colder days, a beer garden for warm ones, and a menu that uses fresh ingredients from local farms and suppliers. The ales are from the South West, the food is excellent, and the atmosphere is exactly what you want after a morning on the moor. Dogs are welcome. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options are available.
You can reach Lustleigh via the Wray Valley Trail from Bovey Tracey, which is a lovely walk in itself — and if you time it right, you can catch a bus back rather than walking the return leg.
Dartmoor Pubs Worth the Drive
Even if you do not want to walk, some of Dartmoor's pubs are worth visiting purely for the experience. These are not ordinary pubs — they are destinations in their own right.
Warren House Inn
The Warren House Inn sits on the road between Postbridge and Moretonhampstead at 1,425 feet above sea level, making it the highest pub in southern England and the second highest in all of England. It is also famous for a fire that has never gone out — the hearth has been burning continuously for nearly two centuries, since the pub was rebuilt on its current site in 1845.
The pub was originally built to serve the tin miners who worked Dartmoor's extensive mining operations, and it retains a rugged, no-nonsense character. The menu includes the Warrener's Pie, a rabbit-filled creation that nods to the pub's history (warreners managed the rabbit warrens that once covered this stretch of moor). It is remote, windswept, and absolutely brilliant. On a winter's day, there are few better places in Devon to sit with a pint by a fire that has been burning since before your great-great-grandparents were born.
Rugglestone Inn
Half a mile from Widecombe-in-the-Moor, the Rugglestone Inn is a quintessentially English country pub — small, unassuming, and beloved by everyone who finds it. It has been recognised in national country-pub awards, and it earns that reputation with a combination of traditional pub fare, friendly service, and a beer garden covered in trailing ivy that feels like something from a film set.
The Rugglestone is the kind of pub where you go for one drink and stay for three. It is unpretentious, genuinely welcoming, and full of character. Combine it with a walk around Widecombe and a visit to the famous church of St Pancras — the "Cathedral of the Moor" — for a perfect Dartmoor afternoon.
Ring of Bells, North Bovey
The Ring of Bells sits beside the village green in North Bovey, surrounded by thatched Devon longhouses and centuries of countryside charm. This is one of the most picturesque pub settings in the country — the green, the thatched buildings, the hills rising behind the village — and the pub itself lives up to the scenery. Hearty homemade food, seasonal local produce, well-kept ales, and rooms if you want to stay the night.
North Bovey is tiny, ancient, and absolutely worth the detour. The village feels like it has not changed in centuries, and the Ring of Bells is its heart.
Wild Swimming
Dartmoor has some of the best wild swimming in England, and it is an activity that works brilliantly with a group of friends — partly because swimming in cold water is more fun when you are all in it together, and partly because someone needs to stay on the bank to hand you a towel.
Spitchwick
Spitchwick is the most popular wild swimming spot on Dartmoor, and for good reason. It is easy to reach, with a grassy bank for picnicking and plenty of room to swim, but parking is limited verge and common-land parking that fills fast on hot days — go early or go elsewhere. The River Dart runs through a beautiful wooded valley here, and on a warm day the banks are full of families, groups of friends, and people who look considerably more comfortable in cold water than you might feel.
Sharrah Pool
If you want something more dramatic, Sharrah Pool is one of Dartmoor's most spectacular swimming spots. Tucked away in the Dart Gorge, it is a long, deep pool surrounded by woodland. The water is emerald green and the setting is extraordinary. It requires a proper walk in on rough riverside path from Newbridge — allow considerably longer than you think, and leave time to get back out before dark — which keeps the crowds smaller and the experience more special. For groups who enjoy a bit of adventure, it is hard to beat.
Wild swimming on Dartmoor is at your own risk. The water is cold even in summer, currents can be stronger than they look, and it is important to swim in the rivers, not the reservoirs — swimming in Dartmoor's reservoirs is illegal. Never swim alone, and always tell someone where you are going.
Letterboxing and Geocaching
Before geocaching existed, Dartmoor had letterboxing — a treasure-hunting tradition that began in 1854 when a Chagford guide called James Perrott placed the first letterbox at Cranmere Pool on North Dartmoor. The original idea was simple: walkers would leave a letter or postcard in a hidden box for the next walker to find and post.
Today, there are thousands of letterboxes hidden across the moor, each containing a rubber stamp and a visitor's book. The challenge is to find them using clues and grid references published by the "100 Club" in an annual catalogue. Membership of the 100 Club is open to anyone who has found at least 100 letterboxes — which sounds like a lot, but letterboxers say the addiction sets in around box number ten.
This is a fantastic group activity. It gets you walking, it gives the walk a purpose beyond "looking at things," and it creates a mild competitive edge that groups tend to enjoy. Start with well-known letterboxing areas like Haytor or Postbridge if you are new, and work your way out from there. Geocaching — the modern, GPS-enabled equivalent — is also well represented on Dartmoor, with hundreds of caches hidden across the park.
Getting There from Exeter
Dartmoor's eastern edge is about 30 minutes from Exeter by car. Haytor, Widecombe, and Lustleigh are all easy drives, and the roads, while narrow in places, are well-signposted.
Public transport is trickier but not impossible. Buses run from Exeter towards Moretonhampstead, a seasonal Saturday service links the Haytor area, and the Exeter to Okehampton train opens up the western side of Dartmoor with a connecting bus southward. Moorland and rural Devon services change every year, so check the operator's live timetable before you rely on one.
For most group trips, a car is the practical choice. If you can share driving duties across the group, the per-person cost of fuel is negligible, and you have the freedom to stop wherever the moor takes you.
Safety on the Moor
Before anything else: parts of north Dartmoor are MOD training ranges — Okehampton, Merrivale and Willsworthy — where live firing takes place. Check the six-week firing programme on GOV.UK or call the firing information line on 0800 458 4868 before you walk there. Red flags by day and red lamps by night mean firing is in progress; range boundaries are marked with red and white poles, and you must not cross them when the flags are up.
Dartmoor is not dangerous if you respect it, but it does demand a bit of common sense. The weather can change fast — mist can roll in within minutes, and temperatures drop significantly at altitude. Bogs are real and occasionally deep. Phone signal is patchy to non-existent in many areas.
For any walk beyond the main tourist paths, carry a proper map (OS Explorer OL28 covers the whole park), wear waterproof boots, bring layers, and tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back. Do not rely on your phone for navigation — batteries die, signals vanish, and the moor does not care about your data plan.
That said, the walks and pubs in this guide are all well-established and well-trodden. You do not need to be Bear Grylls to enjoy Dartmoor. You just need good boots, a decent jacket, and friends who do not mind getting slightly muddy. For more walking inspiration around Exeter and Devon, have a look at our walking routes guide.
The Moor Is Calling
Dartmoor has a way of getting under your skin. The first time you visit, you see the tors and the mist and think it is bleak. The second time, you notice the wildflowers and the birdsong and the way the light hits the granite. By the third time, you understand why people who know Dartmoor never quite stop coming back.
It is one of the last truly wild landscapes in southern England, and it is less than an hour from Exeter. Do not save it for a special occasion. Do not wait for perfect weather. Grab your boots, grab your friends, and go. The moor will be there. The fire at the Warren House Inn will still be burning. And the pint at the end of the walk will taste better than anything you have ever drunk.
If you are looking for more ways to connect with people over food and shared experiences, explore our best restaurants in Exeter or join us at an upcoming dinner.