Cottages in Dartmoor

Table of Contents

• At a glance: What should you know about renting a cottage in Dartmoor?
• Cottages in Dartmoor: find your perfect retreat
• Exploring Dartmoor: our top recommendations
• Activities: What are the top things to do and see in Dartmoor?

• Cosy moorland cottages: Expect wood-burning stoves, flagstone floors and walled gardens, with many properties offering hot tubs and space for both couples and larger families.
• Villages worth basing in: Chagford, Tavistock and Ashburton put you within easy reach of the tors while keeping a butcher, baker and pub on the doorstep.
• Highly rated by guests: Our best-reviewed Dartmoor cottages score up to 9.9+, with visitors praising the quiet lanes, wood smoke and generous welcome hampers.
• Pubs and cream teas: Moorland inns such as the Warren House Inn and farm cafés serving Devon scones are the heart of a slow week here.
• Seven days of walking: Haytor, Becky Falls and the River Dart fill a week, with Dartmoor ponies grazing the open moor year-round.

Dartmoor cottages range from granite longhouses and converted barns to shepherd's huts tucked into wooded valleys. Many sit on working farms, so mornings begin with eggs from the yard. If you are travelling with a dog, dog-friendly cottages in Dartmoor are plentiful, while there is a wide option that suits larger family groups as well. Most are self-catering, leaving you free to shop the village butcher and cook slowly. Here is what you can usually expect inside:

• Wood-burning stove with a basket of logs included
• Canadian cedar hot tub or outdoor bath
• Farmhouse kitchen with a range cooker
• Enclosed garden with moorland views
• Welcome hamper of Devon produce

Book early for autumn half term, when the moor turns copper and cottages fill quickly.

What are the best areas to stay in Dartmoor?

For a first visit, base yourself in Widecombe-in-the-Moor, the postcard village at the heart of the National Park. The table below details regions for specific interests:

What do our guests say?

Guests staying in Dartmoor cottages tend to write about the same things: the silence after dark, the smell of a lit stove and hosts who leave clotted cream in the fridge. Ratings across the moor sit high, with several properties holding 9.7+ after dozens of stays, and repeat visits are common.

Here are our top-rated cottages in Dartmoor from the past year:

1. Cottage for 6 people, with pets - 9.9+: A generous family cottage in Cornwood on the southern moor, praised for its woodland setting and warm welcome for dogs.
2. Cottage for 4 people, with yard - 9.8+: Set in Ilsington near Haytor, with a sheltered yard and easy walking straight onto the open moor.
3. Cottage for 2 people, with pets - 9.7+: A snug bolthole in Dartmoor Forest, ideal for couples who want quiet lanes and a stove to come home to.

Dartmoor National Park spreads across 954 square kilometres of southern Devon, a high granite upland of tors, beech-lined lanes, wooded river valleys and grazing ponies.

🥗Where to eat in Dartmoor?

According to Google Maps data and reviews, The Bridford Inn is the best rated restaurant in Dartmoor. Below is a table showing the top 5 highly-rated restaurants hand-picked by our travel experts.

⭐Our guests' recommendation: Our guest traveller Charlotte recommends the Fox Tor Cafe in Dartmoor: a walkers' café in Princetown where boots, dogs and unhurried second pots of tea are all part of the welcome.

1. Climb Haytor Rocks
2. Wander Widecombe-in-the-Moor
3. Follow the River Dart
4. Meet the big cats at Dartmoor Zoo
5. Walk to Becky Falls
6. Ride the South Devon Railway
7. Circle Burrator Reservoir

1. Climb Haytor Rocks

   The most recognisable of Dartmoor's tors rises above Bovey Tracey and rewards a twenty-minute scramble with views stretching to the coast. Nearby, the abandoned Haytor Quarry hides a secluded lake and is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its geology. Come early with a flask and you may have the summit to yourself, with ponies grazing the slopes below. It is the ideal first walk of a week spent in cottages in Devon.

2. Wander Widecombe-in-the-Moor

   Thatched cottages gather around a green beneath the tower of St Pancras church, known locally as the Cathedral of the Moor. The village is the setting of the old ballad Widecombe Fair, still held each September with sheep, ponies and a fiercely contested vegetable tent. Spend an hour in the church, browse the small craft shops, then settle in for a cream tea. It is the sort of place a slow week on Dartmoor is built around.

3. Follow the River Dart

   The River Dart tumbles off the high moor through oak woodland and granite boulders, and the path between Dartmeet and Newbridge is one of the loveliest walks in Devon. In summer the deeper pools draw wild swimmers, while spring brings bluebells across the valley floor. Pack a picnic and follow the water as far as your legs allow, listening for dippers working the shallows. The riverside car parks make it easy to shorten the route.

4. Meet the big cats at Dartmoor Zoo

   Set in 33 acres of woodland near Sparkwell, Dartmoor Zoo holds the largest collection of big cats in the region, including African lions, jaguars, cheetahs and Amur tigers. You will also hear Iberian wolves calling and see European brown bears in their wooded enclosure. Keeper talks run through the day and explain the conservation work behind each species. The on-site Jaguar Restaurant is a reliable stop for lunch before heading back onto the moor.

5. Walk to Becky Falls

   Becky Falls sits in 50 acres of ancient oak woodland, where a stream drops over a tumble of mossy granite boulders. Three waymarked trails suit different abilities, from a gentle stroll to a scramble over rocks, and the woods are rich in birdlife. Children tend to love the animal encounters and the boulder-hopping in equal measure. After heavy Devon rain the falls are at their most dramatic, so pack boots and a waterproof.

6. Ride the South Devon Railway

   The oldest steam railway in the South West runs for seven miles along the wooded valley of the River Dart between Buckfastleigh and Totnes Riverside. Carriages are restored, the pace is slow and the views of the river are best from the left-hand side heading south. At the Buckfastleigh end you will find the Dartmoor Otters and Buckfast Butterflies attraction, easily combined with the trip. It is a fine plan for a wet afternoon.

7. Circle Burrator Reservoir

   Ringed by mixed woodland beneath Sheepstor, Burrator Reservoir offers a level circuit of roughly six kilometres on quiet lanes and paths. Spring brings bluebells, daffodils and Welsh poppies, while autumn turns the beeches gold above the water. Benches and small beaches along the shore make it easy to stop and simply watch the light move across the moor. It is one of the gentlest walks on Dartmoor and suits all ages.