Why go there?
It’s famous for rocky tors, a foreboding prison and the story of the Hound of the Baskervilles, but the big National Park in the middle of Devon is simply the highest and least developed part of southern England. You can hide away in an area the size of 120,000 football pitches with barely a stranger to disturb you.
What to do
Go for a walk and not see anyone else all day… or cycle, ride, hike, canoe or drive. Explore 400 square miles of heather-covered hills, ancient stone circles, pretty villages and sheltered valleys. Pack your boots: many of the best sights are a bracing walk from any road.
Where to stay and eat
To truly enjoy the isolation, you need to stay in your own remote cottage. Helpful Holidays is based in a moorland village and have a good selection. Fugitives from civilisation can dine at the isolated Warren House Inn, alone on a hill in the centre of Dartmoor.
How to get there
Dartmoor is an easy spot to escape to because major roads skirt its borders but don’t cross it. Drive down the M5 towards Exeter, then head for the dark hills on the western horizon.
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