One of the historic towns on Dartmoor, Moretonhampstead is an ideal base for outdoor activity holidays, with a range of facilities for walking, cycling, horse riding and bird watching.
As one of the gateway towns to Dartmoor, it has a thriving crafts community with a number of open studios and galleries that you can visit. It has a variety of hotels, inns and teashops, a growing number of public art installations, an open air swimming pool and has its own town letter box trail.
Known as the gateway town to the High Moor, Moretonhampstead was a major coaching stop for travellers between Exeter and Plymouth in the 18th century. However, its history goes back over 1,000 years to Saxon times.
If you enjoy exploring and experiencing the beauty and wilderness of Dartmoor National Park, Moretonhampstead is the ideal centre for walking. A network of footpaths and bridleways criss-cross the beautiful surrounding moorland, providing a wide variety of walks to suit every ability, from family rambles and casual strolls to the more strenuous gradients and wilderness walking that test your map reading and orienteering skills.
The Dartmoor Way is a 90 mile circular route around Dartmoor linking hamlets, villages and towns with a variety of scenery, including wild upland, sheltered valleys and quiet lanes. Two routes exist, one for walkers and the other for cyclists. The walkers' route coincides with the Tarka Trail between Sticklepath and Okehampton and with the West Devon Way between Okehampton and Tavistock, and is shown on OS mapping. Call into Moretonhampstead Information Centre for maps and advice.
Just outside of the town there is a superb golf course at the Bovey Castle Hotel, and next door to this is the Miniature Pony Centre and Animal Farm visitor attraction.