Okehampton, Devon on the edge of Dartmoor

Visit Okehampton

Okehampton sits in an attractive setting on the edge of Dartmoor and it is probably for the lovely walks nearby that you will want to visit. Okehampton is known as the walking centre of Devon and the two main walks are the 'Two Castles Trail' and the 'West Devon Way'. There are also walks on Dartmoor. The Granite Way cycleway is also nearby.

Explore Okehampton

Okehampton is a small market town with a main high street with a church at one end and a number of attractive buildings housing the shops and pubs of the town. A glass-ceilinged Victorian arcade is home to some more shops.

In a pretty courtyard off West Street you will find the Dartmoor Life Museum and opposite in the same courtyard some tea rooms. The Museum of Dartmoor Life is housed in a former mill and has various exhibits relating to the town's history and to the moor. Also look out for the Town Hall on Fore Street.

Various pubs and restaurants in the village mean that you can stop for refreshments during a visit and there are shops too to buy a picnic if you fancy doing one of the lovely walks in the neighbourhood.

Outside of the town is a wood with a hill and on the top of this sits the remains of Okehampton castle. This was built in Norman times by Baldwin Fitzgilbert. This was the largest medieval castle built in Devon but Henry VIII had it destroyed when the Marquess of Exeter was convicted of treason.

The castle remains a pleasant spot with views over the River Okemont and its valley.

Visitors to Okehampton enjoy walking, cycling, wild-swimming in the rivers and riding. North of Okehampton are the two highest peaks of Dartmoor and to the south is Lydford which is home to a National Trust Gorge. Finch Foundry and Castle Drogo are other National Trust properties in the area.

Places to Visit Nearby

The lovely wild landscape of Dartmoor attracts many visitors to Okehampton every year. Okehampton is on the northern edge whilst the attractive market town of Tavistock is to the west and the Dartmoor National Park Authority Visitors Centre is in the centre of the National Park at Princetown.

Princetown is where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is said to have stayed when he wrote 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'.

Launceston is a pretty market town to the south west of Okehampton and also has a ruined castle.

Bideford to the south is a lively market town and port and has some prettily painted fishermen's cottages lining the quay. It was once the third most important port in England.

If you are looking for beaches then Woolacombe which is 41 miles north of Okehampton is one of the best in England.

You can find more local travel ideas in the Devon guide and the Devon guide.