Aish Tor

The walk up Aish Tor rewards you with views that stretch across Dartmoor in ways the lower paths simply don't deliver. It's a proper granite outcrop, the kind of place where you can see why people kept coming back to this spot for centuries. The scramble itself isn't difficult - more of a steep trudge than a technical climb - but it's enough to separate the casual strollers from actual walkers.

From the top, South Brent sits quietly in the distance, and on a clear day the moorland rolls out in every direction. You get the sense of being somewhere genuinely exposed and windswept, not prettified for visitors. There are no facilities here, no cafe, no interpretation boards. It's just the tor, the view, and whatever weather Dartmoor decides to send your way.

Allow a solid hour and a half round trip from the nearest parking, depending on your pace and fitness. The ground underfoot is boggy in places even after rain has stopped, so proper boots matter. Families with young kids might find it frustrating rather than fun - it's not a quick dash up and down.

If you're basing yourself in one of the holiday parks near Dartmoor National Park, Aish Tor works well as a morning walk before exploring the broader moor. It's free, obviously, and worth doing on a day when the visibility is decent. Otherwise you're just climbing blind into cloud.