John Cann's Rocks

The walk up to John Cann's Rocks takes about forty minutes from the car park near Newton Abbot, and it's genuinely worth the effort. You're climbing through proper Devon moorland - gorse, heather, the lot - with views opening up across Dartmoor as you gain height. The rocks themselves are a jumble of granite outcrops at the summit, weathered and dramatic enough to make you understand why locals have been coming here for centuries.

What you get is a proper viewpoint rather than a destination with facilities. There's no visitor centre, no tea shop, no admission fee. Just rocks, air, and silence - which is exactly what draws people here. On a clear day the vista sweeps across the moor to the tors beyond. In bad weather it's moody and atmospheric in equal measure.

This works brilliantly for walkers and anyone keen on Dartmoor's landscape, but it's less suited to small children or those wanting a quick stroll. You'll need decent boots and an hour minimum to make the round trip worthwhile. Go early if you can - the moor gets busy at weekends, and the light's better in morning.

If you're staying at Oakmoor Touring Park nearby, this makes an excellent half-day outing to break up your trip. Combine it with a wander round Newton Abbot afterwards if the weather turns sketchy. Solo walkers especially will appreciate the solitude here - there's something restorative about standing alone on moorland that's barely changed in decades.