Marchant's Cross

You'll find Marchant's Cross standing alone on the moorland landscape between Plymouth and Dartmoor - a weathered stone monument that's been marking this spot for centuries. It's the sort of place that catches you off guard: suddenly there it is, rising from the heather, with views across Devon that stretch for miles on a clear day.

Historically, these crosses were waymarkers and meeting points. Marchant's Cross served travellers crossing the moor, and it's one of those rare spots where you can actually feel the weight of time - no interpretation boards, no queue, just stone and sky and the wind picking up across open moorland.

It's a straightforward walk to reach it, though the final approach depends on conditions and which footpath you take. Allow a couple of hours to get there and back from the nearest car parking, depending on your starting point. There's no admission fee - it's freely accessible. Worth knowing: the moor itself can be boggy, especially after rain, so proper boots matter.

For a broader Dartmoor outing, you could combine this with the nearby Langstone Manor Holiday Park or Dartmoor Domes if you're staying locally. It works well alongside other moorland walking and is genuinely interesting for anyone interested in medieval history or moorland heritage. Casual visitors might find the walk more rewarding than the destination itself - the landscape is the real draw here.