Northcombe Copse Tor

The walk up Northcombe Copse Tor rewards you with views that stretch across Dartmoor in ways the lower paths simply don't manage. It's not a massive peak - Devon isn't that kind of place - but the climb from Newton Abbot direction is steady enough that you'll feel you've earned the summit.

What you're looking at is moorland proper, the sort of landscape that makes you understand why people bother with walking at all. On a clear day the panorama tips across the moor in nearly every direction, and there's proper solitude up here, which is rarer than you'd think on Dartmoor these days. The tor itself is granite - weathered, craggy, the real deal - and the approach takes you through decent moorland terrain that'll take between two and three hours return depending on your pace and where you start from.

Walkers and hikers will absolutely get their teeth into this. Family groups with older kids who don't mind a proper trek will manage fine; younger ones might find the ascent a bit much. The ground underfoot is typical Dartmoor - boggy in patches, firm in others - so decent boots aren't optional.

Free to visit, naturally. Head out in the morning if you can, because the light across the moor is better then, and you'll avoid any afternoon crowds. It sits nicely as part of a wider Dartmoor walking holiday, and Oakmoor Touring Park, just a couple of miles away, makes a solid base for getting out onto the moor repeatedly. You could easily spend a week in the area without running out of decent walks.