Rackenford Moor Nature Reserve (Northern entrance)

The northern entrance to Rackenford Moor throws you straight into proper open moorland - no visitor centre, no gift shop, just you and a vast expanse of heather and gorse that stretches out like it's been here forever. It has, more or less. This is the kind of place you come to clear your head rather than tick off a checklist.

What you're looking at is classic Devon upland habitat: low scrub, boggy patches you'll want to avoid, and enough sky to make you feel genuinely small. In late summer the heather turns purple and it's genuinely worth timing your visit around that. The moor supports everything from adders to curlews, though you won't necessarily see either on a flying visit. Mostly you'll notice the silence and the wind.

Walkers get the most from Rackenford. It's not a manicured trail system - you navigate yourself across open ground, which means you need decent boots and a basic sense of direction. Allow two to three hours if you want to properly explore rather than just poke about the entrance for twenty minutes. There's no admission charge, which is how it should be.

If you're based at Nirvana Glamping nearby, this is your no-faffing-about option for a morning stretch of legs before heading into Tiverton for lunch. It won't suit people wanting interpretation boards or clear paths, but if you came to Devon for actual moorland rather than a polished experience, this is exactly what you need.