Rattlebrook Peat Works

The industrial guts of Dartmoor lie exposed at Rattlebrook Peat Works, a sprawling site near Okehampton where Victorian engineers carved into the moorland to extract peat on an industrial scale. What you're looking at now is the skeleton of that operation - rusted machinery, collapsed wooden structures, and the deep channels that once carried peat down to the works. It's not immediately obvious what you're seeing, which is half the appeal.

Walkers and history buffs will find this genuinely absorbing. The site requires you to pay attention, to piece together how the system worked, to understand the sheer effort involved in extracting fuel from this bleak landscape. You can still see the trackways, the settling ponds, the remnants of the tramway system. Allow a good hour if you want to properly explore it, longer if you're the type to photograph every broken wheel and rusted bolt.

The access is free, which is generous - you're essentially wandering an open moorland site. Nearest proper facilities are in Okehampton, about three miles away. If you're basing yourself at Lydford Caravan & Camping Park, this sits nicely into a day of exploring the moorland heritage around the area. Go in autumn or winter when the light is low and grey - it suits the mood far better than bright summer sunshine. The walk can be boggy, so proper boots aren't optional.