Shipley Tor

The walk up Shipley Tor is steep enough to make your legs complain but short enough that you won't regret it. South Brent sits at the base, and from the summit you're looking out across Dartmoor with proper views - the kind that make you understand why people move to Devon and never leave.

It's a granite outcrop rather than a proper mountain, so don't expect alpine meadows or dramatic ridgelines. What you get instead is a bracing twenty-minute hike to around 1,400 feet, followed by the small thrill of scrambling over rocks to stand at the actual top. On a clear day the moor spreads out in all directions - moorland, distant trees, and the sort of space that feels genuinely remote despite being walkable from a town.

Walkers will find this rewarding without being punishing. Families with older kids who don't mind a bit of a scramble will manage fine. Bring decent boots because the ground can be boggy lower down, and the wind up top is no joke even on what feels like a calm day below.

There's no visitor centre, no café, nothing like that - it's pure moorland walking. Free, obviously. Allow an hour return trip if you're dawdling, forty minutes if you're fit and keen.

If you're staying at Ashbourne Woods nearby, this makes an excellent half-day outing to break up a holiday. It's the sort of place that justifies the drive to Devon in the first place.