South Hessary Tor

The walk up to South Hessary Tor takes about forty minutes from the car park near Tavistock, and the reward is a proper 360-degree view across Dartmoor that justifies every step. The tor itself is a granite outcrop roughly 450 metres high, crowned with a small cairn that marks the summit. On a clear day you can pick out Bodmin Moor to the west and the moorland stretching endlessly in every direction - it's the kind of view that makes you understand why people come back to Dartmoor year after year.

Walkers will get the most from this one. The path is well-trodden but unrelenting, and it's genuinely exposed on the approach, so pick a calm day if you're not keen on wind in your face. Families with older kids (ten plus) will manage fine, but younger children might find the slog dull and there's nothing at the top except the view - no facilities, no cafe, no shelter. Allow two hours there and back if you're taking it steady.

It's free to walk, naturally, and works brilliantly as a half-day excursion if you're based at either Langstone Manor Holiday Park or Dartmoor National Park itself. If the weather's questionable, the views vanish entirely, so check the forecast first. The walk beats the more crowded High Willhays route nearby, though it's less dramatic. Worth doing if you've got the legs for it.