Bellever Forest

Walking into Bellever Forest feels like stepping into the back of an Ordnance Survey map. It's a proper working woodland on the eastern edge of Dartmoor, all dense conifers and rhododendrons, split by the East Dart River and cross-crossed by forestry tracks that locals have been using for decades. The main draw is straightforward - a network of walks through mixed plantation that range from gentle riverside strolls to more demanding moorland hikes up to the open fells beyond.

You get decent views of the granite landscape once you climb higher, and the river itself is worth following for the sound alone. It's not dramatic stuff like some of Dartmoor's rockier spots, but that's rather the point. Families with younger kids will manage the easier loops without complaint, though most people spend two to three hours here rather than a full day.

There's no visitor centre or facilities to speak of, which is fine - it keeps the place quiet. Free to walk, obviously. The nearest proper town is Exeter, but you're really here as part of a Dartmoor National Park circuit. The forest works well as a gentler warm-up if you're planning something steeper elsewhere on the moor, or as a fallback if the weather's being temperamental. Autumn and spring are cracking times - mud after heavy rain is genuinely horrid, so check conditions first.