Tucker's Pool

You'll find Tucker's Pool tucked into the moorland above Okehampton, a modest stretch of water that feels properly remote once you've climbed up to it. It's the sort of place where you notice the silence first - just the wind across the water and the odd call from the tors that ring it about. The pool itself is small and dark, fed by moorland streams, and it's popular with walkers tackling the longer routes across Dartmoor rather than a destination in its own right.

This isn't a place for a day out with the kids and a paddling session. It's for people who like their landscapes slightly bleak, who don't mind a proper walk to reach water, and who find something compelling about a body of water that's more about the setting than the swimming. The approach is straightforward enough from the Okehampton side, though the moorland paths can be boggy and navigation matters - bring a decent map.

If you're staying at Lydford Caravan & Camping Park, barely half a mile away, Tucker's Pool makes a reasonable morning hike as part of a bigger moorland loop. It works better as part of a walking day rather than a standalone visit. The water itself is cold and peat-stained - not inviting unless you're genuinely mad for a swim. Head here when the weather's settled and the paths are dryish, and expect to spend an hour getting there and back rather than time spent at the pool itself. It's one of those places that justifies the effort more for the walk than the arrival.