iKnow Devon
Dartmoor Accommodation
Museum of Dartmoor Life at Okehampton, a Dartmoor social history journey
The remains of Okehampton Castle, Okehampton, DartmoorDartmoor Castles Including Castle Drogo, Okehampton Castle
On the outskirts of Dartmoor National Park particularly are some superb Devon Castles, Devon historic homes and Abbeys and Monasteries to visit. For a surreal contemporary Devon Castle head for Castle Drogo, visit the historic home of Sir Francis Drake - Buckland Abbey near Yelverton, check out the superb remains of Okehampton Castle or visit Lydford Castle on the Western edge of Dartmoor that wasn't really a castle at all!
Monks settled around Dartmoor in abundance, building up power strongholds off the back of sheep farming and other industries. Henry VIII's dissolution of the monastries put an end to their monopoly, but the remains of abbeys and monastries such as Buckfast Abbey in Buckfastleigh still remain, as do the many way markings the monks placed across Dartmoor to help them find there way during frequent bad weather.
Dartmoor Castles, Historic Homes and Monasteries
The pick of Devon Castles are not just on the Devon Coastline, they're in Dartmoor as well. Castle Drogo is perhaps the most striking, although Okehampton has some extensive and impressive ruins. Historic houses are on the menu here in Dartmoor as well, most notably the home of Sir Francis Drake in Yelverton - Buckland Abbey. Buckfast Abbey in Buckfastleigh is a truly striking medieval monastery, and indeed is still a working monastery open to the public.
Buckfast Abbey, Buckfastleigh, South East Dartmoor Tel: 01364 645500. Buckland Abbey, Yelverton, Tel: 01822 853607. Visit the home of Sir Francis Drake, open April - October every day, except Thursdays. In the Winter months of November, December and in March Buckland Abbey is only open at weekends. Various exhibitions are on show, there's a selection of monastic buildings, a tythe barn and gardens.
Buckland Abbey, Yelverton, Tel: 01822 853607. Visit the home of Sir Francis Drake, open April - October every day, except Thursdays. In the Winter months of November, December and in March Buckland Abbey is only open at weekends. Various exhibitions are on show, there's a selection of monastic buildings, a tythe barn and gardens.
Three striking Dartmoor Castles are open to the public. Castle Drogo, Drewsteignton, north of Moretonhampstead in North East Devon, is impressive! Tel: 01647 433306. Castle Drogo is open from April to November every day, except Tuesdays. The large terraced gardens are open all year round. Doors open 1030am and close at 5pm. This Dartmoor Castle is modern, built in the 20th century and affords spectacular views across the North Dartmoor National Park. Okehampton Castle, Castle Lodge, Okehampton, Tel: 01837 52844 is open from April to October every day. This castle has the most extensive ruins of any castle in Devon, and is surrounded by spectacular woodland walks. The Dartmoor Railway also runs right by it!
Dartmoor Museums and Heritage Centres
Dartmoor doesn't disappoint on the museum front. One of the best is in Okehampton, focusing on the lives of Dartmoor people past and present. The Museum of Dartmoor Life, 3 West Street, Okehampton, Tel: 01837 52295 is a good placed to start, open all your and recently refurbished with lots of oral and visual history, and tearooms adjacent. Check out also Ashburton Museum for local history plus a native North American slant for some reason? Ashburton Museum is open May-Sept from 2.30-5, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
The Dartmoor National Park Authority Centre, High Moorland Visitor Centre in Princetown, Tel: 01822 980414, is both a tourist information centre and a Dartmoor exhibition centre, with a focus on natural history and the geology and rock formations of Dartmoor, with nods to mining and so forth. All the information, tourism and visit wise, on Dartmoor that you could possibly want is here including loads of maps and leaflets. Princetown is also a central Dartmoor hotspot past by the Dartmoor Way, and close to several Tors and stone circles. Whilst you're there you might also want to pop into the fascinating Dartmoor Prison Museum in Princetown. Looks suitably grim on the outside, but inside you'll discover a wealth of information on the history of both prison life and farming in the area. Tel: 01822 892130, open all year but do phone and check opening times before your visit. There are various crafts on display here as well!
Castle Drogo, Drewsteignton, Dartmoor
Castle Drogo is rather dramatically different as your average castle goes. For one thing, it's the last castle built in Britain, and was errected between 1910 to 1930, and built by famous architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. It was commissioned by self-made millionaire Julius Drewe and is a delightful eccentric mish mash of medieval style come in ya face granite, mammoth fireplaces and elaborate tapestries. It's Edwardian decadence really, and it's for the visitor to form an opinion on the overall effect whilst noting the many servants bells and Edwardian opulence. The darker side of kitsch comes to mind.
Why not hob nob like a rich Edwardian and play croquet on the massive croquet lawn which is open to visitors. Castle Drogo sits right on the edge of a bluff overlooking a gorge of the River Teign and offers truly dramatic views over Dartmoor National Park. It also lays claim to having the highest National Trust garden at 900 feet. The gardens are extensive and very well kept! It's eccentricity seems to fit it's commissioner Sir Julius Drew who was extremely rich off the back of founding the Home and Colonial Stores chain. He actually thought his medieval ancestors were the Drus or Drogos, and the style of this castle is perhaps intended to capture this - eek. Interesting! Well worth a look. Drew obviously had a penchant for the austere! Note the many rhododendrons and magnolias in the gardens.
There are some superb walks to be had around Castle Drogo and the River Teign gorge, and there's lots of good picnic areas, a shop on-site, plus the area is open for dog walking. Parking is available with designated disabled parking, and disabled access is good overall with a ramped entrance and two wheelchairs available. The grounds are partially accessible. Refreshments are also available in the Castle Drogo tea rooms.
The Castle is open from the 18 Mar-30 Oct, from 11am - 5pm and 31 Oct-6 Nov from 11am - 4pm. The Gardens are open all year round from 10:30am - 5:30pm. Tel: 01647 433306
Click Search
