Family Fun at Dartmeet on Dartmoor

My idea of the perfect Sunday is some kind of family adventure followed by some great food. So today, we headed off to Dartmoor to do just that!

One of our favourite places to explore on Dartmoor as a family is Dartmeet, also known as Badgers Holt. A few reasons this place tops the list for us are:

•  It’s set on the river and full of rocks to climb – which my children (and my husband!) absolutely love.
• The setting is just stunning.
•  The parking is great – which isn’t always the case on Dartmoor.
• It’s really close to our favourite hotel/pub, so we can go for a lovely lunch too!

Let me tell you a bit more about the place so you can add it to your list of great family days out to try.

Getting There and Parking

From Exeter, Dartmeet takes around 50 minutes by car. Most of the journey is on main roads, with the last 20 minutes or so winding through Dartmoor lanes – and at this time of year, they were full of Dartmoor ponies and sheep!

There’s a big pay and display car park there, and you can pay by card, which makes life much easier.

Facilities

In the car park, there’s a small café that sells the basics – ice creams, drinks, and light snacks. There are also public loos, which are a real bonus and a fairly rare find in the middle of Dartmoor.

What’s There

The river runs right next to the car park, and this area is brilliant for rock climbing, paddling, and picnics. My children loved seeing this first stretch of rocks – there are so many to climb, plus a few fun little bridges.

There are also some great trees to climb, little islands children can explore, and overgrown tree areas that are perfect for adventures.At the far end of the car park (near the entrance to Badgers Holt), there’s a signposted footpath. If you follow that for around 15 minutes, you come to a much bigger open space that’s ideal for picnics, more climbing, and paddling!

The path is quite rocky and not suitable for pushchairs, wheelchairs or picnic wagons, but it’s a fun area to explore. As you pass behind the Badgers Holt venue, you can even spot their goats, peacocks, and other animals. On our trip today, we met a very friendly peacock who showed off its full beauty!

This open area is my favourite spot to come and sit. We often bring a blanket and a picnic – it’s the perfect place for the children to play and explore while we take in the lovely scenery.

The river here still has some rocks to climb, plus lots of grassy little islands that are accessible by rock-hopping or wading through shallow water. There are often Dartmoor ponies in this area too – which we found today, to my daughter’s absolute delight!

For summer days, this is definitely the perfect picnic and paddling spot, so you don’t need to go far from the car.

In colder weather, it’s still a great spot for an adventure. You can walk pretty far along the river or even head up the hill opposite the river for a change of scenery. It’s certainly a place you can visit all year round.

There are also a few sandy inlets, which are ideal for younger children – they can play in the sand and the water is usually very shallow.

There are a couple of deeper sections where older children could go for a swim. Of course, you should always watch your children near water, but the river here runs at a good pace and there are lots of still, shallow spots around the twists and bends of the riverbank.

My Top Tips for Visiting Dartmeet

            •           Whatever the weather, Dartmoor can get chilly, so take a spare set of clothes and some warm outer layers. With all the rock climbing, someone always ends up wet – whether they meant to or not!

            •           If your little ones are going in the water, wellies are great for colder months, and in summer I’d definitely recommend water shoes like wetsuit shoes. There are loads of rocks and sticks that can easily lead to cuts otherwise.

Places to Eat Nearby

While Dartmeet is brilliant for picnics and has the small café kiosk, I can’t write about it without mentioning the Two Bridges Hotel, which is just 10 minutes down the road towards Princetown.

This beautiful old hotel is cosy, quirky and serves the most amazing food! From cream teas to Sunday lunches, their menu has something for everyone. We went for a Sunday roast today, and I’ve honestly never had beef that melted in my mouth like that! The staff are absolutely fantastic too – always going above and beyond to make sure you have a great time.

The hotel is dog-friendly, with a lovely outdoor area and plenty of indoor seating. Just a heads-up: they’re sometimes closed for weddings, so it’s worth checking ahead to make sure they’re open to non-residents.

So there you have it – another great family day out in Devon recommended by us. We’d love to explore more family-friendly spots in Dartmoor, so if you know of any hidden gems, please do let us know!