West Devon, south of Okehampton.
Site Description
Dartmoor is an area where the wildness of remote moorland remains undiminished. The landscape is dotted with many dramatic granite tors and other geological features. The climate of Dartmoor is dominated by south westerly winds, which are cool and wet, with the high moorlands of the north west being more susceptible to severe climatic conditions.
There are many prime examples of archaeological features, which record the history of man's use of the moor, spanning time from Bronze Age burial mounds through medieval field systems to tin working remains and military structures. Farming remains the principal land use. Commoners grazing sheep, cattle and ponies continue to contribute to Dartmoor's outstanding landscape.
Military training has taken place on Dartmoor since the early 1800s. It was used intensively for tactical exercises with live ammunition by the allies during the Second World War. Today the MOD uses (by freehold, lease or licence) about 12,760 hectares of the National Park's 94,400 hectares. The Dartmoor Training Area is used for light forces' exercises, mostly for Royal Marines and other units based in the south west.
Access Opportunities
Dartmoor offers endless opportunities for walkers. You can wander or ride freely across expanses of unenclosed moorland often accessed by rights of way through enclosed farmland.
The Dartmoor National Park Authority organises an extensive and varied programme of guided walks throughout the year. A large proportion of the guided walk starting points are accessible by public transport and walks are free if you show your valid local public transport travel ticket to the guide.
Parts of three Training Areas are used for live firing: Okehampton, Merrivale and Willsworthy. When this land is not in use for live firing, it is used for dry training with blank ammunition and although the noise of training may be heard, no restrictions are placed on the public roaming over the open moor. Firing times need to be checked and warning signals heeded when wishing to walk within these Ranges. To assist public access, the guaranteed non live firing periods are shown on the Dartmoor Training Area website in Related links.
Further Information from...
Firing times are notified in the local press on the preceding Friday. Notices are displayed in neighbouring police stations, information centres, libraries and most public houses and camp sites. Information is also available on Freephone 0800 4584868, and on the website for the Defence Training Estate (see Related links). Updated information is broadcast daily every morning on BBC Radio Devon.
A leaflet describing military use of Dartmoor in more detail is available from the Dartmoor National Park Authority's Information Centres Tel. 01822 890414 or the Commandant Dartmoor Training Area Tel. 01837 650010. Further information on the military interest in Dartmoor is available from the Commandant Dartmoor Training Area, Okehampton Camp, Okehampton EX20 1QP Tel 01837 650010.
Information on Dartmoor is available from the Dartmoor National Park Authority’s High Moorland Visitors Centre in Princetown and Information Centres, Tel 01822 890414.
OS Map References
OS Landranger Sheet 191 (Okehampton & Dartmoor) 1:50,000
OS Outdoor Leisure Sheet 28 (Dartmoor) 1:25,000