A Dartmoor holiday is a walking and pub holiday, not a beach one. Most stays sit on the edges of the national park, in market towns, villages and farm conversions, and the side of the moor you choose decides your drive to the tors. Start with the walks or days out you want, then check steps, parking and the dog rules before you compare dates.
Okehampton: the northern edge, with a train
Okehampton has the most choice on this side of the moor, 37 stays from places for two to a farmhouse for 13. Dogs are welcome at 33 of them, and about half have a hot tub. It also has a direct train to Exeter on the Dartmoor Line, so you can arrive without a car.
Lodges make up a third of the list. Tor Lodge is a two-bedroom lodge 2 miles from town with a hot tub on an enclosed deck and a pub on the site, though a short flight of external steps leads to the door. For a group, Estrayer Park Farmhouse sleeps 13 across six bedrooms. The Bearslake Inn, a thatched inn on the moor’s edge, is the choice if you would rather not cook.
Tavistock and Lydford: the western edge
Tavistock is a market town on the western fringe with 36 stays, including seven glamping pods and huts. Read the pod details closely: Kes Tor at Langstone Manor Holiday Park has its own WC and basin but no shower, and guests use a communal shower block. The park has a restaurant, bar and shop on site.
North of Tavistock, Lydford suits walkers who want a village pub within reach. The National Trust’s Lydford Gorge has walks to the White Lady Waterfall and the Devil’s Cauldron. Townend Barn is a single-level barn for two in the village centre, with a grand piano and room for two dogs. The Coach House sleeps 11 on a 250-acre working farm and has its own indoor pool and sauna.
Chagford and the eastern moor
Chagford is a small town above the Teign valley with 14 stays, mostly cottages. Its square has shops, pubs and cafes, and Castle Drogo, the granite castle Lutyens designed at Drewsteignton, is a short drive away. Old town cottages bring old staircases: The Cottage on The Square has a steep traditional stair and no parking of its own, with the town car park about five minutes’ walk away.
Near North Bovey, five lodges for six sit on an estate inside the national park; some are reached by external stairs. Kitty Jay has an en suite for each of its three bedrooms and takes up to three dogs aged six months or more.
Haytor and Bovey Tracey: tors and waterfalls
Haytor puts you at the foot of the moor’s most visited tor, and the Haytor rocks have car parks and some accessible paths. We list only eight stays under Haytor, so book early. Haytor Vale Lodge is single-storey, sleeps four and has an enclosed garden with an outdoor sink for muddy boots and paws.
Bovey Tracey adds 11 more stays on the eastern edge, and Becky Falls, a waterfall with woodland trails, is nearby.
Roadford Lake: lodges with hot tubs
Broadwoodwidger is the place for a lodge break by water, west of the moor near the Cornish border. Its 14 stays are mostly lodges and cottages, several of them a short walk from Roadford Lake, and 12 accept dogs. Heron Lodge sleeps six with a private hot tub, parking for two cars and EV charging, and the site has a dog-wash station by the lakeside cafe. Dogs stay on a lead across the wider site.
Final checks before you book
Use each property page to narrow the choice, then confirm dates, price, access and any critical facility on the booking site it links to, which handles the booking and payment. Our links may earn a commission when you book.
On Dartmoor, the last mile matters. Ask whether the lane is single-track, how far the car is from the door, and whether a hot tub is private or shared. For a dog holiday, check the property’s dog limit and fee, and remember that sheep, cattle and ponies graze the open moor, so plan on a lead for most walks.
