Widecombe-in-the-Moor

Widecombe-in-the-Moor sits inside Dartmoor National Park, in a valley on the eastern side of the moor north of Ashburton. The name is thought to come from “Withy-combe”, meaning willow valley, and the parish stretches well beyond the village centre across open moorland and isolated farms.

At the heart of the village stands St Pancras Church, built in granite in the 14th century and enlarged over the following two centuries, partly on the proceeds of the local tin trade. Its tall tower, out of scale with such a small community, earned the building the nickname the Cathedral of the Moor. The church was struck by ball lightning during a violent storm on 21 October 1638, an event still remembered as the Great Thunderstorm of Widecombe. The village also gives its name to Widecombe Fair, the Dartmoor agricultural show held on the second Tuesday of September and known across the country through the folk song of the same name.

For a self-catering base nearby, Splash Cottage at Ponsworthy, a listed granite cottage sleeping four, is around 2.5 miles away. Haytor is also within reach across the moor.