Parks, lakes and nature reserves

Devon and Cornwall offer a stunning variety of countryside to enjoy on your holiday. From rugged cliffs and sandy beaches along the coast, to a rich countryside inland, that is home to some of the most beautiful and untamed landscapes in England.

Dartmoor National Park

Tel 01822 890414
http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/index.htm
Dartmoor National Park covers an area of 368 square miles - the largest and wildest area of open country in southern England. Throughout the year Dartmoor is an exceptionally beautiful place to visit, with deep wooded gorges, beautiful lake-like reservoirs and tumbling rocky rivers. All of the land in Dartmoor is owned by someone, but there is public access to over 47,000 hectares of open country, and 450 miles (730km) of public rights of way. These provide large areas of unspoilt, spectacular scenery to enjoy with nearly half of this being open moorland and a further 11% covered by forests and woodland. You can call in at the Dartmoor National Park Authority’s High Moorland Visitor Centre in Princetown, which is open all year. Staff will help you with your enquiries including where to go, what you can do and information on guided walks.

Roadford Lake Country Park, situated between Okehampton and Launceston

Set on the edge of Dartmoor and with over 730 acres of water, Roadford Lake is spectacular. It is between Okehampton and Launceston, very easily accessed from Stowford Cross on the A30, and has ample parking. On the southern bank you will find the Lakeside Cafe and visitor centre, giving information on the history of the valley, with interactive exhibits. Visitors to this side of the lake can enjoy miles of footpaths and a cycleway that winds its way through a maturing planted forest overlooking the lake. Alternatively, you can take a rowing boat to explore the scenery from the water.

Bodmin Moor

http://www.bestofbodminmoor.co.uk/
The beguiling beauty of Bodmin Moor is a wild, windswept and awe inspiring landscape, overlooked by the summits of Brown Willy and Roughtor and dotted with an abundance of Neolithic and Bronze Age remains including stone circles and menhirs. The moor is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and is the largest area of semi-natural habitat remaining in Cornwall. The moor consists of 80 square miles (207sq km) of granite uplands, averaging at 800 feet (250 m) above sea level and stretches between Bodmin and Launceston and north beyond Camelford almost to Tintagel and the coast. Rough Tor at 1,311 feet makes an excellent viewpoint over the surrounding area. Pronounced as 'Router', it is one of the moor's most famous landmarks. At the summit stands a monument to the soldiers who died in World War II. Brown Willy standing at 1,375 feet, is the highest point on the moor and offers superb views in clear weather stretching from the coasts. The moor provides a hunting ground for birds of prey such as the buzzard. There are many points of interest on Bodmin Moor, from its flora and fauna, wonderful landscapes, distant heritage and many unsolved myths and legends.

Priddacombe Downs Nature Reserve, Bodmin Moor

This reserve is a large area of open moorland lying at the northern end of Bodmin Moor, the only upland massif in Cornwall. Priddacombe is very wet in places and includes tributaries of the De Lank River. A Bronze Age cairn sits at the reserve’s highest point and standing stones form part of the area’s prehistoric landscape. The reserve is situated north of the A30 near to Jamaica Inn. There is no vehicular access. Visitors must walk approximately 1 mile (1.5 km) along a rough track from the A30. Roadside parking at Bolventor Church; it is possible to avoid walking alongside the A30 by gaining access across Common Land. On the reserve there are no footpaths and the ground is uneven and can be very wet.

Bude Marshes Nature Reserve

Bude Marshes was declared a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) in 1983, the first in Cornwall. The reserve covers an area of 6ha (14.5ac) of mainly reed bed, wet grassland and willow carr. Not only is the Bude Marsh a thriving nature reserve, it also acts as one of Bude's natural flood defences. In flood situations it helps take surplus water from the River Neet. The reserve has a variety of habitats, supporting many diverse plants and animals. The main habitat is the reed bed however there is also a fringe of wet woodland with alder and willow trees and flag iris in early summer. There are areas of open water that support colonies of various dragonflies and damselflies and damp and dry neutral grassland behind the Tourist Information Centre, both of which support good populations of Bee orchids. You may be lucky enough to see an otter.

Crowdy Reservoir, near Camelford

Situated within the Bodmin Moor Site of Special Scientific Interest, birdwatchers will not be disappointed at this moorland lake. The banks, except around the Nature Reserve, are open for walking and picnicking and a bird hide, open to all visitors, is a pleasant 20 minute walk, from the car park along the north bank.

01840 230 360 or enquire online