Underrated Hidden Gems in Devon
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The underrated hidden gems in Devon are Wistman’s Wood, Grey Wethers, Fingle Bridge, Combestone Tor, Wheal Jewell Reservoir, Snapes Point Walk, Bowerman's Nose and Valley of Rocks.
Devon is more than its well-known coast and moorland honeypots. Away from the crowds lie quieter places that reward the walker who seeks them out, tucked into wooded gorges, spread across open moor, or hidden along the estuary shore.
On Dartmoor, the stunted oaks of Wistman's Wood grow among moss-covered boulders, the double stone circles of Grey Wethers sit side by side in a shallow valley, and the granite stacks of Combestone Tor and Bowerman's Nose rise straight from the heather. There is the old packhorse arch of Fingle Bridge in the Teign Gorge, the working moorland reservoir at Wheal Jewell, and the easy estuary track out to Snapes Point near Salcombe.
On the north coast, the Valley of Rocks runs dry beside the sea with its herd of feral goats. Each of these is quietly rewarding and deserves more attention.
Here are eight underrated hidden gems to seek out in Devon.
Wistman’s Wood
Photo: Martin Bodman via Geograph.org.uk
Wistman’s Wood Stunted, twisted oaks rise from a jumble of granite boulders here, every surface thick with moss, fern and lichen, the kind of scene people have in mind when they talk of temperate rainforest. It is a small patch of ancient, high-altitude oakwood in the West Dart valley on Dartmoor, near Two Bridges.
Reaching it means a walk of about a mile and a half each way from the car park by the Two Bridges Hotel, along a track that turns rough and wet underfoot. As a national nature reserve with fragile plants to protect, the wood asks that you keep out of it, so take it in from the edge.
Grey Wethers
Photo: Pete Cruse via Geograph.org.uk
Grey Wethers is a pair of Bronze Age stone circles set side by side in a shallow valley on Dartmoor, below Sittaford Tor north of Postbridge. It is the only double circle on the moor, its two rings of granite stones standing a few metres apart, which makes it a quietly special find for those who walk out to it.
Many of the stones had fallen and were re-erected in the early 1900s, so the circles seen today are partly a restoration. They sit in open moorland reached on foot past Fernworthy Forest.
Come with a map and good boots and take the walk out across the moor.
Fingle Bridge
Photo: David Gearing via Geograph.org.uk
Fingle Bridge is a narrow granite arch bridge over the River Teign at the foot of the Teign Gorge, near Drewsteignton on the edge of Dartmoor. Dating from the 17th century and long used by packhorses, it sits in a wooded gorge with the Fingle Bridge Inn beside it on the riverbank.
It is a lovely, quietly rewarding spot that many people pass without knowing. It is a popular starting point for riverside and gorge walks, including the paths up to the hillforts above and the circuits toward Castle Drogo.
Park up and follow the river into the gorge to see it at its best.
Combestone Tor
Photo: jeff collins via Geograph.org.uk
Combestone Tor is a granite tor on Dartmoor, standing on high ground near Hexworthy in Devon. Weathered stacks of granite pile up at the summit, and a car park sits only a short step away, so the rocks are reached in a minute or two.
From the top the view opens wide over the moor and down into the valley of the Dart. It is one of the easiest tors on Dartmoor to reach, which makes it an underrated choice for anyone short on time or new to the moor.
Pull in at the car park and stroll up for the view.
Wheal Jewell Reservoir
Photo: Graham Horn via Geograph.org.uk
Wheal Jewell Reservoir is a man-made storage reservoir on open Dartmoor moorland near Mary Tavy in Devon. Built in the 1930s, it feeds the Mary Tavy hydro-electric power station down in the valley, taking its own water from the upper River Tavy at Tavy Cleave along a contour leat several miles long.
It took the name of an old tin and arsenic mine that once worked nearby. This is working infrastructure rather than a set-up attraction, with no facilities, reached across open-access moor, which is part of its quiet appeal.
South West Water runs it. Come for a peaceful moorland walk well off the usual trail.
Snapes Point Walk
Photo: Shaun Ferguson via Geograph.org.uk
Snapes Point Walk follows a National Trust headland just north of Salcombe in south Devon, looking out over the Kingsbridge and Salcombe estuary. A wide, easy track, an old carriageway, leads out along the peninsula from the car park, with a final flight of steps up to a knoll giving a wide view from Kingsbridge at the head of the estuary round to the sea.
The surrounding farmland is managed for wildlife, with cirl buntings among the birds, so it is a rewarding spot for a quiet wander. The short loop is about a mile.
Set off from the car park and take the easy track out to the knoll.
Bowerman's Nose
Photo: Alex McGregor via Geograph.org.uk
Bowerman's Nose is a strange, teetering column of granite standing on the open slopes of Hayne Down, on the edge of Dartmoor near Manaton. Around six and a half metres tall, it is a stack of weathered granite blocks piled one on another, the hard core of a tor left standing after the softer rock wore away, with a shape that from below looks oddly like a great stone head and face.
It rises straight out of the heather and bracken, reached by a walk up the open hillside, with wide views over the Dartmoor country. This fine, odd landmark makes a good short walk out onto the moor, so lace up and go and find it.
Valley of Rocks
Photo: Ian Capper via Geograph.org.uk
Valley of Rocks is a dry valley that runs parallel to the sea just west of Lynton on the north Devon coast, inside Exmoor National Park. Weathered crags stand along its sides, and a herd of feral goats lives on the rocks, an unusual sight that adds to its quiet charm.
A level path, part of the South West Coast Path, runs through it, with a car park, toilets and a cafe at the Lynton end. The cliff railway down to Lynmouth is close by.
Walk through on the coast path and keep an eye out for the goats among the crags.
FAQs
What can you see at Wistman's Wood?
Wistman's Wood is a patch of ancient oak woodland where stunted, twisted trees grow among moss-covered granite boulders, one of the images people picture as temperate rainforest. As a national nature reserve, visitors are asked to stay out of the wood itself to protect the fragile plants, so it is best admired from the edge.
Are these Devon gems easy to reach?
It varies. Combestone Tor sits just a short step from its car park, while Wistman's Wood, Grey Wethers and Bowerman's Nose need a walk across rough or open moor, so a map and good boots help.
Where can you see wild goats in Devon?
A herd of feral goats lives on the crags in the Valley of Rocks, just west of Lynton on the north Devon coast. A level path runs through the valley, so you can watch for them as you walk.
Conclusion
Devon keeps plenty in reserve for those willing to wander a little further. On Dartmoor, Wistman's Wood and its mossy oaks, the twin circles of Grey Wethers, and the granite of Combestone Tor and Bowerman's Nose all reward the walk out to them.
Fingle Bridge sits quietly in its wooded gorge, Wheal Jewell Reservoir spreads across the open moor, and the easy track to Snapes Point opens up the estuary near Salcombe. Over on the north coast, the Valley of Rocks runs dry beside the sea with its wild goats.
Some ask you to stay out of the wood itself or to carry a map and boots, so plan each one. Quietly rewarding and often overlooked, these are the underrated hidden gems to seek out in Devon.
