We are in Devon, so let’s drop off the moor and head to the west side of it. This opens up another whole new area to the camper, walker and mountain biker and those dramatic granite tors are more visible from below in this area than they are on the east side.

The A386 is a good road and links Okehampton to Plymouth and runs down this side of Dartmoor giving access to the attractions and to the lovely town of Tavistock where you will find shops, cafes and pubs.

And to camp in this area you could do far worse than pitch your tent in the vicinity of Mary Tavy which is about half way down this side of the moor making it a very useful location to explore things from.

And if you do come here be sure to stay at Harford Bridge Holiday Park which is a very large and spacious site that has 120 pitches and plenty of space for visitors to spread out. The site has a four star rating and has been awarded a David Bellamy Gold Conservation Award. It is bordered by the River Tavy, where is fishing is available if you arrange it with reception. There are lots of ducks on the site and they often visit the tents. The site is open all year and most of the pitches are grass with the electric hook-ups being around the edge of the very large camping field area.

Harford Bridge is very naturalised with lots of trees but plenty of open space too. The main field is lovely and flat and there are lots of nice views. The site also has static vans, lodges, a cottage and even a shepherds hut for hire. There are lots of facilities including a children’s play area, a tennis court and indoor table tennis. There is a good tourist information room with a TV.

The toilets are located near the static vans and they are clean and tidy with free showers. There are disabled facilities and a launderette plus baby changing facilities. The site classes itself as walker friendly, cyclist friendly and dog friendly and is well located for Dartmoor itself and exploring the local area. I think you could easily add family friendly to this list as kids will love it here with the acres of space it gives them for running around and playing games. The site provides a very safe environment for you to let them run free in but do watch very young children near the river as it can run fast in places.

Reception is set in a log cabin type building near a lovely flat grass green. You can buy basics here and it is here you check in on arrival.

From here a drive brings you to the spacious camping field and the biggest choice you will have is where to pitch as there is a lot of space to choose from. Remember that the toilets are off the main field so the further away from them you camp, the longer the walk to get to them!

Peace and quiet are the order of the day with lots of mature trees giving screening and cover from the sun (when it comes out!).

Bring your walking gear as you are ideally positioned for sorties onto Dartmoor whilst also being well located to tour around the area as whole.

This is a lovely landscaped site and is well run and organised. Despite the large number of pitches it can get very busy at peak holiday periods so it would be as well to book in advance before just turning up at the likes of Bank Holidays.

A stay here will be a relaxing experience and combined with some good long walks on the moor, you should return home both mentally and physically refreshed and ready to get into the work groove again!

Good to know...

• The large amount of space for camping on means you can get yourself into a really remote pitch here.
• The toilets can be a bit of a trek if you camp near the far ends of the camping field.

HARFORD BRIDGE HOLIDAY PARK
Peter Tavy, Tavistock, Devon PL19 9LS
01822 810349
www.harfordbridge.co.uk