Overview
Dartmoor's Perambulation is one of Britain's oldest walking routes, first trodden by medieval knights tasked with marking the boundary of the Royal Forest. That history sits lightly underfoot as you walk it today, but it's there in the granite tors, the wide boggy valleys, and the feeling that this landscape has been little changed by the centuries. This four-day journey follows that ancient circuit from Okehampton, looping through the high moor and back, with nights spent wild camping on open ground.
The aim here is not to cover ground quickly. Each day runs between 8am and 8pm, giving you the full arc of daylight to move at a pace that suits you. There's time to swim in a moorland stream, sketch a tor, write in a journal, or simply sit and watch the weather cross the plateau. Your guide carries a stove to provide hot drinks and rehydrated your meals throughout the trip, keeping your pack as light as possible. Meal stops at moorland pubs and re-supply from village shops break the route into manageable sections without adding weight other than your tea bags and your meals.
This trip is suited to walkers with some experience of multi-day hiking and a willingness to carry an overnight pack for around three to four days. You don't need to be fast, and you don't need to be a navigation expert. You do need to be comfortable on open moorland terrain and happy to sleep under canvas. If you're looking to slow down, spend four days genuinely away from everything, and come back feeling like the moor got under your skin, this is the one.
About
Gallery
Your Guide
Keith – Qualified Mountain Leader
Keith has called Dartmoor home for nearly 35 years, and few people know its wild corners better. A qualified Mountain Leader and active member of Dartmoor Search and Rescue since 1993, he brings both deep technical expertise and an unrivalled connection to the landscape.
For the past 12 years he’s been guiding others across the moor and beyond, helping walkers discover not just the terrain, but also the stories woven into it — from ancient legends to traces of Dartmoor’s human past. With Keith, every walk is more than a route; it’s an invitation to experience the spirit of the uplands through the eyes of someone who has spent a lifetime exploring them.
Itinerary
Location
Things to keep in mind
FAQ
Is it legal to wild camp on Dartmoor?
Yes — Dartmoor is the only place in England where you can wild camp without the landowner's permission, confirmed by the Supreme Court in 2025. But not everywhere on it. The right covers specific areas of the commons, shown on the National Park's permitted camping map, and those areas change from time to time. Your guide plans all three camps against the current map, so you don't have to work it out. You'll learn to read it while you're out there.
What about the army firing ranges?
Parts of the northern moor sit inside the MOD's Okehampton, Merrivale and Willsworthy ranges, and they close when there's live firing. The programme is published in advance. Your guide checks it when planning the route and again before you set off, and works around anything active. It's one of the reasons a guided crossing of the north moor is a lot less faff than doing it yourself.
Do I need to bring a stove?
No. Your guide carries the stove, fuel and cooking kit for the group, and has hot drinks going whenever you want to stop. All you need is a bowl or food pouch and a mug. You bring your own food and the guide boils the water for your evening meals on Days 2 and 3.
How fit do I need to be?
It's 82km across four days — roughly 25, 22, 22 and 13km — on uneven moorland carrying 10 to 14kg. That's a real distance, but the days are long and unhurried rather than fast. If you can walk twenty-odd kilometres, sleep out, and get up and do it again, you'll be fine.
What if I'm slower than everyone else?
That's rather the point of how this one runs. Each day has twelve hours to cover ground most trips would rush in eight. There's no set pace and nothing to arrive in time for. With four walkers maximum, the group moves at the group's speed — nobody's stood at the top of a hill looking at their watch.
Do I need wild camping or navigation experience?
Some multi-day walking behind you helps. Beyond that, no. Your guide handles the route and picks the camps, and teaches as you go. What matters more is being comfortable on open moorland in whatever weather turns up — and Dartmoor will usually turn up several kinds in a day!
Where do you go to the toilet?
Behind a rock, a long way from water, with a trowel. You'll need to bring one, plus bags for anything that doesn't break down. Your guide runs through it on the first morning. It's less awkward than it sounds, and there's a right way to do it that leaves the moor as you found it.
How many people are on the trip?
Four, maximum. That's deliberate — it keeps the pace flexible, it means you properly get to know your guide, and finding good pitches for four is far easier than for ten. It also means these fill up.
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