Dartmoor Perambulation: Four Days on the Ancient Forest Boundary

4 days

Dartmoor Perambulation: Four Days on the Ancient Forest Boundary

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

Your Guide

Keith – Qualified Mountain Leader

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

Things to keep in mind