Experiences

When you visit us here at Mill End, you may decide to do precisely nothing.  Enjoy our hotel, our gardens, our hospitality, and perhaps take a gentle stroll.  But if you’d like to experience a little more of Dartmoor (our back garden!) and the surrounding area, we’ve put together a short list of hand-picked experiences to enhance your stay with us here at Mill End.

Do remember that opening times and facilities vary according to the time of year.   We can check details for you.

Experience a Mill End traditional packed lunch

Let us know the evening before, and we can prepare a hearty packed lunch for you to enjoy on your day out from Mill End.  Proper home-made sandwiches (let us know if you’d prefer a vegetarian selection), a slice of our home-made cake, a refreshing local soft drink, and some fresh fruit to enjoy along the way.

Experience Cycling on Dartmoor

Devon Cycle Hire, Sourton – 14 miles from Mill End (Postcode for your SatNav: EX20 4HR). Perhaps you plan on bringing your own bike when you visit us at Mill End, in which case you’ll find plenty of opportunities to experience Dartmoor by bike.  But whether or not you’ve brought your bike, we’d suggest you try the Granite Trail, a mainly traffic-free cycle path largely along a disused railway line with breathtaking views of Dartmoor along the way.  Bikes are available to hire for the day from Devon Cycle Hire at Sourton, near Okehampton.  We’ll have all the details available for you here at Mill End.

Experience a Dartmoor Reservoir Walk

Fernworthy Reservoir is just a short drive from Mill End, just outside Chagford and clearly signposted.  Easy parking near the reservoir edge, and a very easy and extremely pleasant 3.5 mile walk around the perimeter of the reservoir, taking in quiet, leafy forests, tranquil picnic spots and an abundance of wildlife if you keep your eyes peeled.

Experience Falconry on Dartmoor

One of Britain’s few private falconry centres, Dartmoor Hawking School of Falconry sits at the heart of Dartmoor National Park. With 35 acres of its own land, the school has plenty of space to allow guest to see these magnificent birds flying at their best. This falconry school isn’t routinely open to the public, but a variety of falconry experiences are available to book.  We can make a call to arrange this for you.

Experience fishing on Dartmoor

Whether you are looking for river, reservoir, fly or coarse fishing there will be somewhere on Dartmoor to cater for your needs. Dartmoor is renowned for its sparkling clean rivers, noted for their fishing of wild brown trout, sea trout and salmon. Much of the river fishing on Dartmoor is privately owned but stretches of the East and West Dart Rivers may be fished on the purchase of a Duchy of Cornwall permit (call 01822 890205).

Experience a round of golf on Dartmoor

You’ll find a good handful of very satisfying golf courses within easy reach of Mill End.  Bovey Castle offers Dartmoor’s premier golfing experience, but there are plenty of other courses nearby to suit all levels.  We’ve prepared a fact sheet for golfers, available from our Reception team here at Mill End.

Experience Heritage Railways

Okehampton Station – 12 miles from Mill End (Postcode for your SatNav:  EX20 1EJ)

South Devon Railway at Buckfastleigh – 21 miles from Mill End (Postcode for your SatNav: TQ11 0DZ)

If heritage railways are your thing, you’ll find Dartmoor Railway, based at Okehampton Station, very satisfying.  The station alone is worth a visit – faithfully restored, including a welcoming station cafe and model shop. Heritage diesel trains run along the short lengths of track from Okehampton to Meldon Quarry and Sampford Courtney.

For a more immersive experience, the South Devon Railway offers a 30 minute steam train ride along the beautiful Dart Valley from Buckfastleigh to Totnes.  At Buckfasteigh Station there is plenty to satisfy the railway enthusiast, including sidings, engine sheds, a model railway, a specialist shop and charming “ride-on” miniature steam railway.

Experience Tavistock, Dartmoor’s award-winning market town

27 miles from Mill End (Postcode for your SatNav:  PL17 8BB)

Dartmoor has no shortage of delightful towns and villages you might like to visit.  But we think that Tavistock deserves a special mention.  The perfect Devon market town, with a proper bustling community, an award-winning Farmers’ Market, a tranquil park, plenty of independent shops, and good places for bite to eat.

Experience the Eden Project, Cornwall’s world-famous garden attraction

63 miles from Mill End (Postcode for your SatNav: PL24 2SG)

The Eden Project is Cornwall’s number one tourist attraction, and whilst it’s a fair drive away from Mill End, it is definitely worth including in your itinerary. In essence, it’s a huge hole in the ground left over from the china clay mining industry, now occupied by two giant greenhouses known as “biomes”.The Humic Tropics zone is full of jungle plants including bananas, rubber trees, cocoa, coffee and other exotic vegetation.  Even on a cold day, it’s hot inside. The Warm Temperate biome is a bit cooler, and filled with slightly more familiar plants. Here you can enjoy the sights and scents of the Mediterranean, South Africa and California where plants thrive on drought and poor thin soils. You can discover how water and fertilizers have created the kitchen gardens of the world for your vegetables and wines, fruit and flowers.