Wild Dartmoor
Wild Camping weekend mini-expedition
Wild Dartmoor 2025
Dates – coming soon…
Cost – £100
Length – Two days
Accommodation – One night wild camping
Group Size – 6-8 Women
Distance – 8 miles each day (maximum)
Location – South Devon
Wild, open moorlands and deep river valleys, with a rich history and rare wildlife – Dartmoor is a unique place. If you’ve never been before you’re in for a real treat!
Dartmoor is the only place in England where Wild Camping is ‘allowed’ under the national park laws, making it a great place to experience your first wild camp. If the weather is fine we will camp high amongst the rocks of a Dartmoor Tor, but we won’t hesitate to hide in a hidden valley if we need more shelter from the great British weather!
Dartmoor is a fascinating place, studded with ancient monuments, old mines and the ruins of medieval villages. We always try to visit a couple of the scattered ancient sites on our Wild Dartmoor trip, whether that’s standing stones, crosses, stone circles, or one of the ancient village sites.
If this is your first trip with Journey Wilder rest assured that this trip is paced slowly, especially if the ground is rough underfoot. We take any uphill sections slowly and stop regularly to enjoy the views. We never aim to walk far, covering a maximum of eight miles spread over a full day.
Trip Overview
Our Wild Dartmoor weekend-long mini expeditions make the perfect introduction to Wild Camping. We decide the exact location for our hike and camp the week before the trip, to avoid the worst of the Dartmoor weather, and seek out sheltered valleys.
We always stop regularly to admire the views and rest our legs after the (thankfully short) uphills. We will seek out and explore a handful of ancient sites, before choosing a campsite for the night, either high amongst the rocky tors or in a beautiful sheltered valley.
This trip is suitable for those with some previous campsite camping experience, who already know how to pitch their tent and feel comfortable lighting their stove and cooking dinner.
Expand each section below for more detail…
Itinerary
Saturday (Day 1)
On Saturday we will meet at a Dartmoor car park, and spend some time getting to know each other and undertaking a kit check to ensure everybody has the right kit for a comfortable night in the hills.
Once everybody is packed we will start our walk up onto the moors, taking the ascent slowly and stopping regularly to admire the views or explore any interesting monuments we find. Our route on Saturday is usually 6-8 miles and we always try to visit a couple of Tors, and a few ancient sites along the way.
Early evening we will choose a camp spot for the night. If the weather allows we will select a camp with a view, maybe sheltered behind a rocky tor, but we always have a plan B in case the great British weather has other ideas. Thankfully Dartmoor has plenty of stunning sheltered valleys we can choose from too!
We will spend the evening pitching out tents, cooking dinner and enjoying each other’s company. Cross your fingers for a beautiful sunset and a glimpse of the Milky Way!
Sunday (Day 2)
We always try to make day two a shorter and easier day of hiking. Once the tents are down and the bags are packed we will slowly make our way down off the moors. We won’t hurry though – dartmoor is too beautiful to rush! Our final descent will be after lunch, leaving plenty of time for your journey home.
What's Included
The trip price includes
- Two days of guided hiking.
- A qualified and experienced female leader.
- Support and advice before the trip to help you choose equipment and food.
- One night of wild camping, supported by our staff.
The trip price does not include
- Equipment – although we may be able to arrange the hire of camping equipment from the Gloucestershire Women’s Adventure Group (Love Her Wild) for a small donation – please email us to check.
- Food or drink for the duration of your trip.
- Car parking or transfers to the start or from the end points of your adventure. We encourage car sharing to reduce carbon emissions if you feel comfortable doing so.
Equipment
This is a backpacking adventure and we will carry all the kit we need as we hike.
You will need
- All of the equipment listed on our hiking kit list.
- All of the equipment listed on our camping kit list, including a water filter or other water treatment technique.
- Two days of hiking food, including one breakfast, two lunches and one dinner. Please see our food lists for more ideas and guidance.
- Spending money to treat yourself in case we come across any trailside cafes along the route.
You can find all our sample kit lists here, and detailed kit lists will be sent out by email after you have booked your adventure with us.
Booking terms and Conditions
Before booking your adventure with us please take a few minutes to read our Booking Terms and Conditions which you can find here.
Your trip leader is Rachel
“I adore Dartmoor. It’s the combination of the wilderness, the ancient remains that are scattered over the moors, and the delightful secret camping spots that make it so special. The fact that you can wild camp there legally makes it all the more perfect as a location for a weekend adventure.”
Find out more about Rachel.
“My wish is to stay like this, living quietly in the corner of nature.”Â
— Claude Monet