Archerton, Dartmoor

Archerton is an exceptional country house in the heart of Dartmoor National Park, set within private grounds with woodland trails and direct access to the moor. With sweeping views, elegant reception rooms, a farmhouse kitchen with Aga, and seven beautiful bedrooms, it is perfect for family gatherings, walkers and special escapes. Enjoy alfresco dining on the terrace and explore the unique Dartmoor landscape from your doorstep, with complete privacy and space to unwind in total tranquillity. The space Archerton is a truly exceptional country house set in the heart of the Dartmoor National Park, nestled within its own grounds with private woodland trials, spectacular views and direct access to the moor. The house is full of period charm and offers the perfect setting for extended family holidays and gatherings. We can arrange a bespoke holiday for you to include horse riding, clay-shooting, fishing, and much more. Please just message. Bookings are available for long weekends and weeks. The space Archerton is an exceptional Country House for a holiday. Set at the heart of Dartmoor National Park it has expansive moorland views and easy access to the rich history of the area. The principal rooms are magnificent with high ceilings, large sash windows, feature fireplaces, and beautiful furnishings. The ground floor comprises four reception rooms which are all front facing, soaking up the stunning vista. Relax by the glorious fire in the drawing room, curl up with a book in the library (or work from home), settle into a film in the snug with its 65" cinematic screen, or enjoy the elegant dining room, fit for any occasion. The farmhouse style kitchen with its four-oven oil fired Aga, a separate range and bespoke units is the beating heart of the house. A separate walk-in pantry makes feeding a gathering a doddle, hosting an occasion an ease. From the kitchen is a laundry room and boot room essential for all the moor has to offer, from long walks to wild swimming. Upstairs from the central landing are the stunning Jack and Jill double bedrooms with a large, shared en-suite. Bedrooms 3 and 4 are the principal suites situated on each wing of the house. Self-contained, they are good size double bedrooms with adjoining en-suite bathrooms. These four bedrooms at the front of the house benefit from superb views across Dartmoor. Bedrooms 5 and 6 are at the rear of the house and are both doubles. Bedroom 7 is a the only twin. Outside the front of the house is an attractive lawn, landscaped garden and a large terrace to enjoy the spectacular views, dine alfresco or play boules. At the rear of the house is a spacious garage and car port. Uniquely, Archerton enjoys its own private magical woodland, meadows, and direct access to the gorgeous, wild high-moor. Straight on to the famous walks along the East Dart Valley and Bellever Forest. Guest access Guests have the whole house to themselves - a couple of rooms are locked for the housekeeper and storage. Other things to note Archerton has been our family home for many years now, a bustle of fun and wild enjoyment at every turn that has given the whole clan some incredible memories and perfect moments. With that splendid time, we have quite a spectacular bank of perfect ways to spend your holiday here at Archerton Once you book your stay, we add you to the Archerton group to give you all the details, share our glorious guidebook of all our family's best bits, and provide a place to ask us directly any questions or queries you may have. We are more than happy to help make your stay unique and special, just ask! Years of experience on the moor as a family puts us in a great place to point out all the best bits of this most epic and first National Park in the UK. There’s plenty to do without planning a thing – but if you fancy something a bit special, we’re always happy to help line up a few extras to dial things up! We can point you in the right direction and organise any of the below once you have confirmed your stay: • Private Chef. From a dinner (staff included) to the whole week. • Archerton Massages & Treatments at home • Championship Golf at Bovey Castle • Riverside Sauna on the wild moor • Murder Mystery dinners. • Guided Walking tours. • Famous Dartmoor ‘letterboxing’ guided trails. • Dartmoor Guided Walking Tours • Riding on the Moor • Clay-Pidgeon Shooting and instruction (Simulated days on request) • Fishing for Sea Trout and Wild Brown Trout – guided or instruction. • Horse-drawn Carriage Drive on the Moor • Photography Walks on the Moor • Dartmoor Adventures – Kayaking, Climbing, Canoeing & More • Sailing, Boating, Fishing & Watersports in Salcombe, only 45mins away! Other things to note ARCHERTON AT ITS BEST… Archerton has been our family home for many years now, a bustle of fun and wild enjoyment at every turn that has given the whole clan some incredible memories and perfect moments. With that splendid time, we have quite a spectacular bank of perfect ways to spend your holiday here at Archerton Once you book your stay, we add you to the Archerton group to give you all the details, share our glorious guidebook of all our family's best bits, and provide a place to ask us directly any questions or queries you may have. We are more than happy to help make your stay unique and special, just ask! Years of experience on the moor as a family puts us in a great place to point out all the best bits of this most epic and first National Park in the UK AT THE HOUSE • Go Starry-eyed – With no streetlights and Dartmoor’s famously dark skies, Archerton is a magical place after dusk. On clear nights, the milky way is visible to the naked eye. Few things are as pleasant as contemplating a dazzling display of stars twinkling above you. No light pollution and no distractions, just you and the universe. Made even better with a tipple and a stargazing app to explore the constellations at your pleasure • Relax by the fire – Out the front, the granite fire pit is hard to beat – perfect for sitting out as the sun goes down or keeping it going as the stars come out; with the darkness on the moor, the night sky here is pretty incredible. Or sit in the front room and cosy in to an evening in front of the fire, a game or a book to pass the time • Dinner Party – The dining room is the perfect setting for a lavish, slightly extravagant dinner party – the big table, generous space and that easy, convivial feel make it ideal for long evenings spent eating, drinking and being merry • Asado Al Fresco – Fire up the grill and cook outside the way it’s meant to be – slow, simple and social; a long table, good food and a bit of theatre as everything cooks over the flames of our fire pit. Make it even more special and cook with the asado cross if you want to bring a lamb or hunks of meat from our local butchers • Boules – We’ve got a boules set ready to go – perfect for an easy summer afternoon, a bit of friendly competition • Wonder in the woods – There’s a beautiful stretch of woodland on the property – perfect for a quiet wander, building dens, a bit of exploring and getting lost (in the best way). • Sundowners on the high moor – Take a drink up onto the rocks behind the house and watch the sun go down across the moor – it’s one of the simplest and best parts of being here. • Climb a Dartmoor Tor – From Archerton you can walk straight from the door to the mighty Bellever Tor, one of the most picturesque and famous Tors on the moor, it is but a short 20 – 30 min wonder away. The perfect way to blow the cobwebs out as you hike through epic moors, forested glades and leafy riversides. On the way back stop by the local village shop to pick up the paper, stop for a cream tea, or indulge in a restorative pasty • Visit one of the oldest bridges in the UK – Walk down to Postbridge to see the stunning Clapper Bridge. The babbling brooke is perfect for a picnic on its banks or for a game of rounders or cricket in the field over the summer months • Walks – There are endless walks to enjoy straight from the door at Archerton, from gentle wanders through woods and riversides to more adventurous climbs across the open moor; and if you fancy going a little further afield, Dartmoor opens up into a vast, wild playground of tors, valleys and hidden corners waiting to be explored • Wild Swimming – We will list out a number of our favourite wild swimming spots across the moor later. From the house it is a simple 10 – min walk down to the East Dart, which has a number of great swimming holes, perfect for a good Sunday morning hangover cure. We have put our favourite ones on the map at Archerton. For those more daring a 30min trudge out the back of the house and you swim in the waterfalls up on the high moor, an incredibly refreshing experience all round EXPERIENCES TO BOOK IN ADVANCE... There’s plenty to do without planning a thing – but if you fancy something a bit special, we’re always happy to help line up a few extras to dial things up! Once confirmed we can share all the details to book these wonderful things in advance... • Archerton Massages & Treatments – We know an absolute gem of a lady – super lovely and incredibly good; unwind, switch off and enjoy it all in the comfort of the house. Just let us know if you would like to organise and we can put you in touch – approx. £60 – 90 for a massage depending on treatment • Wind down at home or be pampered at a castle – Spa treatments, massages and manicures can all be arranged at the house, just let us know and we can put you in touch with our legend of a lady at incredible prices. For soothing body and soul with a spa day head to Bovey Castle for a luxury spa experience. Spa day tickets for as little as £30 a day – 15 mins drive • Riverside Sauna at Dartmeet – One of the most atmospheric ways to unwind on the moor - Wilder Sauna sits right on the banks of the River Dart at Dartmeet, with a wood-fired sauna looking out over the river through a large picture window, and the river itself on hand for a bracing cold plunge between sessions. Herons, kingfishers and mossy boulders for company. Communal sessions are just £15pp for 50 minutes, with private bookings also available on request. Open Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 8am–8pm. Well worth booking ahead. – 15mins drive • Golf at Bovey Castle – For a round with serious pedigree, Bovey Castle's 18-hole championship course is hard to beat – designed in 1926 by J.F. Abercromby, the man behind some of England's finest layouts, it meanders through the hotel estate with Dartmoor as a backdrop and was built to rival Gleneagles and Turnberry. Challenging enough to satisfy scratch players, beautiful enough to make every hole worth the walk. Green fees from around £35–£59 per round – tee times can be booked directly online – 15 mins drive • Private Chef – We have a brilliant chef we use regularly for special occasions – whether it’s a big celebratory dinner or something more low-key, it’s such a treat to have it all taken care of (and very hard to go back afterwards). Get in contact with Harriet at Boo to a Goose, prices can range from £45 pp to as much as you want for dinner • Murder Mystery Dinners – A bit of theatre, a bit of chaos and a lot of fun – perfect for getting everyone involved and slightly competitive over dinner. We have had a lot of fun buying the game on Amazon but for a properly special evening we use Perfect Murder, they nail it. This is a little expensive starting at £995 ( give them a call they usually come down from this) • Dartmoor Guided Walking Tours – Emma Cunis knows Dartmoor like few others, and her private hire walks are genuinely tailored to whatever you're after – Bronze Age stone circles and sacred landscapes, myths and legends, wild swimming, fungi forays, family adventures, or simply getting deep into corners of the moor you'd never find alone. She'll design the day around your group's pace, interests and ability, and the reviews speak for themselves. Pricing is per group: half day (1–4 hours) from £250 mid-week or £300 at weekends; full day (5–7 hours) from £400 mid-week or £500 at weekends. • Riding on the Moor – There's nothing quite like seeing Dartmoor from horseback, and Cheston Farm is one of the best places to do it – a BHS-approved centre near South Brent with direct access onto the open moor, offering everything from a relaxed 1–2 hour moorland explore with canters thrown in, right through to a serious 3–6 hour adventure hack or a pub ride with a lunch stop along the way. Not suitable for complete beginners – riders need to be competent in canter – but for those who can ride, it's a genuinely special way to see the landscape. A short assessment in the arena before heading out is standard. Prices from around £32–£37pp for a shorter hack, £80 for a 3-hour route, and £100pp for the pub ride. Worth calling ahead to discuss your level and book. – 40 mins drive • Clay Pigeon Shooting – We know a fantastic guy who sets up driven clays around Archerton’s grounds – great fun, whether you’re a total beginner or fancy yourself as a bit of a shot. Just let us know and we can put you in touch with Jason. This usually costs between £120 -£165 per person depending on the set up or £60pp if you go to his on the moor for tuition • Fishing (Sea Trout & Wild Brown Trout) – The moor is famous for its rivers, and some of the best are just 10min walk from the house. Whether you know what you’re doing or not, it’s a pretty special way to spend a day. For a pass this is run through fish pass or for a guide we recommend The Devon School of Fly Fishing £225 for a single person £265 for two people. • Horse-drawn Carriage Drive on the Moor – A wonderfully unhurried way to see Dartmoor – Charlotte and her team at Dartmoor Carriages offer private horse-drawn carriage drives through the moorland roads and local villages around Dartmeet, taking in scenery that most people never slow down long enough to notice. Every booking is a private experience, tailored to your group, and the options range from a scenic afternoon drive to a pub trip, cream tea or picnic stop along the way. Particularly lovely for a special occasion or for anyone who struggles with the walking – the carriage is easily accessible and the reviews are unanimously glowing. Prices on application – worth calling Charlotte directly to discuss. • Photography Walks on the Moor – A really original way to see Dartmoor, join Jules from Rockrose Photography for a guided 3-hour walk through some of the moor's most photogenic spots, with hands-on tuition in composition, lighting and technique along the way. Jules has 15 years of professional experience and a BA in Photography, and knows the landscape inside out. Think ancient stone circles, waterfalls, hidden pools and the kind of light you only find out here. Monthly themed walks run through the year with bespoke packages available on request. Spaces are limited so worth booking early. • Dartmoor Adventures – Kayaking, Climbing, Canoeing & More – If you want to get properly into the outdoors on Dartmoor rather than just walking across it, Dartmoor Adventures offers guided and coached sessions across a solid range of activities – white water kayaking and canoeing on the River Dart, climbing, mountain biking, wild camping, and estuary tours down into South Devon. They cater for complete beginners right through to improvers after focused coaching, and are fully licensed for groups including youth organisations, schools, and corporate days. Pricing is flexible: group guided trips start from £45 per person for a half day or £60 for a full day; 1-to-1 coaching is £130/£180 (half/full day); and coaching for two comes in at £180/£220 – good value for a proper activity day with experienced, qualified instructors. • Sailing, Boating, Fishing & Watersports in Salcombe – Head to the water for the day – salty air, sunshine and boats everywhere; a completely different pace and always a good one. Many options and really depends on your price point and what you want to do but the best selection of places is found here