Photo © Fernweh, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Buckfastleigh
Buckfastleigh is a market town on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, beside the A38. The 2021 census gave a population of 3,571. It grew as a mill town on the River Dart and its tributaries, with woollen, corn and paper mills and a tannery, and these were at their peak in the late nineteenth century.
Holy Trinity, the medieval parish church on the hill above the town, was burnt out by arson in July 1992 (21 July in some accounts) and is now a shell. The congregation moved to St Luke's. The churchyard is still used for burials, with swift boxes on the tower and wildflower areas kept for insects. CPRE Devon gave it Certificates of Excellence in 2022 and 2023. Beside the church is the tomb of Richard Cabell, built in 1656, who died in 1677. Legend links him to the Hound of the Baskervilles. The story is that Bertram Fletcher Robinson, who grew up nearby, told Conan Doyle the tales in 1900. The first edition of the novel thanks Robinson, though it does not name Cabell.
The town has three notable caves. Joint Mitnor Cave holds animal bones about 125,000 years old, including elephant, bison, wolf and hyena. The William Pengelly Cave Studies Trust reopened it in August 2017 after thieves broke in in 2015. It is a winter roost for horseshoe bats.
The railway from Totnes opened on 1 May 1872. Passenger trains ended on 3 November 1958 and freight in 1962. The first preserved train ran on 5 April 1969, and the South Devon Railway Trust has run the line to Totnes since 1991. Buckfast Abbey is a short way off.
Buckfastleigh on the map
In Buckfastleigh
Abbey Inn On The River
Buckfastleigh
Abbey Inn is a cosy riverside pub in Buckfastleigh near Dartmoor. Enjoy home-cooked food, Sunday roasts, cocktails, and live music. Stay in refurbished en-suite rooms with river views and free parking. Family-friendly, with a heated terrace near Buckfast Abbey.
Abbot's Way
Buckfastleigh
The Abbot's Way is a historic route across the high southern moor, traditionally linked to the medieval abbeys of Buckfast, Buckland and Tavistock.
Brother Adam (Karl Kehrle)
Buckfastleigh
Benedictine monk (1898-1996) and beekeeper at Buckfast Abbey, who bred the Buckfast bee and set up an isolated mating station on Dartmoor in 1925.
Buckfastleigh Primary School
Buckfastleigh
Primary school at the heart of Buckfastleigh community, recently judged Good by Ofsted with Outstanding in Behaviours and Early Years.
C-47 Dakota crash site, Huntingdon Warren
Buckfastleigh
Where a USAAF C-47 Skytrain flew into the hillside at Huntingdon Warren in mist on 13 October 1945, killing all seven aboard. A small cross made at school stands on a boulder near the ruined farm.
Cabell Chest Tomb near Church of Holy Trinity
Buckfastleigh
The tomb of Squire Richard Cabell (d. 1677) of Brook Hall, Buckfastleigh, sealed under an iron-barred stone structure locally known as "the Sepulchre." Local legend held that a phantom pack of hounds ran with him across the moor, and the tomb is the leading, though unconfirmed, candidate for the real legend behind Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles.
Camphill Devon Community
Buckfastleigh
Camphill Devon provides accommodation and support to adults with a learning disability.
Churchill Farm Campsite
Buckfastleigh
Churchill Farm Campsite is a friendly, quiet, working beef and sheep farm, situated on a hill between Buckfastleigh and Buckfast, with panoramic views of Dartmoor. The campsite is situated within a Special Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI) and within the Dartmoor National Park.
Crag 2 Mountain
Buckfastleigh
Adventure instruction and guiding in climbing, mountaineering, navigation and caving across Dartmoor and the UK.
D-Day
Buckfastleigh
A stark memorial on Dartmoor's open moorland honouring those who trained here for the D-Day landings.
Hembury Woods
Buckfastleigh
National Trust ancient oak woodland on the River Dart near Buckfastleigh, a Site of Special Scientific Interest home to two historic monuments and rare wildlife including greater and lesser horseshoe bats.
Holy Trinity Church, Buckfastleigh
Buckfastleigh
The roofless hilltop church above Buckfastleigh, burnt out by arson in 1992, with the Cabell tomb beside the porch tied to the Hound of the Baskervilles legend.
Jellyfish Art Gallery
Buckfastleigh
Contemporary art gallery nestled on Dartmoor, showcasing local and regional artists against the moor's wild backdrop.
Manaton and East Dartmoor Theatre
Buckfastleigh
Community theatre organisation on Dartmoor creating original plays and drama work inspired by the landscape, history and folklore of rural Devon.
Moor Imagination Centre
Buckfastleigh
Moor Imagination Collective (MIC) is a community interest company established in March 2022.
Moorland Community Caring
Buckfastleigh
Moorland Community Caring is a small, local charity, serving the communities of Ashburton, Bovey Tracey and Buckfastleigh, as well as surrounding areas.
Riverford Field Kitchen
Buckfastleigh
Internationally acclaimed organic restaurant on Riverford's Wash Farm near Buckfastleigh, at the edge of Dartmoor National Park. Serves a daily-changing communal set menu of 100% organic, vegetable-forward dishes harvested fresh from the surrounding fields. Brunch, lunch and supper with booking essential.
Skylarker Well-being Project
Buckfastleigh
Pip Jones is a storyteller, mindfulness teacher and movement coach.
Sounding Bowls
Buckfastleigh
Hand-sculpted wooden musical instruments crafted on Dartmoor for healing sound therapy, workshops and live performances.
South Dartmoor Bunkhouse (Groups only)
Buckfastleigh
Designed specifically for clubs and groups of up to 16 in two rooms (12 & 4), it provides a warm, practical retreat for cavers, paddlers, mountain bikers, and hikers.
Strawberry Fields
Buckfastleigh
Farm shop and coffee shop at Buckfastleigh offering fresh produce, homemade pies, pastries, and cream teas with local jam.
The Wool Hub
Buckfastleigh, Dartmoor
Welcome to The Wool Hub in Buckfastleigh, Devon, a crafts center where creativity flourishes. Staffed by experienced wool crafters, known as the Woolly Nanas, we offer craft sessions for all ages and abilities, including those with specific needs, and support local communities through projects like knitting baby blankets.
Warrens
Buckfastleigh
Crumbling stone foundations scattered across open moorland, marking where rabbit warrens once sustained medieval communities.
Warrens
Buckfastleigh
Scattered stone ruins of a medieval warren settlement, half-buried in Dartmoor's rough moorland vegetation.
Warrens
Buckfastleigh
Scattered stone foundations on open moorland reveal where rabbits were once farmed on an industrial scale.
Warrens (Pillow Mounds)
Buckfastleigh
Medieval rabbit warrens earthworks rippling across the open moor, a forgotten landscape of deliberate abundance.
William Crossing Memorial
Buckfastleigh
A modest stone memorial to William Crossing, the Victorian antiquary who mapped and documented Dartmoor with meticulous devotion.
