England, United Kingdom · Europe
Princetown works well as a base: 15 minutes from Yelverton, 4km from Wistman's Wood.
Princetown is in England, United Kingdom, with about 1,400 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Yelverton, about 9 km away.
Princetown is a village located within Dartmoor national park in the English county of Devon. It is the principal settlement of the civil parish of Dartmoor Forest. At the 2021 census, the village had a population of 1,443.
The village has its origins in 1785, when Sir Thomas Tyrwhitt, then secretary to the Prince ofRead more
Wales, leased a large area of moorland from the Duchy of Cornwall estate, hoping to convert it into good farmland. He encouraged people to live in the area and suggested that a prison be built there. He called the settlement Princetown after the Prince of Wales.
Princetown is the site of Dartmoor Prison. At around 1,430 feet (435 m) above sea level, it is the highest settlement on the moor, and one of the highest in the United Kingdom. It is also the largest settlement located on the high moor. The Princetown Railway, closed in 1956, was also the highest railway line in England: its Princetown terminus was also 1,430 feet above sea level.
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Discover famous landmarks, scenic roads, and more near Princetown.
Within an hour or so of Princetown: Wistman's Wood (4 km), B3212 across Dartmoor (5 km), Vixen Tor (5 km), Dartmoor National Park (6 km).
The nearest famous roads are B3212 across Dartmoor, Atlantic Highway (A39) and A39 Atlantic Highway (Barnstaple to Bude).
Princetown is in England, United Kingdom, about 9 km from Yelverton.
Road trip
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Places within a drive of Princetown. Keep the ones you like and add them to your trip.
Essential numbers in United Kingdom
112 also works. NHS non-emergency medical advice: 111. National Highways breakdown assistance on motorways: 0300 123 5000.
Full driving guide for United Kingdom8 notable places within an hour's drive.
natural wonder
Stunted, moss-drowned oaks growing between granite boulders form one of Britain's last high-altitude temperate rainforests, long linked with Druid legend. A 20-minute walk from the Two Bridges car park on Dartmoor.
4 km · about 10 min drive
famous road
The open moorland crossing from Moretonhampstead to Yelverton past Postbridge and Princetown, with ponies on the road.
5 km · about 10 min drive
natural wonder
One of Dartmoor's tallest tors at around 30 m, on private land near Merrivale and long the subject of an access dispute.
5 km · about 10 min drive
national park
Wild and ancient moorland dotted with granite tors, Bronze Age settlements and roaming Dartmoor ponies across 368 square miles of Devon.
6 km · about 10 min drive
natural wonder
A wooded reservoir on the south-western edge of Dartmoor, encircled by a narrow lane popular with cyclists.
6 km · about 10 min drive
natural wonder
A conifer plantation on the East Dart with Bronze Age hut circles, a clapper bridge and easy riverside walks.
8 km · about 15 min drive
bridge
A 13th-century granite slab bridge over the East Dart, the best-preserved clapper bridge on Dartmoor.
8 km · about 15 min drive
scenic viewpoint
The confluence of the East and West Dart rivers, a popular riverside spot beside a steep-sided moorland road.
8 km · about 15 min drive
April to October
Other places to explore near Princetown.
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