natural wonder
Burrator Reservoir
A wooded reservoir on the south-western edge of Dartmoor, encircled by a narrow lane popular with cyclists.
3 km · about 5 min drive
EuropeUnited KingdomEngland
Yelverton
England, United Kingdom · Europe
About Yelverton
Yelverton works well as a base: 15 minutes from Tavistock, 3km from Burrator Reservoir.
Yelverton is in England, United Kingdom, with about 3,600 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Tavistock, about 8 km away.
Yelverton is a large village on the south-western edge of Dartmoor, Devon, in England. It is in the civil parish of Buckland Monachorum. According to the 2021 census, it had a population of 1,858, which was slightly more than the 1,810 recorded at the 2011 census.
When Yelverton railway station (on the Great WesternRead more
Railway (GWR) line from Plymouth to Tavistock) opened in the 19th century, the village became a popular residence for Plymouth commuters. The railway is now closed, but the Plym Valley Railway has reopened a section of it.
The Anglican parish church of St Paul was built in 1910-1912 and is a grade II listed building. Yelverton is one of six parishes which form the West Dartmoor Mission Community, within the Tavistock Deanery of the Diocese of Exeter. Holy Cross Catholic Church was built as a chapel in the early 1920s and upgraded to a church in 1928. It is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Plymouth, and is built in a "simplified Gothic style". Rock Methodist Church is also in Yelverton.
Yelverton is well known for Roborough Rock - a prominent mass of stone close to the Plymouth road on the fringe of nearby Roborough Down, near the southern end of the airfield. It gave its name to the Rock Hotel, built as a farm during the Elizabethan period, but converted in the 1850s to cater for growing tourism in the area. The area to the south and west of the roundabout at the centre of the village was settled in late Victorian and Edwardian times, with many grand and opulent villas. An area developed at about the same time on an odd shaped piece of land to the south of the Tavistock road is known as Leg o' Mutton Corner.
At the beginning of the Second World War, an airfield (RAF Harrowbeer) was constructed at adjacent Harrowbeer as a fighter station for the air defence of Devonport Dockyard and the Western Approaches. A 19th century terrace of houses, now mostly converted into shops, had to have its upper storey removed to provide an easier approach. One tall building which was not altered was St. Paul's Church, but the tower was hit by a plane, resulting in a warning light being fitted. The layout of the runways is still very clear and although they are substantially grassed over, the many earth and brick protective bunkers built to protect the fighters from attack on the ground are all still in place. Some American airmen and anti-aircraft battery units were stationed here during the second half of the war. A plane carrying President Truman landed here when its original destination was fogbound.
To the south of the village is Langton Park, home of Yelverton Bohemians Cricket Club, and about 0.5 km south is Moorland Garden Hotel, serving Yelverton Golf Club, where most of the holes run well down the open moorland to the east. There are several bed-and-breakfasts in Yelverton, serving the many walkers and visitors to National Trust properties in the area.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Yelverton?
Within an hour or so of Yelverton: Burrator Reservoir (3 km), Vixen Tor (7 km), Wistman's Wood (13 km), Dartmoor National Park (14 km).
Are there any good drives near Yelverton?
The nearest famous roads are B3212 across Dartmoor, Atlantic Highway (A39) and A39 Atlantic Highway (Barnstaple to Bude).
Where is Yelverton?
Yelverton is in England, United Kingdom, about 8 km from Tavistock.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 3,627
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- England
- Timezone
- Europe/London
- Coordinates
- 50.4929, -4.0838
Emergency & Services
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 KingdomTags
Worth the detour from Yelverton
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
natural wonder
Vixen Tor
One of Dartmoor's tallest tors at around 30 m, on private land near Merrivale and long the subject of an access dispute.
7 km · about 10 min drive
natural wonder
Wistman's Wood
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.
13 km · about 25 min drive
national park
Dartmoor National Park
Wild and ancient moorland dotted with granite tors, Bronze Age settlements and roaming Dartmoor ponies across 368 square miles of Devon.
14 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
National Marine Aquarium
The UK's largest aquarium in Plymouth dedicated to ocean conservation with Atlantic Ocean and deep reef exhibits.
14 km · about 25 min drive
famous road
B3212 across Dartmoor
The open moorland crossing from Moretonhampstead to Yelverton past Postbridge and Princetown, with ponies on the road.
14 km · about 25 min drive
natural wonder
Bellever Forest
A conifer plantation on the East Dart with Bronze Age hut circles, a clapper bridge and easy riverside walks.
16 km · about 20 min drive
scenic viewpoint
Dartmeet
The confluence of the East and West Dart rivers, a popular riverside spot beside a steep-sided moorland road.
16 km · about 30 min drive
Driving roads near Yelverton
- Right hereB3212 across DartmoorThe open moorland crossing from Moretonhampstead to Yelverton past Postbridge and Princetown, with ponies on the road.
- 16 kmDartmeetThe confluence of the East and West Dart rivers, a popular riverside spot beside a steep-sided moorland road.
- 17 kmPostbridge Clapper BridgeA 13th-century granite slab bridge over the East Dart, the best-preserved clapper bridge on Dartmoor.
- 22 kmRame HeadA conical headland on Cornwall's south-east tip crowned by a 14th-century chapel, with views across Plymouth Sound.
- 38 kmBrown WillyThe highest point in Cornwall at 420 m, a long granite-topped ridge in the middle of Bodmin Moor.
- 50 kmAtlantic Highway (A39)Spectacular coastal road running through north Devon and Cornwall past dramatic cliffs, surfing beaches and picturesque harbour villages.
Driving in United Kingdom
- Drives on
- the left
- Petrol
- ~€1.73/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
April to October
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