YHA Dartmoor

My stay at YHA Dartmoor was an excellent experience and a perfect base for exploring one of the UK’s wildest and most beautiful national parks. Set in a peaceful, remote location, the hostel offers a real sense of escape and immersion in nature, with sweeping moorland views and direct access to walking and outdoor adventure right from the doorstep. The hostel itself is clean, comfortable, and well laid out, with a welcoming communal atmosphere that suits solo travellers, groups, and families alike. The shared spaces are spacious and social without feeling crowded, and the kitchen facilities are well equipped, making self-catering easy after a long day outdoors. Dorm rooms were tidy and practical, and the beds were comfortable enough for a solid night’s sleep after hiking across the moors. One of the highlights of YHA Dartmoor is its staff. They were friendly, knowledgeable, and genuinely enthusiastic about the area, offering helpful advice on routes, local highlights, and weather conditions. Their passion for Dartmoor really adds to the experience and helps you make the most of your stay. The surrounding landscape is truly special—quiet, rugged, and dramatic. Whether you’re hiking, wild swimming, trail running, or simply looking to disconnect from busy life, this hostel is an ideal base. Evenings are calm and atmospheric, with stunning sunsets and star-filled skies on clear nights. Overall, YHA Dartmoor is fantastic value, brilliantly located, and perfectly suited for outdoor enthusiasts. I’d highly recommend it to anyone wanting an authentic Dartmoor experience.

A comfortable stay with good rooms, hot showers and cosy communal areas. The drying room was a real win for wet gear that was all ready for the next day.|Arriving on foot we were disappointed with the impractical check in time of 5pm (at this time it is almost dark in Dartmoor for hikers), a menu where most of the food options were no longer available and host who was not particularly welcoming or helpful.

Our stay at YHA Dartmoor was excellent, with the property ideally situated in the heart of the national park. The hostel provides convenient access to several iconic Dartmoor tors as well as nearby attractions such as Lydford Gorge, where the Devil’s Cauldron and Whitelady Waterfall offer an unforgettable experience. Accommodation at the hostel was clean and comfortable, meeting expectations for families and groups. The spacious kitchen and dining facilities were particularly noteworthy, easily accommodating multiple families and creating a welcoming, communal atmosphere. YHA Dartmoor is a highly recommended base for exploring the rich landscapes and natural beauty of Dartmoor National Park.

This place is a must for visiting the authentic Dartmoor, which I believe I am the spirituality part of now. The air is so clean and refreshing, with wonders of the forests, ancient remains of a naturalistic past, formidable views from the tors, especially Believer Tor!| The YHA, is second to none, the staff only 1 was so nice thoughtful and helpful it was unbelievable, great food, and a reasonable price - ( compared to where I normally mange I normally have a £500 + bill - ouch) but yes as you know I am mega famous! I was really pleased no one recognised me ( although some guests kept looking at me - I think they did recognise me but we're too overawed to speck)||Back to the YHA, the Breakfast was excellent and all I could eat!||A wonderful place : probably the best in UK.||Thanks so much!

My group has been hiring a YHA property as ‘Exclusive Hire’ every year for over 20 years so we are not new to Youth Hostels or the Exclusive Hire experience. This is the first time I am writing a negative review.||||Firstly, the kitchen equipment was totally inadequate for our group of 35. Only 2 of us were under the age of 18 however there were a grand total of 11 wine glasses and 16 coffee mugs available in the self-catering kitchen. There were also only two tiny 2-cup cafetieres. It has often happened in previous Exclusive Hires that the majority of the crockery etc is stored in the staff kitchen because in normal times few people self-cater, and staff forget that Exclusive Hire users are unable to access the staff kitchen; however in previous years this has always been resolved by a phone call or a chat with the person checking us in and it has not been a problem. Despite trying both email and phone, I was completely unable to contact anyone to resolve the lack of equipment, and nobody came to greet us in person when we arrived.||||Second, the self-catering kitchen only has two stoves and one sink, which really isn’t sufficient to cook and wash up for 35 people.||||Third, there are only 4 toilets and 4 showers, which meant that people were frequently queuing for the toilet. This has never happened to us at other Exclusive Hire properties.||||Fourth, the hot water supply was totally inadequate for 35 people. When we all came back at the same time from a cold and muddy walk, the hot water only lasted long enough for half of us to have a shower before going ice cold. This also meant there was no hot water in the one-and-only sink for washing up.||||Other than the above, all was good. We appreciated the log burner and having logs supplied when we arrived. The hostel was nice and warm once the central heating got going after we arrived. The beds were comfy and linen super clean and crisp. The communal arrangement of the kitchen / dining room was very sociable, and we just about managed to squeeze everyone into the lounge for party games on New Year’s Eve.

A warm, friendly welcome from Jane got our stay off to a great start. Room was clean, and spacious. Kitchen excellent. Good lounge, lots of interesting books and character. Good, out of the way location. Bellever Tor on the doorstep. Plenty of other options within a 20 minute drive. Shame we could only stay one night. If in the area, will return.

We've been coming here for years, the location is absolutely stunning, beautiful walks in every direction it is the perfect base for hiking and exploring. ||Even though there are a fair few rooms, it never seems noisy, although we often go on the cheaper nights ( usually Sundays) when they crop up at a low rate ( around £35) and can sometimes be, or feel like the only people there.||The kitchen has everything you need to prepare your own food, there is a living area which is comfortable enough. The beds are comfy and clean and the views lovely.||The staff are always friendly and helpful, we've never had the food so couldn't comment but have seen the cooked breakfasts and they looked ample! We just prefer to get one from Fox Tor in Princetown or the best pastries ever from the Birdcage in Chagford so don't have theirs here.||Remember to bring your own tea, coffee and towels. ||Cons:|I do often find the rooms abit warm and stuffy, obviously for security with youngsters the windows don't open much in the rooms.|The shower rooms are very claustrophobic and its hard to keep your clothes dry as the shower curtains kind of float out into the little standing area so wear bare feet or sliders you don't mind getting wet.||To be honest for the cheap prices we pay, the cons don't matter but if you're paying £50-£100 as the rooms sometimes go for you might be abit more fussy about that.

This place is ideally situated in the middle of Dartmoor. Its immediate surrounds are lovely and great for hiking. Not only that but the staff are lovely, really helpful. Jane (I think) was even kind enough to find some disposable bags for me to use between my boots and socks for the next day of hiking as my boots were soaked through. The food’s good too. Simple tasty stuff. The rooms are basic, but what you’d expect. Really liked the place.