While it may at first glance appear to just be a typical Dartmoor landscape, Upper Plym Valley has much more history than first meets the eye.

Located in one of the most beautiful areas of the UK, this place is an archaeological paradise, with six miles of sites dating from between the Bronze Age and medieval times.

Bronze Age beauty

Over 3000 years ago, this place was a thriving settlement full of round huts and fields of crops and animals.

The remains of this Bronze Age settlement are remarkably well-preserved since these moorlands have been untouched for so long.

As you explore, see if you can spot the evidence in the ground of round walls that would have enclosed houses, tiny by today’s standards but comfortable enough thousands of years ago.

There are even some burial chambers that the ancient civilisations would have used to bury their dead, marked by striking stone monuments like cairns, as well as reaves that would have surrounded their lands.

Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for them!

Medieval markings

Upper Plym Valley was used up until the end of the medieval period.

During this time, the land would have been filled with rabbit warrens, while nearer the River Plym, there would have been a bustling trade of tin streaming.

After tin was found in the water, it was taken to stamping mills and then blowing houses. In fact, you can actually still find the remains of such buildings further up the river.

All sorts of ancient archaeology

For those interested in ancient history, you’ll be completely surrounded by it in Upper Plym Valley, and the real cherry on top is the beauty of the remote, wild location of it all.

The settlements that once existed here so long ago have been completely reclaimed by nature, so exploring the land in search of their ruins is a truly memorable adventure that makes for an amazing day out.