Dartmoor Perambulation

Devon

The Royal Forest of Dartmoor was created in 1204. it was only in 1240 that its actual boundary was delineated during the original Perambulation, when twelve knights and their retinues set off to delineate the official boundary. The exact route is something of a mystery as all the scribed copies made over the subsequent centuries have discrepancies and some place names no longer exist.

Over the years the boundary has been disputed, altered and misinterpreted. It makes for a fascinating journey both academically, studying the historical documents, as well as on foot, travelling around Dartmoor in the wake of medieval knights.

This walk aims to guide you around the Forest of Dartmoor as close to the original 1240 Perambulation as possible. It is based on the February 2026 guidebook written by Josephine M Collingwood.

(April 2026)

Strider News - August 2026 (Publication Update)

The Dartmoor Perambulation. A guide to Walking the Medieval Boundary of the Royal Forest of Dartmoor, Josephine M Collingwood, February 2026. 

This is a detailed guidebook for walking Dartmoor’s oldest long-distance walk: the Dartmoor Perambulation.  Packed with colour photographs and OS 1:25,000 maps of every section, the 84km (52 mile) route follows the medieval boundary of Dartmoor Forest, first perambulated in 1240 by twelve knights of the crown.  It is a serious walk over remote moorland, but it also passes through some of the most beautiful areas of Dartmoor, linking them together on a challenging but truly memorable expedition.

• First full-colour guidebook of the whole Perambulation walk.


• Route and points of interest presented on OS 1:25,000 map segments for each of the thirty walk sections.


• Latin transcript, translation and etymological research presented for each waypoint.

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Details:

Path Type:	Other Paths
Attributes:	Challenging Moorland Heritage
Start and Finish:	SX621938 - Belstone car park, Devon
Web Sites:	Dartmoor firing times

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Publications, Badges and Certificates:

Guidebook

The Dartmoor Perambulation  (Tavicinity Publishing  - Feb 2026 )

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