Dogging in Devon: area guide

The lie of the land in Devon

Devon is England's fourth largest county and it feels bigger on the road. Exeter is the county city, and Plymouth, on the Tamar, is the largest urban area. Torbay, with Torquay, Paignton and Brixham, forms a third centre. Barnstaple, Bideford and Ilfracombe look to the north coast, while Newton Abbot, Exmouth, Tiverton, Tavistock and Okehampton sit between them.

Two National Parks shape the map. Dartmoor fills the middle south of the county, with granite tors, high open moor and ponies. Exmoor reaches in from Somerset along the north coast. Beyond them, the East Devon, Blackdown Hills, South Devon and North Devon coast areas are all protected landscapes, and the east coast is part of the Jurassic Coast.

Most people travel to the cities and large towns and then go out into the country. Between them, whole stretches of Devon are farmland and deep lanes. A quiet corner can still turn out to be busy at the wrong moment.

Getting about safely

The M5 ends at Exeter. From there the A38 Devon Expressway runs south-west to Plymouth, and the A30 heads west across the north of Dartmoor to Okehampton and Cornwall. The A361 North Devon Link Road reaches Barnstaple, and the A380 serves Torbay. Summer weekends bring queues on the M5, the A38 and the A30.

Great Western Railway trains run from Exeter St Davids to Plymouth along the coast at Dawlish, where storms can close the line for days. Branch lines reach Exmouth, Paignton, Barnstaple and Okehampton. North Devon and the Tamar valley have few evening services, so check your last train and a taxi number before you go.

Dartmoor is the main hazard. Fog and low cloud can drop in within minutes, and unfenced roads carry ponies, sheep and cattle that are hard to see at night. Exmoor and the north coast roads are steep and twisty. Devon lanes are narrow, sunken and unlit, and signal drops out in the valleys and on the moors. Estuaries such as the Exe and the Taw have fast tides and soft mud, and cliffs along both coasts are unstable. Share your location with someone and keep fuel in the tank.