The Rock Inn

About The Rock Inn

The Rock Inn is an 18th-century coaching inn in the hamlet of Haytor Vale, a mile or so below Haytor Rocks inside Dartmoor National Park. It has been run by the Graves family for decades and still works as a village pub as well as a small hotel, with flagstone floors, settles, open fires in winter and a garden at the front that fills up on summer afternoons.

There are nine en-suite bedrooms, all named after Grand National winners, spread over two floors of the old building. They are comfortable and traditional rather than fashionable: several have four-poster beds, one has a balcony, and the top-floor deluxe rooms are the largest. All have a bathroom or shower room, television and tea and coffee tray. The building's age means the rooms differ in size and shape, and the stairs are steep, which is worth knowing if mobility is a concern.

The kitchen has held two AA rosettes and is the reason many people book, serving proper pub cooking with some ambition using Devon meat, West Country cheeses and fish landed at Brixham. Breakfast is substantial and included. There is free parking on site, which matters on this part of the moor.

The location is the main argument for staying. Haytor is one of the most accessible and best-known tors on Dartmoor and can be walked from the door in under half an hour; the granite tramway, Hound Tor and Becka Falls are all close by. Bovey Tracey is three miles down the hill for shops and the Devon Guild of Craftsmen, and the south Devon coast at Teignmouth is about half an hour by car. It suits walkers, dog owners and couples wanting a straightforward, well-run inn rather than a resort hotel.