Autumn day trip to Meavy and its 900-year-old oak

If you are after an easy autumn day trip from Plymouth, Meavy is hard to beat. It is a historic village on the edge of Dartmoor National Park in Devon, tucked into the south-western section of the park, and it is close enough to reach without much effort. The centrepiece is the Meavy Oak, a 900-year-old tree believed to have been planted during the reign of King John, which stands on the village green right in front of The Royal Oak Inn. Around it you will find Marchant's Cross and the Church of Meavy, St Peter's, which has Norman origins with 13th and 15th-century additions.

The Royal Oak Inn itself is a 15th-century community pub owned by the Burrator Parish Council, sitting between St Peter's Church and Meavy Parish Hall. Its profits go back into local projects, and the current tenant, Jo Rowe, took over at the end of 2023. It is worth planning your visit around its opening hours, as it is closed all day on Mondays. From Tuesday to Friday it opens 11:30am to 2:30pm with food until 2:00pm, and from Wednesday to Friday it reopens in the evening from 5:30pm to 10:00pm with food until 8:15pm. Saturday it runs 11:30am to 10:00pm with food at lunch and in the evening, and Sunday it is open 12:00pm to 8:00pm with food until 5:00pm. The pub also has a bit of film history attached to it, as scenes from Steven Spielberg's 2010 film War Horse were shot here.

For anyone who wants to walk off lunch, the area is well set up for it. The Meavy and Burrator Circular is about four miles and relatively easy, with some steep sections and stiles, and it is at its best in late spring among the bluebell woods. A more strenuous version, the Meavy and Burrator Reservoir walk, runs 4.2 miles along public footpaths, lanes and part of the Drakes Trail, crossing the Devonport Leat, which was built in the late 18th century to supply the Plymouth dockyards at the urging of Sir Francis Drake two centuries earlier. There is a notice of the old oak along the way, and parking is at Lowery Car Park, north of Meavy off the B3212, about 1.8 miles from Yelverton. The Meavy, Burrator Reservoir and Sheepstor walk is 4.3 miles and fairly easy, returning via Sheepstor village and along the reservoir, though parking near Burrator Dam is limited. For something longer, the Drake's Trail Walking Spur 2 runs 4.7 miles at a moderate grade, starting near the Royal Oak and following Drake's Leat, which was built in 1591 and runs 18 miles long and six feet wide, before climbing above Burrator Reservoir with views over Plymouth Sound. A circular loop around Burrator Reservoir itself is five miles and easy, taking about an hour and forty-five minutes through woodland, past the ruins of Longstone Manor and a small waterfall.

Getting there is straightforward. From Plympton you can take Boringdon Hill, or from Yelverton you can follow Meavy Lane. If you are coming from West Devon or Plymouth, the A386 to Yelverton and then a moorland road is the way, and parking is usually available along the lanes in the village. With the 900-year-old oak, a community pub and a choice of walks all within easy reach, it makes for a quiet, low-effort day out on the moor.