Haytor & Widecombe

Head west from Exeter and climb straight onto the moor. Haytor is Dartmoor’s most famous granite outcrop for good reason — a short, scrambly walk to the top rewards you with a view clear across to the coast, and there’s a level car park right beneath it (the ice-cream van is usually there too). Wild ponies and sheep roam free, so keep the dog close.

Drop down into Widecombe-in-the-Moor, the picture-postcard village gathered round the tall-towered church they call the Cathedral of the Moor. The lanes in are narrow and steep, so take a larger motorhome slowly. Parkers Farm, an award-winning family park near Ashburton just off the A38, makes an easy first-night base for any van — with farm animals and a dog field into the bargain. Smaller campervans who’d rather wake up right on the moor could try Cockingford Farm, a rustic spot by Widecombe (its lanes are too tight for the larger motorhomes).

Lydford Gorge & Tavistock

Cross the top of the moor to its wild north-west edge and Lydford Gorge — the deepest gorge in the South West, where the River Lyd tumbles through ancient oak woodland to the 30-metre White Lady waterfall and the churning Devil’s Cauldron. It’s a proper walk with steps and drops, and a good National Trust café at the end.

Then down to Tavistock, a handsome old stannary town on the edge of the Tamar Valley. Its Pannier Market has traded under one roof since Victorian times, the abbey ruins are lovely to wander, and it’s a fine place to restock the van before the coast.

Saltram & Plymouth

Ease off the moor towards the water at Saltram, a grand Georgian mansion set in sweeping parkland above the Plym — you may recognise it as Norland Park from the film of Sense and Sensibility. The estate walks and the chapel café make a gentle morning, with room for larger vans in the car park.

Then into Plymouth itself. Leave the van and walk the Hoe, the grassy headland where Drake supposedly finished his game of bowls, then wander down to the Barbican’s cobbled streets and the Mayflower Steps, where the Pilgrims set sail for the New World. Good fish, deep history, and a gin distillery that’s been going since 1793.

Bigbury-on-Sea & Salcombe

Now for the sea-bright heart of the trip. At Bigbury-on-Sea, a broad surf beach faces Burgh Island, cut off at high tide and reached by an extraordinary sea tractor that trundles across the sand to the Art Deco hotel and its smugglers’ pub, the Pilchard Inn. Time your crossing with the tide.

Carry on to Salcombe, Devon’s chic sailing town at the mouth of a sparkling ria — all pastel boutiques, crab sandwiches and bobbing boats. A word to the wise: Salcombe’s streets are steep and impossibly narrow, and parking a camper in town is a non-starter. Base up at Bolberry House Farm out on the cliffs above, and take the bus or a ferry in.

Slapton Sands & Dartmouth

Follow the coast to Start Bay and Slapton Sands — a long shingle bar with the open sea on one side and the freshwater lagoon of Slapton Ley on the other, a nature reserve alive with birds. It carries a poignant history, too: this was the D-Day rehearsal ground for Exercise Tiger, remembered by the Sherman tank at Torcross. The Start Bay Caravan & Motorhome Club site sits right behind the beach.

Then up to Dartmouth, the Dart’s handsome naval town of steep, colour-washed houses, with the Royal Naval College on the hill and boats everywhere you look. A river cruise, or the little passenger ferry across to Kingswear, is the way to see it from the water.

The English Riviera

Cross the Dart — the higher or lower ferry saves a long inland detour — and follow the English Riviera home. Torquay does palm-lined promenades, a pretty harbour and Agatha Christie heritage (she was born here); it’s the brash, cheerful seaside day of the trip, and Widdicombe Farm just above town makes a handy last-night stop.

Then a final gentle run to Teignmouth, a Georgian seaside town where the estuary meets the sea, with a proper pier and a working quay — before the short hop back up the coast to Exeter, and the loop closed.

Three quick things