This extensive area of remote and wild land contains the highest land in Dartmoor, rising to 621m at High Willhays. Large expanses of blanket bog, heather and grass moorland form broad, uninterrupted skylines broken only by the occasional tor or rock outcrop. The landscape is crossed by a network of streams and valley mires, with thick deposits of peat and blanket bogs which form the sources of many of the major rivers of Devon including the Dart, Teign and Taw. The high levels of tranquillity and remoteness are occasionally interrupted by sounds relating to the long-standing military use of the moor. The strong time-depth of the landscape is reflected in a rich archaeological resource of human activity over many millennia. The high, open moorland affords expansive and panoramic views across the surrounding lower landscapes within the National Park and as far beyond as Exmoor.
This area comprises the unsettled northern parts of High Dartmoor, north of the Dart valley and south of Okehampton. It contains some of the most remote and elevated landscapes within Dartmoor National Park. To the south and east is a gradual transition to Central Dartmoor, and to the west to the Tavistock Dartmoor Fringes. To the north is a more abrupt boundary with the Moretonhamptead Moorland Fringes and the Upper Tamar Tributary Valleys, marked by the change from open moorland to enclosed fields.
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policies/landscape/dartmoor-area/high-dartmoor-north
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policies/landscape/devon-character-areas
Planning Strategy
To protect the open and remote character of this landscape within Dartmoor National Park, strengthening its special qualities and conserving its distinctive open skylines. Its rich archaeological heritage – reflecting thousands of years of human interaction – is protected. Internationally important habitats are managed and enhanced through traditional upland farming practices, whilst ensuring the landscape’s resilience to climate change is strengthened to benefit the wider National Park and its surrounding communities. The visual and physical impacts of the area’s military use are minimised.