Tavy Cleave is a glorious wild swimming spot, located on wild moorland, under the gaze of several dramatic tors. A picturesque cascade runs into the pool and there’s nothing but gorgeous Dartmoor countryside for as far as the eye can see.
Although the water hole is stunning, it’s not just for wild swimmers. The walk itself is really pretty, and the rock platforms around the pool make for a wonderful place for a picnic, with plenty of room to spread out in the sunshine.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Tavy Cleave.
The walk to Tavy Cleave
The stats
Distance: 3.1 miles (5km) return
Elevation gain: 70m
Difficulty: Easy
The walk to Tavy Cleave is generally easy, there’s very little in the way of hills and a good path for much of the way. There is one short section of rocky terrain and a boggy patch, which can be traversed using the rocks.
The walk is not signposted, but it’s generally easy to follow and we have exact directions in the notes below.
Starting the trail
Lane End car park, Willsworthy
From the car park the walk heads east, up the gravel road.
After 400m of flat easy walking, you’ll pass a farm on the right and take the grassy path leading gently uphill on your left. There’s no set trail through the field, you’re basically heading for the stream, which is under 250m away and just through the gate.
From here the narrow gravel path is very easy to follow, taking you alongside the stream with increasingly beautiful views.
The trail is flat and leisurely and it’s not long before you are passing below the picturesque tors. We were lucky to be walking in July when heather had begun blanketing the hillsides.
To the first swimming hole
Co-ordinates: 50.627201, -4.053321
I knew Tavy Cleave itself would be lovely, but I didn’t have expectations for the walk and it was stunning. Some of the tors were particularly sheer, which gave it a more dramatic feel.
After following the stream for almost 1km (1.6km into the trail), you can choose to take a short detour to another swimming hole that’s located just before the pump house.
You turn off the main path and then follow the grassy/rocky ‘track’ (there’s no set trail as such) downhill and right and after 80m you’ll come to a large pool.
It’s a great spot, and would be good for a dip, but it’s not as spectacular as the main pool. It is however, off the main track and we didn’t see another soul here, so it’s ideal for a quiet swim.
Continuing on to Tavy Cleave
Once back on the main trail, you’ll see the small pump house just ahead of you.
The track to Tavy Cleave (which is now 700m away) continues around the side of the pump house. From here it gets a little rocky.
It’s easy enough, but not the smooth path it’s been up to now. Although you can make your own route from here, we found it easiest to stick close to the water for the first 50m. You can pick your way along the rocks, and then head uphill and a little away from the creek, onto a dirt track.
We followed the dirt track (which was defined and easy) until we hit a section of bog.
From here we headed back down to the rocks and rock hopped through the muddy section, before heading back onto the dirt track when we cleared the bog.
The rocky and boggy sections only last for a few hundred metres, so although this is not as good a path as along the rest of the walk, it’s also very doable.
We were walking during a particularly dry spell though, so you may need to rock hop for longer if the mud has expanded.
The final few hundred metres to Tavy Cleave are all on a good track, with just a few rocky bits, and it’s very scenic.
The main swimming spot at Tavy Cleave
Co-ordinates: 50.6294608, -4.0452671
Roughly 2.6km into the walk you’ll arrive at Tavy Cleave (if you don’t visit the first pool it will be a little shorter).
The pool is stunning, surrounded by towering tors, which give you that feeling of being dwarfed by nature. The cascades and rock shelves make it especially picturesque, and it’s also surprisingly large.
When it comes to swimming, the one downside is that the vast majority of the pool is very shallow. It’s more of a plunge pool than somewhere to go for a proper swim.
There was only one small section when you could do a few strokes, but to be honest, this pool is somewhere you go just to relax in the water.
The temperature was pretty warm by UK standards, but ideally you also want a hot day, as you can’t really swim to warm up.
Accessing the water is easy, you just need to walk down a couple of grippy rocks (when dry) and straight into the pool.
There is a shallow rock shelf, so you’ll want to go carefully over that, as it can be a little slippery. Once you’re over the shelf you’ll be in deeper water, although adults will never be out of their depth.
Once you’re ready to leave the pool, you’ll probably find the walk back a little quicker, as you know which way to go over the rocky, boggy section.
The best time to visit Tavy Cleave
Tavy Cleave can be a popular spot on warm sunny weekends and during school holidays. There is a lot of room to spread out and people don’t tend to stay in the water long, but if you want a solitary dip, come early or late during peak season.
If there has been very heavy rainfall the water levels can rise and the pool may not be suitable for swimming. The upside is the cascades will be in full flow, which would make for some lovely photos.
Parking for Tavy Cleave
The free car park for Tavy Cleave is called “Lane End Car Park” and can be found on Google Maps.
It’s a gravel car park and not huge, but even on a really hot day in the summer holidays we still got a space. There are no facilities whatsoever at the car park and this includes toilets.
There is a firing range in the vicinity of Tavy Cleave, but when it’s not in operation, access is not restricted. You can see when firing is taking place here. There will also be flags up so you won’t get caught out. You can see the firing timetable for up to six weeks ahead and during our visit there was no firing at all in the whole period, so it’s unlikely to disrupt your trip unless you’re unlucky.
Keep them wild
Please remember to take all rubbish with you and keep these places wild and pristine - as with anywhere in the outdoors. It’s important to leave them exactly as you found them so they will remain beautiful for generations to come.
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