2 Best Sights in Chagford, The West Country

Although this castle northeast of Chagford looks like a stout medieval fortress, complete with battlements, it was actually built between 1911 and 1931. Designed by noted architect Sir Edwin Lutyens for Julius Drewe, a wealthy grocer, and constructed entirely of local granite, the castle combines medieval grandeur with early-20th-century comforts and includes a collection of Flemish and French tapestries—most notably one made for Louis XIV. There are fantastic views over Dartmoor's Teign Valley, and the grounds are well worth a prolonged wander, with paths leading down to the river at Fingle Bridge. Open-air theater and other events are occasionally held here in summer. Turn off the A30 Exeter–Okehampton road at Whiddon Down to reach the castle.

One of the Southwest's most important contemporary arts and crafts centers is in a converted 19th-century coach house in the village of Bovey Tracey, 10 miles southeast of Chagford and 14 miles southwest of Exeter. The center has excellent exhibitions of local, national, and international crafts, as well as shops and a café.