The Race
| Next Race Date | 11 April 2027 |
|---|---|
| Course type | Loop: a single route sharing one start and finish point at Bedford Square, Tavistock, looping anticlockwise through Dartmoor National Park past Burrator Reservoir (around 10.5 km) and Princetown / Dartmoor Prison (around 25.2 km) |
| Registration | Open, direct online entry via the official Dartmoor Marathon site, no ballot |
| Ballot Opens | Not applicable: open entry, no ballot |
| Total finishers | Not confirmed |
| Avg race-day temp | Not confirmed. Early April on Dartmoor is genuinely variable and weather-exposed, with open moorland offering little shelter from wind or rain |
| Cutoff time | Not confirmed |
| Free race-day transport | Not confirmed. No parking, shuttle or road-closure information has been located for this race |
| Course certification | UK Athletics / England Athletics race licence 29844, shown on the official event page. No AIMS certification or World Athletics label is published |
A Marathon Returning After Roughly 40 Years
The Dartmoor Marathon returned in 2026 after approximately 40 years away, reviving a marathon based in Tavistock rather than continuing under the identity of the separate, historic Dartmoor Vale Marathon previously associated with Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton. This is a genuinely new chapter for the race, which means runner-report coverage and year-on-year operational consistency are both still building. The course itself loops through Dartmoor National Park, passing Burrator Reservoir and Dartmoor Prison at Princetown, a genuinely hilly, exposed route across open moorland. Runners considering this race should treat it as a scenic, demanding West Country marathon still re-establishing its operational track record, not as a long-established fixture with decades of consistent runner feedback to draw on.
History
The Dartmoor Marathon returned in 2026 after roughly 40 years away, reviving a marathon based in Tavistock, Devon, rather than continuing under the identity of the separate, historic Dartmoor Vale Marathon associated with Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton. The two events share a regional name but nothing else, and this page covers only the active, current Tavistock-based race. The race starts and finishes at Bedford Square in the centre of Tavistock, a market town on the western edge of Dartmoor National Park, and loops through the National Park itself, passing Burrator Reservoir, Dartmoor Prison at Princetown, and the free-roaming Dartmoor ponies that are one of the moor’s defining sights. The event carries a UK Athletics and England Athletics race licence, number 29844 on the current listing. No organiser name, founding history before the 40-year gap, or finisher-count history has been published.
The course
The Dartmoor Marathon starts and finishes at Bedford Square, Tavistock, PL19 0AQ, looping out through Dartmoor National Park. From Tavistock the route climbs onto the open moor, passing Burrator Reservoir around the 10.5 km mark, a reservoir set within wooded, hilly terrain on the southwestern edge of the moor, before continuing through more exposed, higher ground toward Princetown and Dartmoor Prison around the 25.2 km mark, the imposing former prison building that remains one of the moor’s most recognisable landmarks. The course’s highest point, above 450m, arrives shortly after Princetown, around 27 km. The steepest climbing is on the B3212 out of Dousland, about 90 m in 1.5 km from around km 20, and the steepest ground of all is the descent off the moor on the B3357 past Merrivale and down Pork Hill, which drops about 340 m between km 27.7 and km 35, at up to 8 per cent, with two short climbs in between. Dartmoor ponies, semi-wild and free-roaming across the open moorland, are highlighted by the organiser as a defining sight along the route. This is a genuinely hilly course through open National Park terrain, climbing from around 80m at the start to above 450m at its highest point. Total climb is not confirmed: the organiser publishes no figure.
Course Map
The map shows the loop route from Bedford Square, Tavistock, through Dartmoor National Park past Burrator Reservoir and Princetown, and back to Tavistock. Tap a marker for details, and scrub the slider or press play to move the orange marker along the course with the elevation profile beneath it.
The race starts in the centre of Tavistock before climbing onto the open moor, reaching Burrator Reservoir, a wooded, hilly stretch, around 10.5 km.
A loop round Burrator through Meavy, then about 90 m of climbing in 1.5 km on the B3212 out of Dousland onto open, exposed National Park terrain with little natural shelter, and a steady climb toward Princetown.
The route passes Dartmoor Prison at Princetown around 25.2 km, close to the course’s highest point above 450m near 27 km.
About 380 m of descent off the moor on the B3357 and down Pork Hill, steep in places at up to 8 per cent, broken by two short climbs near Merrivale and Whitchurch, back to Bedford Square, Tavistock, for the finish.
Pacers
Not confirmed. No official pacer programme has been sourced across the official route, event-information or FAQ materials reviewed.
What to wear
Early April on Dartmoor is genuinely variable and weather-exposed, with open moorland offering little natural shelter from wind or rain across much of the course. No confirmed race-day temperature record, headphone policy or mandatory-kit list has been sourced for this race, though given the course’s exposed, remote sections, runners should treat layering and weather preparation with the same seriousness as a rural, hilly trail-adjacent event.
Entry
Entry is direct and online via the official Dartmoor Marathon site, with no ballot. A third-party listing cites a standard entry price of £47 with availability from 20 April 2026, though this should be checked against the official entry checkout. Entry options reportedly include standard paid entry, an elite application route and a community mile, though the specific mechanics, pricing and standards for the elite route have not been confirmed. No refund, transfer or deferral policy has been sourced; check the live official site before booking. No ballot, qualifying-time entry route, charity programme or international tour operator route has been verified.
Fast Runner / GFA Standards
Not confirmed. An elite application route is reportedly offered alongside standard entry, but specific qualifying standards have not been sourced for this race.
Race Weekend
Expo
Not confirmed. No information on an expo, race-pack collection process or pre-race-day registration window has been sourced for this race. This should be checked against the current-year official race instructions closer to race day.
Race Morning
The race starts and finishes at Bedford Square, Tavistock, PL19 0AQ. No start time, bib collection process, baggage drop, toilet provision, road-closure timing or parking detail has been sourced for this race. Given the course’s genuinely rural, exposed setting through Dartmoor National Park, runners should treat pre-race logistics planning as a meaningful task, and check the current-year official race instructions once published.
Nutrition on Course
Not confirmed. No aid-station locations, spacing, water provision or gel and sports-drink availability have been sourced for this race. Given the course’s genuinely rural, exposed route through Dartmoor National Park, this is a meaningful gap that should be closed with the current-year official race instructions.
Spectating
No official spectator guidance has been sourced for this race. Given the course’s route through genuinely rural, exposed Dartmoor National Park terrain, spectator access to mid-course points is likely to require a car and specific knowledge of the moor’s road network. Tavistock itself, as both start and finish, is the most reliable single spectating location without a car, though this has not been officially confirmed.
Itinerary: Base in Tavistock, at Bedford Square, for both the start and finish, given the course returns to the same point. Burrator Reservoir, around 10.5 km, and Princetown, around 25.2 km, are plausible mid-course viewing points given they are named course landmarks, but road access and parking at each should be confirmed before relying on them.
Post-Race Food
Tavistock’s town centre, close to the Bedford Square start and finish, includes the town’s historic pannier market and a range of cafes and pubs suited to a straightforward post-race meal. No specific named restaurant has been sourced with confidence for this race.
Where to Stay
The Dartmoor Marathon starts and finishes at the same location, Bedford Square, Tavistock, so there is no separate start-versus-finish trade-off; every accommodation option here is judged on proximity to that single venue.
Tavistock town centre
The best base for race-morning simplicity, putting runners within walking distance of Bedford Square itself. The Bedford Hotel, in the centre of Tavistock just off the main square, is a genuine, well-established property with 31 rooms, free parking and Dartmoor National Park roughly a mile away, a strong candidate for the closest practical accommodation to the start and finish.
Plymouth
A larger city with considerably more hotel and restaurant capacity and its own rail station, a viable alternative base, though the race-day transfer time to Tavistock should be checked and planned for in advance given Plymouth’s greater distance from the start.
Dartmoor villages and west Dartmoor inns
Scattered across the National Park itself, these offer the most atmospheric possible stay, genuinely within the landscape the race passes through, but are likely to require a car or pre-booked taxi given their rural, dispersed locations.
Recommended areas
A well-established, 31-room hotel in the centre of Tavistock with free parking and Dartmoor National Park roughly a mile away, the most practical named accommodation option close to the start and finish.
Tavistock’s own hotel stock beyond The Bedford Hotel is genuinely limited, as a small Devon market town. No further specific property has been sourced with confidence for this guide.
A larger accommodation base with considerably more capacity than Tavistock, though race-day transfer timing to Bedford Square should be checked and planned for in advance. No specific property has been sourced with confidence for this guide.
Booking timeline
There is no ballot for this race, so demand builds steadily through the standard open-entry window. Tavistock’s own hotel stock is that of a small Devon market town, genuinely limited compared with a major destination city, so runners planning to stay centrally, particularly at a well-known property like The Bedford Hotel, should book reasonably early.
See & Do
These attractions sit close to the shared start and finish at Bedford Square, Tavistock, or directly on the course itself.
Dartmoor National Park viewpoints and tors
Dartmoor’s granite tors and open moorland, the same landscape the marathon route passes through, offer genuinely striking views for a gentler, non-race visit either side of the event.
Burrator Reservoir
Passed directly on the course, around 10.5 km. A reservoir set within wooded, hilly terrain on the southwestern edge of Dartmoor, worth returning to for a proper look after the race.
Princetown and Dartmoor Prison Museum
Passed directly on the course, around 25.2 km. The town surrounding Dartmoor Prison, one of the moor’s most recognisable landmarks, includes a museum covering the prison’s history, a low-effort indoor stop suited to legs recovering from the marathon.
Tavistock town centre and pannier market
At the start and finish itself. Tavistock’s historic pannier market and compact town centre offer an easy, low-effort day either side of race weekend, within walking distance of Bedford Square.
Plymouth waterfront
A short drive or train journey from Tavistock. An easy larger-city extension, with Plymouth’s historic waterfront and Hoe offering a genuine change of scene for runners extending their trip.
Read Before you Run
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Arthur Conan Doyle
Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes novel is set directly on Dartmoor, and its atmospheric depiction of the moor’s fog, isolation and Dartmoor Prison itself, which the marathon route passes directly, gives runners a genuine literary sense of the same landscape they will be running through, a fitting companion for this particular race weekend.
After the Race
The Dartmoor Marathon runs in April. These itineraries stay close to Tavistock and Dartmoor National Park itself or reach Plymouth and the Tamar Valley nearby, suited to legs recovering from a genuinely hilly course.
A gentler, non-race visit to the same granite tors and open moorland the marathon course passes through, best paced slowly the day after.
A low-effort indoor museum stop at one of the moor’s most recognisable landmarks, passed directly on the marathon course itself.
An easy larger-city extension, with Plymouth’s historic waterfront and Hoe offering a genuine change of scene from Dartmoor’s rural setting.
A quieter West Devon river valley extension, suited to runners wanting a slow, rural night away without travelling far from Tavistock itself.
Frequently asked questions
Should I stay near the start or the finish?
They are the same place. The Dartmoor Marathon starts and finishes at Bedford Square, Tavistock, so there is no start-versus-finish trade-off.
How far in advance should I book a hotel?
Reasonably early, given Tavistock’s hotel stock is that of a small Devon market town; The Bedford Hotel, the most centrally located named property, should be booked ahead of race weekend.
Is there free transport to the start?
Not confirmed. No parking, shuttle or road-closure information has been located for this race.
What is the best area to stay?
Tavistock town centre, close to Bedford Square, offers the simplest race-morning logistics. Plymouth offers considerably more accommodation choice but requires a planned race-morning transfer.
When does the expo open?
Not confirmed. No information on an expo or race-pack collection process has been located for this race.
What is the weather typically like?
Not confirmed for a race-day-specific average. Early April on Dartmoor is genuinely variable and weather-exposed, given the course’s open moorland setting.
How do I get from the airport?
Not confirmed. Exeter Airport and Bristol Airport are the geographically plausible nearest options, but no specific transfer route to Tavistock has been confirmed.
Is there a bag drop?
Not confirmed. No bag-drop or baggage-storage arrangement has been located for this race.
Should I bring a throwaway layer?
Genuinely important given the course’s exposed, weather-variable moorland setting, where wind and rain exposure can be significant even without extreme cold.
How do I get back to my hotel after finishing?
Runners staying in Tavistock can walk back from Bedford Square directly. Runners staying in Plymouth or elsewhere should plan their own transport in advance, given the race’s rural setting and the likelihood of road closures around the course.