Emsworthy Mire

This 99-hectare nature reserve sits below Saddle Tor, where Becka and Snodderbottom Brooks run through wet mire, rough pasture and woodland. It feels like Dartmoor in miniature: dry-stone walls, open moorland, granite tors on the skyline, and the ruins of a moorland farm abandoned in the 1870s. I'd keep it for a quiet half-day walk, especially if you're here for bluebells rather than a dramatic summit.

The waymarked route drops from Saddle Tor South car park, following the farm wall downhill to the signed reserve gate. The paths are uneven and unsurfaced, with boardwalk sections; in wet weather they can be rocky, muddy and boggy. Around the old barn, the reserve opens into broad bluebell fields. The display is usually strongest around mid- to late May, although the timing shifts with the season. Dogs must be on leads.

The wet ground is part of the point: sphagnum and sundews show how this mire supports plants adapted to boggy conditions, while cuckoos, snipe and redstarts are among the birds recorded here. From the higher slopes, look across the reserve towards the surrounding tors. For the classic photograph, follow the established path to the old stone barn and frame it with the bluebells, mossy walls and the moorland behind it.