Warren House Inn

Warren House Inn is a remote stone-built pub on the B3212, the cross-moor road between Moretonhampstead and Yelverton. At about 434 metres (1,425 feet), it sits in open, exposed country, well away from a village. It makes sense as a proper break in the drive for lunch, a pint, or a short look over the moor. The main building is north of the road; the inn’s garden is directly opposite at the moor’s edge, so even a quick wander outside means crossing the B3212.

The present building dates to 1845, replacing an earlier inn across the road. It served tin miners at Vitifer, Birch Tor and Golden Dagger; Golden Dagger was the last of those mines to close, in 1930. “New House” was the inn’s earlier name, while “Warren” is tied to the rabbit warrens on this stretch of moor. The hearth has its own story: tradition says smouldering peat embers were carried from the old inn to this one in 1845. Treat the claim that a fire has burned continuously since then as folklore, not a documented record.

This is a destination for a sit-down pub meal as well as a pause in the drive. The rabbit Warreners Pie is the distinctive dish; the menu also lists steak-and-ale pies made with Dartmoor beef, ploughman’s lunches, soups and Sunday roast. Real ales and local cider are part of the offer, too. If you would rather stretch your legs, the rocky outcrop of nearby Birch Tor opens out to a wider view over the moor.

Parking is described along the roadside beside the inn, but exact bay markings and capacity are unclear. The pub and its moorland garden are on opposite sides of the B3212, so treat the crossing as part of the stop. For a photo, look back from the garden with the pale buildings and open moor in frame; that setting says more than a close crop of the facade. This is high, exposed ground: in the hard winter of 1963, snow cut the inn off for about 12 weeks and supplies came by helicopter.