Dartmoor's Best Cream Teas

Just-baked scones, gooey clotted cream and lashings of strawberry jam - no holiday in Devon is complete without a traditional cream tea. We pick our favourite cream teas on Dartmoor.

Hotel Endsleigh, Tavistock

Our favourite Devon cream tea is at The Endsleigh, where supersized offerings are served in the sublime setting of an Elizabethan mansion house. Just-baked scones are served up with help-yourself quenelles of thick, clotted cream and gloopy strawberry jam, alongside fragrant loose-leaf tea in bone china cups. The wood-panelled drawing room has log fires and views of the Tamar Valley. Work up an appetite beforehand with a stroll around the stunning Grade-I listed gardens.

Bovey Castle

Huge stone fireplaces, soaring ceilings, ornate panelling, squishy sofas and terraces with epic views make Bovey Castle one of the grandest places on Dartmoor to eat cream tea. As a guest of Moorland View, you have complimentary membership and 15% off your tea. Book ahead.
North Bovey

Gidleigh Park, Chagford

For a Michelin-starred cream tea, look no further than Gidleigh Park, a grand Tudor-style country manor hotel, set in 107 acres of Dartmoor woodland outside Chagford. Work up an appetite with a walk around the beautiful grounds. 

Fingle Bridge Inn, Drewsteignton

Cream teas are best enjoyed after a long walk, making Fingle Bridge Inn, on one of Dartmoor’s prettiest hiking trails, is the perfect destination. It’s not the most gourmet cream tea you’ll ever taste but this inn’s stunning location on the banks of the River Teign makes up for it. Look out kingfishers and woodpeckers darting between shaded pools, and for trout, salmon and otters frolicking in deep, clear waters. Just by the inn is age-old Fingle bridge, which has recessed buttresses for packhorses to pass. The inn has a sunny terrace overlooking the river and an open fire for wintery days.

Birdcage, Chagford

This pretty and friendly little cafe on Chagford’s main square serves delicious cream teas at a fabulous price.

The Old Forge, Chagford

This tea room in a converted forge in Chagford village centre serves up fantastic scones, alongside other delicious cakes.

Gateway Tea Room, Moretonhampstead

This traditional tea-room in Moretonhampstead offers a nostalgic take on the traditional cream tea. Expect dollies, net curtains and mismatched bone china. Don’t let the old-fashioned feel put you off - these are some of the best scones this side of Dartmoor.

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