Short answer: Okehampton holds up in winter because it is a working town rather than a holiday one — the pubs stay open and the train still runs to Exeter. The high moor above the town is a different matter: exposed, saturated and dark by half past four.
This is the winter advantage. Okehampton does not empty out in November the way the coastal villages do, because people live and work here. The pubs keep their hours, the shops open, and the station runs regardless of the season.
The northern moor above Okehampton is the highest and most exposed part of Dartmoor, and in winter that is a serious proposition rather than a bracing one. The ground is saturated, there is no shelter, the cloud comes down without warning and it is dark by half past four in December.
Check firing times before walking out, in any season. Red flags fly when the ranges are live. The information is published in advance and checking it takes a minute.
Bellever Forest, with £5 all-day parking. Trees take the wind out of a Dartmoor day and the forestry tracks are firmer than open moor underfoot. On a wild January afternoon it is the difference between a walk and a retreat.
Because the moor is empty, and the northern moor in winter — bare, wet, enormous — is more impressive than it is in August. If you are equipped for it and you check the forecast and the flags, this is Dartmoor at its most itself.
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