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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Mary Tavy
Skip unless you have a car and want a quiet Dartmoor base for walking or riding: half a day is enough to see the village and Brentor church.
Mary Tavy is a small Dartmoor village on the River Tavy, with a pub, a few walks and the hilltop church of St Michael de Rupe on nearby Brentor. It works as a stop between Tavistock and the A30 or as a one-night base for exploring western Dartmoor, but has no shops or major sights of its own.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (short days, cold and wet)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £50–80 excl. bed · Mid £80–130 excl. bed · High £130+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Police 999 · Fire and ambulance 999 · NHS non-urgent 111
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Pint of ale at the Mary Tavy Inn | £4.50–5.50 |
| Sunday roast at the inn | £12–16 |
| 1-hour horse ride at Cholwell | £25 (check) |
| Coffee at a Tavistock café | £2.50–3.50 |
| Petrol per litre | £1.45–1.55 (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- EXT · Exeter Airport
- About 1 h 15 min drive via A30 and A386
- NQY · Newquay Airport
- About 1 h 30 min drive
Typical fares
- Exeter Airport → Mary Tavy (car)
- about 1 h 15 min, 50 miles
- Tavistock → Mary Tavy (car)
- about 10 min, 5 miles
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
You need a car. No bus service covers the village directly; the A386 has a limited bus between Tavistock and Okehampton (check timetable). Walking paths connect Mary Tavy to Peter Tavy and Brentor.
See and do
Known for
- St Michael de Rupe church on Brentor
- Walking on Dartmoor
- Cholwell Riding Stables
- Dartmoor Gliding Society
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tavistock | Car via A386, about 10 min | 15 min |
| Lydford | Car via B386, about 10 min | 15 min |
| Princetown | Car via B3357, about 20 min | 25 min |
| Buckfastleigh | Car via A386 and A38, about 30 min | 40 min |
Sleep
- Mary Tavy village
- The Mary Tavy Inn is the only accommodation; book ahead in summer.
- Tavistock
- 5 miles south, more choices and a town centre.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Helloheh-loh |
| Thank you | Thank youthank yoo |
| One pint of ale, please | One pint of ale, pleasewun pint ov ayl pleez |
| Where is the toilet? | Where is the toilet?wair iz thuh toy-let |
| How much is it? | How much is it?how much iz it |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- No shops or cash machine in the village; stock up in Tavistock.
- Mobile reception can be patchy on the moor.
- Brentor church is on a steep hill; wear sturdy shoes.
Very safe. The main risks are weather on the moor (sudden fog, cold) and livestock on unfenced roads. Carry a map and warm layers.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Mary Tavy yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- St Michael de Rupe church on Brentor
- Walking on Dartmoor
- Cholwell Riding Stables
- Dartmoor Gliding Society
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Mary Tavy Inn: www.marytavyinn.co.uk/
- Dartmoor Gliding Society: www.dartmoorgliding.co.uk
- Wikivoyage: Mary Tavy, revision 4982965 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4982965
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/mary-tavy). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.