Dartmoor visitor centres set to reopen
Two of Dartmoor National Park’s visitor centres will reopen on July 25.
Centres at Haytor and Princetown will open their doors once more, with measures to help people social distance safely and under limited opening hours.
Both will initially be open from 10am – 3pm seven days a week.
People will be able to speak with information advisers and buy gifts, Dartmoor Range products and maps and guides.
The exhibitions and gallery spaces at Princetown remain closed for the time being.
One way systems will be in place and there will be limits on the amounts of people being able to go into the centres at any one time. This will help people socially distance easily and keep staff safe too.
The visitor centres are accredited to Visit Britain’s ‘We’re Good to Go’ standard meaning people can be assured they are adhering to public health guidance. Measures are under constant review, in line with Government regulations and guidelines.
Dartmoor National Park Authority’s Visitor Services Manager Rebecca Martin said: “It’s been nearly four months since we closed our doors to help stop the spread of Covid-19 and we cannot wait to reopen and welcome people back to Dartmoor National Park.
“We know that people are enjoying Dartmoor more than ever and many will want to pop into our visitor centres to see what they have to offer and find out how they can make the most of their trip to Dartmoor, while staying safe.
“We’ve worked really hard to make sure we are following all Government measures so we continue to keep visitors, staff, volunteers and local communities safe as lockdown measures ease.
“It means we’ve needed to avoid creating situations where we carefully manage numbers in our visitor centres at any one time. It’s a new concept to us too, so we ask that people bear with us. Our exhibition spaces will follow in time when it’s safe to do so.”
Help us to keep Dartmoor special by following simple guidelines like taking all litter home, not staying overnight in motorhomes in any car parks, laybys or parking areas – it’s against byelaws – and keeping dogs on leads at all times.
Taking a ‘low or no’ impact approach means you’re helping Dartmoor’s unique wildlife remains healthy and visitors and residents alike can continue to enjoy its wild and rugged spaces.
The extended and updated visitor centre at Postbridge will open mid-August. The new centre will feature state of the art interpretation celebrating the wealth of Bronze Age archeology to be found in the area and significant discoveries from Whitehorse Hill over a single level space that is accessible for all.
The project has been funded by the Rural Development Programme for England as part of its Rural Growth Programme.
