A century ago, this dramatic building would have thundered to the sound of clanging hammers and grinding metal. It was one of the busiest tool factories in the southwest, turning out hundreds of chisels, knives, shears and scythes a day. Though it's not quite the industrial powerhouse of yesteryear, it's still a working forge, powered by three working watermills. You can drive or cycle here, or follow a 4-mile (3½-hour) walk east along the Tarka Trail from Okehampton.
Finch Foundry
Dartmoor National Park
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
17.36 MILES
Magnificent in warm, honey-coloured stone, Exeter's cathedral is one of Devon’s most impressive ecclesiastical sights. Dating largely from the 12th and…
28.31 MILES
High on Devon’s must-see list, the captivating summer home of crime writer Agatha Christie sits beside the placid River Dart. Part-guided tours allow you…
27.91 MILES
Clovelly is privately owned, and admission is charged at the hilltop visitor centre. The village's cobbled streets are so steep that cars can't cope, so…
28.93 MILES
The honey-grey Regency manor house of Arlington Court exudes charm, from the model ships and shells collected by the owners, to the produce-packed walled…
17.27 MILES
A fixture on the city's cultural scene since Victorian times, this hulking red-brick museum recently received a £24 million revamp. It's a treasure trove…
17.06 MILES
Run by the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), Rosemoor is a must-see source of green-fingered inspiration. One of only four RHS gardens open…
26.69 MILES
The UK's biggest – and perhaps best – aquarium is lodged beside the Barbican harbour. There's a huge amount to see, but the highlight is the impressive…
26.83 MILES
It's a magical effect: 300 often quirky sculptures hidden away in a 4-hectare wooded valley. There's a fairy-tale or comic feel to much of it – slivers of…
Nearby Dartmoor National Park attractions
3.47 MILES
Okehampton's castle dates back to Norman times, and is strategically sited on top of a rocky escarpment. Later it became a sumptuous residence for Hugh…
4.24 MILES
At around 30m in diameter, Scorhill is impressive, despite around half the stones (27) only still standing. It's tucked away on open moor near Gidleigh.
5.75 MILES
Three miles northeast of Chagford, this outlandish architectural flight of fancy was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens for self-made food-millionaire Julius…
6.81 MILES
One of the last remaining patches of ancient woodland left on Dartmoor, this lovely 214-hectare forest was badly marred by the introduction of fast…
6.83 MILES
At this remote site near Chagford, stone circles stand side by side on a stretch of open moor; another stone circle is 400m away near Fernworthy.
8.98 MILES
The remains of 24 Bronze Age houses (often called huts) dot a sprawling 1.45-hectare site that is encircled by an arching 1.5m-high and 7m-wide perimeter…
10.05 MILES
Lydford's diminutive 13th-century castle sits in the heart of the village. Now a compact, roofless, cube, it used to double as a jail and helped make …
10.19 MILES
This plunging gorge is the deepest in the southwest, and can be reached via a 1.5-mile rugged riverside hike past a series of bubbling whirlpools …