Chagford Swimming Pool
Local highlightHand-dug by Chagford people in 1933, a river-fed pool beside the Teign on Dartmoor's edge, now warmed by heat pumps and solar
Open to visitorsopen May to early September; pay on arrival, no booking — check times before you go
Residents of Chagford dug this pool by hand in 1933, on land the Hayter-Hames family entrusted to the town. Water comes in from the River Teign along a mill leat, a man-made channel that once turned the water wheel at Rushford Farm, and the volunteers who run Chagford Swimming Pool describe it as the largest river-fed open-air pool in the South West. Air-source heat pumps and solar panels now warm the river water to about 27°C, so a swim here is comfortable rather than bracing. A volunteer committee still runs everything. The season runs from May to early September; you pay on arrival, and there’s no booking. Castle Drogo, the granite castle Edwin Lutyens built for Julius Drewe in the early 20th century, is about 2.5km north-east.
