Steeped in myth and legend, Crazywell Pool is not one for the superstitious. Although the pool is of course not bottomless, and I doubt the water “calls out the next parishioner to die at dusk”, it’s still a wild place to visit, especially on a gloomy and foreboding day - the kind that Dartmoor is famous for!
The pool sits high on the moors, but is hidden away from view until you are almost on top of it. Before arriving I thought it would be small, more like a mountain tarn, but it’s actually bigger than an olympic pool and perfect for swimming long lengths.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting the mysterious Crazywell Pool.
The walk to Crazywell Pool
The stats
Distance: 1.3 miles (2.1 km) each way
Elevation gain: 130m
Difficulty: Easy
The walk to Crazywell Pool is not flat, but the elevation gain is so gradual, that it’s by no means a difficult walk.
The terrain is good and there is only one very short section that has loose soil - genuinely just a few steps. Other than that the walk is a breeze and only takes around 30 minutes.
It’s also worth noting that there are a couple of different routes to the pool, our route starts from Burrator Reservoir, more details on parking at the end of the post.
The trail
From the car park, you turn right and head along the road, over the small stone bridge and then you’ll see a trail on the right after 100m.
The stony path comes to a fork and you keep right (heading east), following the trail gently uphill. It’s a wide path which is rocky underfoot, but generally easy to walk on.
You’ll keep heading gradually uphill and come to a no unauthorised vehicle sign after 1km. Head right here, and the path continues in much the same way.
You’ll have a forestry plantation on your left and the moors on your right. The views get better as the trail continues and you’re likely to see lots of gorgeous Dartmoor ponies.
After 1.3km the path begins to flatten, and after another couple of hundred metres, you leave the edge of the forest behind and are now walking with open moorland on both sides.
Roughy 400m after you leave the edge of the forest, and 1.9km into the trail, you’ll cross a small stream - it had reduced to a trickle on our visit, but even if there is more water, there are small rocks to use as stepping stones.
Right beside the stream crossing, there is a track on the left which leads up on to the moor. It’s the only section of track which has a little loose soil, but it’s only a few steps and then you’ll come to a grassy path.
On the hill to the right you’ll see the Crazywell Cross, which marks the ancient track between the Buckfast and Tavistock Abbeys.
However the path to the pool is on your left, just 150m beyond the stream crossing. You won’t see the pool until you’ve taken that path, but the trail itself is worn down and obvious.
You will then be standing above the pool and have a couple of minutes walk downhill to the water’s edge.
Swimming at Crazywell Pool
Crazywell Pool is huge, nothing like the small mountain tarn I had envisaged in my mind. Although it looks it, it’s actually not a natural lake, but thought to be a flooded tin mine shaft.
It’s a pretty spot, and perfect for a sunset swim - which was our original intention. Unfortunately a storm was predicted at sunset, so we have to save that experience for another day!
Conditions aside it’s a lovely place to swim as the water is fairly warm (by UK standards) and once you move past the shore there are no submerged rocks, so you can swim without ever worrying about knocking into anything.
The water was green and not as clear as other Dartmoor swimming spots, but that kind of tied in with the myths about it being bottomless, so it felt fitting.
It might not be for everyone though, as I know some people find it a bit unnerving if you can’t see through to the bottom.
Getting into the water is easy as it’s a sandy/muddy bottom, so there’s no worries about slippery rocks. It also gets deep pretty quickly.
Keep them wild
Please remember to take all rubbish with you and keep these places wild and pristine - as with anywhere in the outdoors. It’s important to leave them exactly as you found them so they will remain beautiful for generations to come.
Parking for Crazywell Pool
To use the same route as us, you need to park at Norsworthy Bridge Car Park - you can find it on Google Maps by clicking here.
The car park is free of charge, but it doesn’t have any facilities, including toilets.
The car park is located 40 minutes from Widecombe in the Moor, 50 minutes from Ashburton and 25 minutes from Tavistock.
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