Okehampton

Okehampton is a town in Devon, England, at the northern edge of Dartmoor, on the River Okement. Like many towns in the West Country, it grew on the Mediaeval wool trade.

Notable buildings in the town include the fifteenth century Chapel of St James, and Okehampton Castle. The town is also home to the Museum of Dartmoor Life.

The substantial army training camp on Dartmoor is reached via Okehampton, and is referred to as "Okehampton Camp".

Okehampton's location at the edge of the moor means that it has always been a route centre. The A30 trunk road now bypasses the town. Okehampton was a station on the former northerly rail route from Exeter to Plymouth via Tavistock. The line from Exeter remains open for freight traffic because of a major quarry just west of Okehampton. Passenger service from Exeter was recently revived, on summer weekends only, in an attempt to reduce motor traffic to the national park. At other times the town is linked to Exeter and North Cornwall by regular bus services.