Elinor Dashwood’s guide to Devon: wild moors, rickety antiques and historic pubs for the ultimate Jane Austen escape

There are few places in the world I know and love quite as much as Devon. I spent much of my youth growing up in the county that’s sandwiched between Dorset and Cornwall, exploring its woods, rolling hills and beaches, as well as its creaking old pubs and other assorted watering holes. With ancient lore baked into its bones, it’s little wonder this corner of the West Country has captured the imaginations of writers for centuries. Among all that verdant countryside, there really is magic at every turn.

Jane Austen knew it. She spent time in Devon with her family in the early 19th century and, later, set much of Sense and Sensibility there. After leaving behind the grandeur of Norland, the Dashwoods move to Barton Cottage, on a fictional estate a few miles from Exeter. Their new abode may be considerably more modest than the home they have left behind, but its surroundings are thoroughly romantic: nestled in a valley, backing out onto high hills, and winding lanes, bucolic downs, woods, knolls and streams all around. It is nothing if not idyllic.

With a new adaptation of Sense and Sensibility heading to cinemas this September, I decided to explore my hometown through the eyes of the book’s heroine, Elinor Dashwood (played by Daisy Edgar-Jones in the upcoming film). From windswept walks to antique hunting, these are the places I think a modern-day Dashwood would frequent – and possibly fall in love along the way.

Explore Dartmoor National Park

Much of the Devon landscape you’ll see in this year’s adaptation is filmed in Dartmoor National Park, where vast stretches of open moorland are punctuated by granite tors, swirling rivers and plenty of wildlife – birds of prey, otters and, yes, Dartmoor ponies. Much of the production was based around Princetown, Tavistock and Gutter Tor near Yelverton, with Edgar-Jones knowingly referring to filming on “stormy Dartmoor” in a recent interview. There are countless walks through the national park, whether you want a gentle ramble or something more dramatic. AllTrails is particularly useful for finding routes on the go, but whichever direction you head in, expect sweeping views and the kind of wild landscape that feels made for an Austen heroine.