River Dart Country Park

About Us 

Holne Park House and the surrounding estate have been owned by the Simpson family for the past 75 years.

The House itself was built as a private family home between 1885 and 1906 and lived in by the Dawson family until the 1930's. Since then there have been a variety of occupants, from the RAF during the war, a hotel and later an outward-bound training centre. The house itself has undergone a major refurbishment in 2006 and is available for weddings and receptions, private functions and conferences.

The River Dart Country Park opened in 1976, established by Mark Simpson's parents, and the continuous investment in facilitilies ensures a top quality experience for all to enjoy.

We take pleasure in providing a beautiful setting and base from where you can really experience the unique wonders of Dartmoor and South Devon. Everything you need to enjoy the great outdoors is close by, from the wonderful South Devon coast, the cathedral city of Exeter and the numerous visitor attractions in the region.

Within just a few miles of us are the award winning Pennywell Farm, Buckfast Abbey (home of the famous Tonic Wine), the romantic South Devon Steam Railway and for those interested in brewing, Tuckers Maltings!

Environmental Policy

The spectacular setting and wealth of wildlife on and around the park are important to us. Our environmental policy is such that we wish to enhance this. The company has dramatically reduced its Carbon Footprint by constructing our own hydro-electric generator using water from the river. This means we are self sufficient for 8 months of the year and it reduces our electricity consumption in the busy summer months. The unique hydro-dynamic screw (the first in the UK) was a finalist in the Regen South West Awards and has just won the DEBI (Devon Environmental Business Initiative) Award for 2007.

We have saved from April 2007 until Christmas over 200 tons of carbon and for 2008 we expect this to be in the region of 270 tons, having generated over 300,000 kWh of electricity worth in excess of £30,000.

We use environmentally friendly cleaning chemicals which contain no chlorine, our disposable plates, cups and cutlery are all biodegradable and we source our food from local producers and suppliers as much as possible.

We ask that all visitors and guests respect the Park and do their bit by keeping the site clean and not dropping litter. For 2008 we introducing recycling points and we ask all guests to sort their waste accordingly.