Ashburton punches above its weight for a town of its size. The medieval stannary history shows in the architecture, the independent shops are better than most market towns manage, and the surrounding Dartmoor landscape — tors, rivers, and moorland — is immediately accessible from the high street.
The River Ashburn runs through the lower part of town and down to join the Dart. Buckland Beacon is a short drive and an easy walk, with views across the whole of southern Dartmoor. Buckfast Abbey, two miles north, is one of the genuinely impressive monastic buildings in Devon. St Andrew's Church at the bottom of the main street is the town's medieval centrepiece.
Pridhamsleigh Cavern is an accessible wild cave on the outskirts of town — a Devon curiosity that most visitors don't know about. Holne Bridge is a medieval crossing point over the Dart and a good starting point for walking in the Dart Valley.