What to Do with Ashes in Devon

Find natural burial grounds, sea scattering, memorial diamonds and keepsakes in Devon, from Dartmouth and the South Hams to Dartmoor.

Beer Cross Woodland Burials

Price Range: £500 to £1,000

Beer Cross is six acres of former pasture on the very edge of Dartmoor, planted out eleven years ago with around 3,500 native broadleaf trees. Cherry, field maple, spindle, ash, oak, walnut and hazel. Plots sit within a one acre section of the field, with wide views towards Cosdon Hill, Beacon and Belstone Tor. They take both full burial and Read more…

Orchard Meadows Natural Burials

Orchard Meadows sits at Elley Cross on the border of Yeoford and Colebrooke, with long views over unspoilt Devon countryside. It is a crab apple orchard and meadow rather than woodland, planted with Malus Gorgeous trees that support wildlife and pollinators. That makes it visually quite different to most natural burial grounds, particularly in blossom. All faiths and beliefs are Read more…

Hackpen Natural Burial Ground

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Hackpen sits on a regenerative smallholding in the Culm Valley, where the burial ground runs alongside nature-friendly farming and permaculture. The whole place is being managed to bring biodiversity back rather than simply left alone. They are open about being affordable, which matters and is rarely said out loud in this sector. Families can watch a new woodland grow over Read more…

Bidwell Woodland Burial

Bidwell is a working woodland in South Devon, planted in 1998 with a mix of broadleaf and conifer, with views out to Dartmoor and across the South Hams. It was named Cemetery of the Year by the Good Funeral Guide in 2012. Their approach centres on the cycle of life, with the woodland managed as a perpetual and sustainable space Read more…

South Hams Natural Burial Ground

South Hams Natural Burial Ground is woodland at Aveton Gifford in a Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with open views across the countryside. Burial plots, cremation plots and ash scattering are all offered, so families have the full range of options in one place. Memorials can be personalised with a tree or a hand-crafted bench. The thing that sets Read more…

Sharpham Meadow Natural Burial Ground

Sharpham Meadow is a hay meadow in the South Hams Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, looking down over the River Dart. Both full burial and ashes interment are available, and they are open to everyone regardless of faith, where they live or what sort of ceremony they want. Only simple flat headstones are allowed, with no additional memorials or planting, Read more…

MKM – Mia’s Keepsake & Memories

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Mia’s Keepsake & Memory is a small, owner-run memorial jewellery business, creating personalised keepsakes that incorporate meaningful inclusions such as ashes, breastmilk, hair, fur and other sentimental items. Read more…

Love Keep Create

Love Keep Create turns clothing families can’t bear to part with into handmade keepsakes. Their memory bears are the signature product, made from a loved one’s shirt, cardigan or jumper, alongside memory animals, cushions, blankets and quilts. The process is simple: choose the keepsake, post the clothing in, and their team of memory makers do the rest. Standard turnaround is Read more…

Afterstone Ltd

Afterstone transforms a portion of a person’s or pet’s ashes into smooth memorial stones and keepsakes using their own sustainable ash-into-stone process. The range covers pebbles, hearts, teddy bears, robins, vases and trinket bowls, all of which can be engraved. Alongside these they offer natural engraved memorial stones to mark where ashes were scattered or buried, biodegradable scatter tubes, and Read more…

Mole Valley Green Burial Ground

Set on an organic farm in North Devon, Mole Valley offers green burial and ashes interment within a wildflower meadow, with a native tree planted for every burial. Only biodegradable coffins, urns and shrouds are permitted. The site is left to grow naturally through the seasons, evolving into woodland over time. Read more…

Devon has two coastlines, two national parks in Dartmoor and Exmoor, and a quiet countryside of rolling farmland and river valleys in between. It's one of the best counties in England for natural burial, with more sites than almost anywhere else, and the River Dart and South Devon coast make a scattering by the water an easy choice. Whether you're looking for a woodland burial with a view of Dartmoor, a boat trip out of Dartmouth or a keepsake to keep close, you'll find plenty of choice below.

Natural burial in South Devon and the South Hams

Sharpham Meadow is a hay meadow in the South Hams looking down over the River Dart, with simple flat headstones only so it keeps looking like a meadow. South Hams Natural Burial Ground at Aveton Gifford offers burial plots, cremation plots and ash scattering, and holds only one burial a day. Bidwell Woodland Burial at Rattery is a working woodland planted in 1998 with views to Dartmoor, and was named Cemetery of the Year by the Good Funeral Guide.

Natural burial in Mid and North Devon

Beer Cross Woodland Burials sits on the edge of Dartmoor at Sampford Courtenay, planted with around 3,500 native trees. Orchard Meadows near Crediton is a crab apple orchard and meadow that's stunning in blossom. Hackpen Natural Burial Ground in the Culm Valley sits on a regenerative smallholding, and Mole Valley Green Burial Ground near South Molton is on an organic farm, with a native tree planted for every burial. See all natural burial grounds in Devon.

Scattering ashes at sea

Wesley Offshore runs ashes scattering ceremonies at sea and on the river from Dartmouth, aboard ex-RNLI lifeboats. Up to 10 guests can attend, services can be streamed live for family who can't be there, and anniversary return trips are available. See all sea scattering in Devon.

Keepsakes, stones and diamonds

Afterstone near Exeter turns ashes into smooth memorial stones and keepsakes, including pebbles, hearts and robins. MKM Mia's Keepsake & Memories in Cullompton makes personalised memorial jewellery, and Love Keep Create in Plymouth turns a loved one's clothing into memory bears, cushions and quilts. Algordanza UK, based near Newton Abbot, creates certified memorial diamonds from ashes or hair. See all memorial jewellery and keepsakes in Devon.

Where can I have a natural burial in Devon?

Devon has natural burial grounds right across the county, from the South Hams and the River Dart to the edge of Dartmoor, Crediton, the Culm Valley and North Devon. Most accept ashes as well as full burials.

Can I scatter ashes on Dartmoor?

Yes, with the landowner's permission. Dartmoor isn't public land, and much of it is owned by private estates, the Duchy of Cornwall or the Ministry of Defence. Read our guide to where you can't scatter ashes in the UK for more.

Can I scatter ashes in the River Dart or at sea off Devon?

Yes, scattering ashes at sea doesn't need a licence. Rivers are generally fine too, with permission to access the bank. Wesley Offshore in Dartmouth offers both river and sea scatterings. Our guide to scattering ashes at sea covers what to expect.

Can I visit a burial ground before choosing?

Yes, and most sites welcome it. Seeing a meadow or woodland in person is the best way to know whether it feels right.