Dartmoor M
oving back to Plymouth we can now discover Dartmoor. There are
Monachorum Buckland •
Da •rtmoor Railway
Week Farm
•
Dev •on Cycle Hire
• Gidleigh • Chagford Moretonhampsted • • Doccombe
Okehampton
London Inn
Plymouth Inn • Drewsteignton Dunsford •
fundamental lessons to learn about Dartmoor before you start exploring, for example it is an offence to drive a car more than 15 yards off the road. You are asked not to feed the ponies because it encourages them to stray onto the roads, the speed limit is 40 mph, and there is a severe fine for those who do not heed the requests. When there are red flags flying this means that the army is at work, disobey the warnings and you could get shot. To describe routes that one can take on the moors to get the greatest pleasure out of walking, takes more space than we have here, but when on the moor please do not leave more than a footprint.
• Brentor
• Mary Tavy • PeterTavy
Tavistock
• Horrabridge • Yelverton
• Hartford Bridge PLYMOUTH
If crowded beaches and traffic jams are your idea of holiday hell, the perfect answer is Dartmoor.
Manaton •
East Dart Hotel
• Postbridge
• Widecombe- in-the-Moor
• Two Bridges • Princetown Pixieland• • Hexworthy
• Buckland- in-the-Moor
Ashburton •
Buckfastleigh • Buckfast •
• Lustleigh Bovey Tracy •
Plympton With 368
square miles of unspoilt beauty, this National Park is the place to experience freedom; unadulterated, dramatic, and inspiring freedom. It’s the kind of place you can just venture into, camping out under the stars, or dipping into here and there to uncover hidden gems of pubs, culture and natural wonders. Dartmoor is the largest and wildest area of open country in Southern England, and it really feels like it.
Dartmoor is a gift for lovers of ancient history. There’s plenty of evidence of prehistoric settlement around Dartmoor, with the Bronze Age period seeing a larger population moving into the area. From around 1000 BC much of the moor was abandoned due to cooler weather. In the Medieval period settlers returned to Dartmoor, continuing the practice of building houses from the area’s abundant resource, granite.
With the largest concentration of Bronze Age remains in the UK, there is plenty for the modern antiquarian to discover on Dartmoor. But if you want something a little more exciting than Bronze Age barrows and spectacular scenery, there are plenty of outdoor activities to get your pulse racing. There are over 450 miles of public rights of way, so walkers and cyclists have lots to discover, but you can also choose to go climbing, canoeing or, if you’re ready for a real challenge, take part in the annual Ten Tors race. With rivers, dramatic Tors and rolling countryside, Dartmoor is one big adventure playground with something for everyone.
After a day canoeing, climbing or walking nothing can beat a hearty home cooked meal made from delicious and
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fresh local produce in a Dartmoor pub. The Dartmoor Food and Drink Festival takes place every October and features the best from the area’s microbreweries, specialist farmers and top chefs.
Ivybridge
There is so much to see everywhere. For example watch for the old guide posts which are no more than pieces of granite standing on end. Each is marked with a letter. From Two Bridges, a lovely spot, one would be marked P showing the direction of Princetown, or M for Moretonhampstead. It is primitive but effective. Sometimes they may be used as boundary stones between parishes. Frequently you will come across the remains of Bronze Age dwellings, just circles of stones which once were a hut. Sometimes you will see the remains of beehive huts. Not that they ever housed any bees; they were used by medieval tinners for hiding their unsold tin, tools and other bits and pieces.
Coming from Plymouth the moment you drive onto Dartmoor you are in a world of beauty and the same applies whether starting from Ashburton, Bovey Tracey or Okehampton. The first village to visit before Yelverton is Buckland Monachorum and Buckland Abbey, which has been home to the masters of some of the most thrilling episodes in English history. Richard Grenville lived here whilst he planned a voyage to seek a southern route around America to the Pacific. He never got the opportunity because he was beaten to it by his rival Francis Drake. He was so upset that he sold the Abbey to a man called John Hele but he was only acting as a nominee. Drake was the true purchaser which was like rubbing salt in a wound. Even being knighted by the Queen did not make it any better. Had he known Drake was going to live at Buckland he would never have sold it. It is owned now by the National Trust. Legends abound about Sir Francis Drake being in league with the Devil to ensure the defeat
River Tamar
River Plym
River Dart
River Erme
River Tavy
RiverAvon
River Bovey
River Teign
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