EAST DART HOTEL Postbridge – Dartmoor. PL20 6TJ
the Moor. Excellent walks include the North Moor Crockern
Tor; site of
Stannary Parliament to northeast.
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The road from Two Bridges to Ashburton has endless places of enchantment that run off
it. Dartmoor
produces a fund of strange stories and customs and none stranger than one that existed up to the mid 19th century. On Dartmoor if a house could be built, with a roof in place, between
sunrise and sunset, then the house and all the land around it became the property of the builder. One cottage still exists in Jolly Lane Cot at Huccaby near Hexworthy. Tom and Sally Satterly built this cottage and in her later years Sally used to be seen sitting in the front doorway talking to passers by and frequently singing folk songs. She knew so many that the Rev Sabine Baring Gould visited her just to write down the songs for posterity. He was the vicar of Lewtrenchard for 43 years and wrote many famous hymns including ‘Now the day is Over’. On Sally’s death the men carried her across the tors to Widecombe for burial and rested the coffin en route on one of the last remaining coffin stones on the moor.
The clapper bridges are to be seen quite regularly over the streams that run through Dartmoor. Postbridge has one of the best examples. It is a tribute to the skill of 14th century builders. You will see that all these bridges are made of huge slabs of granite balanced one upon another. Built so well that they have withstood the onslaught of human feet, the insistent hammering of the river and the Dartmoor climate for centuries. The bridge on the B3212 between Postbridge and Two Bridges is the location for some malevolent hauntings.
The legend is that a pair of hairy hands appears on your steering wheel/handlebars and tries to force you off the road. There have been many incidents on this stretch of road which is notorious for fatal accidents, including in 1921 when a medical officer from Dartmoor Prison died after his motorbike went out of control.
Moretonhampstead holds the key to so much that is beautiful. Today it gets is livelihood mainly from tourists. The ‘hampstead’ part of its name has been added in the 19th century and most people ignore it calling the little town Moreton. Close to it is Becky Falls high up in the solitude of Dartmoor. You approach it through glorious woods. On one side of the road there is a car park, where if you have any sense, you will don stout shoes or wellies, before making the descent alongside Becka Brook where water cascades over and between massive boulders until, with a roar, it reaches its peak and falls in sparkling torrents on its way to the sea. Probably the best time to be here is after the mid-winter rains.
If you have time include the villages of Doccombe, Dunsford, Bridford and Christow in your travels. Each has its own merits and all are part of the Dartmoor scene. Christow is home to the Teign Valley Golf Club where you will be more than welcome to play a round.
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Turning north Gibbet Hill is the gruesome place where wrongdoers were hung and left dangling at the end of the gibbet as a deterrent to anyone thinking of stealing sheep or becoming a highwayman. The condemned were kept waiting for their execution in a cage on the roadside at the foot of the hill on the Brentor Road. This road leads you across some of the most beautiful stretches of the moor. Before long you will see Brentor church high up on the Tor, a strangely beautiful place with a dedication of St Michael de Rupe. There are several legends about how it came to stand 1100 feet above sea level. One legend tells us that the church was being built at the foot of the hill but every night the stones that were laid were removed and rebuilt at the top by the devil who reckoned that no one would love God enough to climb the rough tor to worship.
Chagford must not be missed. It is a sleepy place which has grown over the centuries and round its village square there are shops that have been in the same ownership for a century or more, and a host of hotels, B&B’s, pubs & restaurants. This small town is the shopping hub of central Dartmoor. At nearby Gidleigh a small battle has been heard on the bridge. The area is also haunted by the shade of a woman who drowned here.
Just across the way from Chagford is Drewsteignton, home to the amazing Castle Drogo which is the last castle to be built in this country. Built by Sir Edward Lutyens for Julius Drew who made his fortune from buying tea in China and selling it through his chain of shops, the Home and Colonial Stores. It is a fascinating building with glorious gardens and now owned by the National Trust.
Drewsteignton is a picturesque village in the Teign Valley. 13 miles west of Exeter and 9 miles south east of Okehampton, lying on the edge of Dartmoor National Park. It boasts its own church, village shop, public house and children’s’ playing field. The village square is the focal point of the village. A separate car park is available for visitors to park and enjoy the village amenities or to take a stroll around the wonderful countryside. The local beauty spot of Fingle Bridge is situated beside the river Teignton within walking distance of the village. A wonderful place to sit and absorb the beauty of the local countryside and enjoy a cream tea or a well earned pint. The two moors way walk passes through the centre of the village, and encompasses some fantastic scenery along the way.
There are three Iron Aged Hill Forts around Fingle Gorge, Prestonbury, you can clearly see from the bridge. Wooston is down river and if you see it on a spring
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