The southern part of the Tarka Trail runs through the town, this trail goes all the way to north Devon making it ideal for the cycling enthusiasts, there is also the Granite Way which is another cycling route, and being a country market town there is no shortage of shops, markets and places to eat. It is also the ideal base to explore north Dartmoor. Please contact the Tourist Information Centre for details of guided walks, accommodation, and the many attractions both in the town & nearby.
Turning south at Moretonhamstead is the isolated village of Manaton with its green nestling beside the church. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book and seems to have been there forever. It is overlooked by the lofty Manaton Tor, which if seen in autumn aglow with berries of holly and mountain ash, will remind you that there are not many more shopping days to Christmas!
The huge, fractured granite outcrop of Houndtor, near Manaton, is said to resemble a pack of hounds in full cry. They are connected with the story of Bowerman, the hunter, whose petrified figure stands about a mile north. The tor is reputedly the haunt of the phantom hound from Hell, which raced across the moor to howl at the tomb of Richard Cabell at Buckfastleigh. The story of the wicked squire Cabell, who died in 1677 having sold his soul to the Devil, is thought to have been the inspiration and setting for
Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle’s, ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’(1902).
A short distance, south-east of Houndtor are the remains of a deserted medieval hamlet. This hamlet was set on an east- facing slope overlooking the deep but gentle wooded valley of Becka Brook. To the north rises the huge fractured outcrop of Houndtor, while southward lies the less extensive though equally dominating cliff of Greater Rocks.
Beside the road that runs below Great Houndtor, between Swine Down and Heatree Cross, lies the pathetic little mound known as Jay’s Grave. In the eighteenth century an orphaned child named Kitty or Mary Jay was employed at Ford Farm at Manaton. She was seduced, became pregnant, abandoned by her lover, and persecuted by local opinion. She committed suicide, and in keeping with tradition she had to be buried at the nearest crossroads. The idea was that their troubled spirits would not be able to find their way back to the village. In 1860, James Bryant, a road mender, discovered bones in a rough grave, the then owner of “Hedge Barton” put bones in a coffin which was re-interred at the same spot, and raised as a mound as it appears today.
Superstition says that on certain moonlit nights a dark figure may be seen kneeling in an attitude of mourning, its head bowed and face buried in its hands, besides the grave. Some folk will go on quite lengthy detours to avoid the spot at night.
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On the northern slopes of Hayne Down, about a mile from Houndtor, is a strange rock idol called Bowerman’s Nose, an enormous human-like shaped granite stack. It is a natural formation but at one time it was believed to be man-made, or more accurately, magically formed, for according to ancient tradition this pile of rock was actually a brave giant called Bowerman, who is reputed to have been a formidable hunter. It is worth taking time to look at Neadon Upper Hall which is a unique example of a Dartmoor building in which the family and servants lived above the animal stalls. There are numbers of interesting longhouses too – long and low, built of granite with windows that are almost hidden beneath the deep thatch.
Whilst Manaton remains essentially Dartmoor, Lustleigh to the east has changed completely in the last three decades. There was a time when this rural community lived simply in the beautiful valley of the River Wrey, gaining their livelihood from small holdings. A journey to Exeter was a once in a lifetime experience. Nowadays whilst the 13th century church still stands, there is no longer a railway, a village school or a local bobby. However the village is still a delight with thatched cottages surrounding the village green. Village cricket still flourishes.
A master of the Dartmoor Foxhunt became lost on the moor during a snowstorm near Lustleigh, he claimed that a petite man on a grey horse came from nowhere and led him to safety. He later saw a painting of a gypsy called Limpety and named him as his saviour, only to be told that he had died on the moor 50 years previous.
During a full moon Roman legionnaires have been spotted at the old Roman hill fort on Hunters Tor above Lustleigh Cleave. There have also been tales of a Tudor hunting party being seen in this area too.
Ashburton is a town of contrasts and beauty. In 1305 it was designated a Stannary town. It is lively, has some nice architecture and some excellent shops. Tin mining and the wool industry brought wealth to the town which is reflected in some of the fine houses. The Roundhead, General Fairfax had his headquarters here. Many people here were Royalists and evidence can be seen on some houses of a little carving of a man on horseback, a sign that Royalists were safe there.
Buckfastleigh is one of the most diverse towns on the edge of Dartmoor. The town is dominated by the Benedictine Buckfast Abbey and is a mix of ancient and modern attractions surrounded by miles of prime Devon countryside, wild moorlands and hidden valleys to explore.
Most visitors to Buckfastleigh head for the Abbey and its famous Tonic Wine, but for the little ones there’s a chance to get up close with the animals at Pennywell Farm and Wildlife Centre. For those who love the romance of bygone ages, the South Devon Steam Railway puffs its way through the countryside, giving you a completely different view of this corner of Devon.
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