Parke Bovey Tracey
PARKE sits of the outskirts of Bovey Tracey and a five minute walk from the centre of the town. There are lots of circular walks of different lengths from a gentle stroll along by the river to a more challenging walk through the woodland. A walks leaflet is available from the National
Trust office opposite Home Farm café. The café serves home cooked dishes, teas, coffees, cakes and ices and is open all year. Check opening times at
www.homefarmcafe.co.uk or ring 01626 830016. Parke has a fascinating history and clues to its
history can be found all over the place. Major Hole left Parke to the National Trust in
1974. The house you see above, constructed around 1826, was built on the site of a Tudor house, remains of which can be seen in the gardens. The house is currently leased to Dartmoor National Park Authority and not open to the general public. The two rows of granite posts in the parkland, were rails from the nearby tramway used to take granite from Haytor quarry to Stover Canal at Teigngrace. One of the old trucks used can be seen in the open shed behind the house opposite the lavatories. The weir on the
river dates back to medieval times and feeds the
leat, which was built to run a water-powered mill in Bovey Tracey. There is an abundance of wildlife at Parke. In
the meadows look out for orchids and ragged robin. Along the River Bovey you may see kingfishers and dippers – it is home to salmon and sea trout too. Keep an eye out for otter
spraints (dung – you will smell it first!). In the woodlands, you may see badgers,
foxes, roe deer, great spotted and green woodpeckers. Bats emerge at dusk from around the buildings. Parke continues to be a managed working landscape to support a number of wildlife habitats, a place for people to enjoy and to produce food. The walled garden dates back to the 1800’s, when it would have provided soft fruit for Parke House. The ground slopes giving the walls an unusual shape. After many years of neglect it is now jointly run by the National Trust and Bovey Climate Action to produce locally-grown fruit and vegetables, including, apricots, figs, apples, pears, root vegetables, salad leaves and cut flowers. The orchard contains 150 cider apple trees. Parke holds an annual apple day early in October where apples are picked and made into apple juice and cider using an apple press. The dismantled
railway line is used today as part of the Wray cycle trail. The Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust (DPHT) is a registered charity established in 2005 to protect and conserve the Dartmoor Pony on Dartmoor and is based at Parke. For further details and opening times visit the
DPHT website
www.dpht.co.uk or check the board in the car park. For further information and events go to
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/parke or ring Dartmoor Countryside Office 01626 834748.
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