Dartmoor Heather

If gorse is known as 'Dartmoor Custard' then the heathers must be the 'Dartmoor Jam' because invariably they can be seen together and if they are both in bloom then the colours are amazing. The rich yellow of the gorse contrasts so well with the pinky mauves of the heather as can be seen from the photo of 'Mr Woodley's Post' below:

Visit Exeter or any moorland town during the summer and the chances are that you will be accosted in the street by a so-called 'gypsy' selling 'Lucky Dartmoor Heather' - tell them to bugger off. It is amazing how much 'fear' the 'gypsy's curse' still holds in rural communities - these are not true Romanies. To this day you can still see cars driving back up the M5 with sprigs of heather tied to the car which is a indication that the heather of Dartmoor is still thought to be lucky. But to be exact it is only the white heather that is meant to bring good luck, in particular it is meant to protect against rape or violent attack. There is also the old belief that white heather would stop an habitual drunkard from imbibing on their favourite tipple. This idea seems to have originated in the Victorian times and has travelled down from Scotland. Some say that when heather is burnt outside in times of drought it will attract rain although that would definitely put an end to 'swaling' (annual burning).

But heather has always played an important part in Dartmoor life. There are old tales of a liqueur that the monks of Tavistock used to make and today there is the honey and mead that comes from Buckfast Abbey all of which depend on heather. On the moor to talk of broom, ling or heath was to talk about heather. At one time the moorland farms would make besoms or heather brooms. The heather would be cut in the spring when the twigs were green and bendy, then they would be 'clamped' or bundled and tightly tied with strips of ash. Then ends would then be neatly trimmed and a hazel or ash handle fixed to the head. It was deemed unlucky to bring a new heather broom into the house during the month of may as it would result in a member of that household being 'swept away' to their maker.

Other uses for heather were as a thatching material, basket making, producing an orange dye for colouring wool and cloth and as a source of fuel known as 'ling'.

Medicinally it was used as a remedy for chilblains when it would be made into a hot poultice, it was also ground down and made into a liniment for treating rheumatism, arthritis and gout. An infusion of the flowering shoots was used as a treatment for coughs, colds, bladder and kidney disorders and cystitis.

On the wetter parts of the moor one tends to find cross-leaved heath (Erica tetrelix), ling (Calluna Vulgaris) and bell heather (Erica cinerea) whereas on the dryer heather moors they tend to be dominated by ling with some bell heather in evidence.

What is important about the moorland heathers is the wildlife habitat it provides for such creatures as meadow pipits, stonechats, skylarks, adders, lizards and the distinctive emperor moth caterpillar. Heathers also support red grouse and ring ouzel. Only the other day whilst walking between Ger tor and Dead Lake the dog flushed some red grouse from a patch of heather.

The problem which is facing the moor at the moment is that once the heathers decline they are soon replaced by bracken and in many places it has become a huge problem. There are many reasons why the heather moors are shrinking and one has been the recent trend to reduce the numbers of sheep, ponies and cattle that graze the moor thus allowing the bracken to establish itself. At one time excessive 'swaling' also contributed to the reduction, swaling is the practice of burning off the old woody heather in order to stimulate new, stronger growth for pasturage. If swaling burnt off too much of the heather it also would allow the bracken to establish itself. Today, however, swaling is strictly controlled with stringent guidelines that must be adhered to. I must admit, it is a pretty spectacular sight when of a night you see the far off moors ablaze.