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Aspects Of Dartmoor

Hogs Pudding Verse

Hogs Pudding Verse

It has already been noted on the Hogs Pudding page that the recipe for this Dartmoor delicacy is a secret which has been guarded closer than the Queen on a visit to Afghanistan. But just the other night I was browsing through a book called, ‘Songs of the Dean Bourn’ …

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Wrestling

Wrestling

Devonshire Wrestling along with Cornish Wrestling are probably the earliest forms of this sport, although the northerners will dispute this. In Devon and especially upon Dartmoor wrestling had a very strong following and noted champions. Writing in 1708, Charles Vancouver gave his description of the sport in the following terms: …

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Worthys

Worthys

Look on any map of Dartmoor and you will find many place-names that end with the element – worthy, but what was a ‘worthy’ and how old are they? That latter question is probably the easiest to answer insomuch as it has been suggested that they originated in Anglo Saxon …

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Worker’s huts

Worker's huts

‘There is a category of man-made structure in the remoter parts of northern Dartmoor which has received surprisingly little attention from Dartmoor scholars. I refer to the ruined huts and shelters which can be found beside infant rivers or on the wind-blasted ridge tops.’, (Le Messurier, 1979, p.59). Thirty years …

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Windmills

Windmills

Dartmoor has an abundance of two things, water and wind both of which have been used as power sources for industry. It is ironic that at a time when wind farms are an emotive subject (due to the proposals for building one on the moor) a look back in history …

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Winds

Winds

“The ayre is very sweete, wholesome and temperate, saving that in the winter season the great blustering winds, rowling upon the high craggy hills and open wastes and moores, do make the ayre very cold and sharp.” Today, following what seems an eternal age of endless storms the weather forecasters …

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Wells & Springs

Wells & Springs

With all the rivers, streams and brooks that issue from the high moor it is not surprising that there are numerous wells and springs dotted around the landscape. Mention the word ‘well’ and many people conjure up an image of a circular wall over which stands a roof with a …

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Waterfalls

Waterfalls

Considering that the highest point on Dartmoor is High Willhays at 621m and the abundance of rivers and streams that tumble down through the valleys and cleaves it is not surprising that there are water falls or simply ‘falls’ as they are known on Dartmoor. If ever you really want …

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Water

Water

Water is one commodity Dartmoor is not short of although experts would say that the moor is getting dryer. Having had the luxury of living in a house that got its own water supply direct from a Dartmoor spring I can say it is the coldest, sweetest water you can …

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War Zone

War Zone

Ever since the nineteenth century the military have used Dartmoor for their exercises and manoeuvres which include live firing. The northern part of the moor is divided into three firing ranges; Okehampton, Willsworthy and Merrivale. These are all marked with lines of red and white poles most of which have …

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