Dartmoor Places

“There came a Sunday when the green slopes about Belstone village were musical with the cry of young life, when the lambs played and bleated, when the cuckoo called from many a misty glade and the church bells crowned the melody of the morning with wind-bourne cadences. They throbbed and …

“In fact this picturesque though dilapidated erection under the bold slope of Bellever is not so often sought out by the explorer as it might be...” J. Ll. W. Page The above words were written in 1895 when describing Bellever clapper bridge, I think it’s fairly safe to say that …

“Oh, yet, ye solemn Altars! while I feel The shadowy spells of power that round ye dwell.” J. E. Reade -1843 “On the left within a farm enclosure is Bel Tor, which although only a small pile, is sufficiently interesting to call for notice. A gate in the wall will …

“Ascending through the farmyard, we emerge on a marshy slope which conducts us to the breezy height of Bair Dwon, a long green tableland… Masses of rock upstart from the turf at intervals, the most conspicuous being known as Bair Down, Lidford and Devils Tors.“. – J. Ll. W. Page, …

Just outside the modern National Park boundary is a stretch of water known as the ‘Bathe Pool’ which for centuries has been renown for mysterious goings on. In the opinion of Mrs Bray most of this was the work of the piskies as can been seen from her story below: …

Named Rocks – At the top of the hill behind Poundsworthy (sic) there is a rock locally known as the Batch Loaf. It was formerly a logan called the Ringed Tor.” –  T.D.A. 1902, p.85. On a mission or what? Whilst browsing through some old copies of the Transactions of …

The whole of the Trowlesworthy tors ridge bears witness to the craft of the stone cutter with split rocks littering the hillside. Just north of Little Trowlesworthy tor sit a huge cylinder of granite which is trigged upon a large flat slab. In letterboxing terms this is known as ‘The …

The Atlas Burning House – it could well be the title of some horror film or even a crematorium, in some cases it is also known as The Albion Burning House but either way it can be found just outside the village of Ilsington. Firstly why the two names? Basically, …

Back in the days when Lords had manors and Knights went on quests there lived a squire and his daughter. They were not rich but compared to most people they were not poor. Home was a small manor house at Whitstone near Bovey Tracey. The Squire’s daughter was a beautiful …

Beside the A386 road near the old Wheal Betsy mine stands a row of 50 stones situated at the edge of the roadside. Originally there were more as the gaps will testify. Their purpose was to stop carts and carriages going off the road and acted as early crash barriers. …