Having posted a page on ‘Black Dartmoor‘ it only seems logical to compile one on ‘White Dartmoor’ which once again poses a few variations. William Crossing wrote; “The occurrence of the name White, as in White Tor, White Lake, White Barrow, and in other connections, is supposed, with excellent …

I think when anybody visits an area they always like to see the highest, longest, shortest, deepest or oldest features that are on offer. In this light, the longest waterfall in Devon is the White Lady falls which can be found at the southern end of Lydford Gorge. The main …

Having recently completed a webpage on the Okehampton medieval deer park  it only seems logical to do the same for the later Tudor deer park at Whiddon as these are the only two examples to be found on Dartmoor. The medieval deer park would have served as a status symbol …

High up on the north moor lies what was probably one of the remotest of the old Dartmoor tin mines. Today all that remains are some ruins, spoil heaps, and if you look very carefully a small, overgrown, reedy, gully that slopes down from the side of Okement Hill. Nearby …

“Doe Tor, the Hill of Waters, for the rocky mass springs out of a wide stretch of bogs, and is enfolded by a stream that dances in many white falls from ledge to ledge in a “goyle” that in remote ages, and down through historic times to our own, has …

I wonder how many people have driven along the A386 Okehampton to Tavistock road and looked down at the skeletal remains of the old Wheal Betsy engine house. From the roadside there is nothing unusual about the building, but if you park up and walk down to the bottom side …

Wembley Walk, no it’s not a song akin to the ‘Lambeth Walk’ or anything to do with football although there is an association with the place called Wembley. It was here that on the 23rd of April 1924 the British Empire Exhibition was opened. In the same year the work …

According to the Place-Name Society, Gover,Et.al.1992, pp.197-198, the name of the tor was first documented in the Court Rolls of 1481 as Walterydonne. It next appeared as Waterndown(e) in 1520 and then in 1609 as Waterdontorr, this changed slightly in 1702 to Walter Tor. The general consensus of opinion is …

This is not a legend as such but it is one of those quirky things that are a ‘must see’ if you are in Lydford. Tucked neatly to the right of the church porch is a small rectangular grave. It’s obviously much visited as there is a small track worn …

If you look at an Ordnance Survey map of Dartmoor you will see hundreds of cross names, e.g. Cold East Cross, Challacombe Cross etc. The cross element actually refers to a crossing of roads and not (in most cases) an actual cross. Beetor Cross is another example, although at this …