Nestled below the mighty Hameldon ridge is a small valley called Heathercombe, here a small stream known as ‘The Burn tumbles’ down from the moor and runs down to join the river Bovey, passing through the Heathercombe estate as it joins the Heathercombe Brook. Man has trod this part of …

Moses did go forth unto the Mount of Buckland, and the peoples of Israel gathered below on the Common of Wellstor, in much fear were they held. Upon the summit God appeared from a burning gorse bush and spoke to Moses. “Receive ye now the laws of God which you …

Another of the Dartmoor clapper bridge stars is the Teignhead Farm clapper which is located just below the now deserted farmstead. Since the 19th century the old bridge has been the subject of paintings by numerous artists such as Widgery and Brittan. The early postcard manufacturers also saw fit to …

In 1961 Ted Hughes moved to the small village of North Tawton which is just outside the boundaries of the National Park. During the 1970’s he worked on his father-in-law’s farm where he recorded his experiences in a collection of poems called ‘Moortown’. He also loved to walk the moor …

“A rugged path through broken ground, high above the river’s western bank leads to Taw Marsh, a plain of considerable extent, and remarkably level, dotted with masses of granite and surrounded by lofty eminences, with all the features and incidents characteristic of the peculiar scenery of the moor. Here is …

High up on the northern fen at an altitude of 1,841ft. (561m.) rises the river Tavy, first documented in 1125 as the Taui. The infant river trickles out of the peat at South Tavy Head and then makes its way down over a moorland course of about 5½ miles during …

In the words of the famous Cornish philosopher Jethro, ‘now before we start‘, if you look on the Ordnance Survey map at grid reference SX 62155 82471 you will find ‘Statt’s House’. That in itself is fairly unique because look in almost any respected book about Dartmoor and you won’t …

Why would a Spanish Lake be found on Dartmoor? In fact prior to 1588 you could not have found a Spanish Lake on Dartmoor, so what event gave birth to the Spanish Lake? – all will become clear later. On the western slopes of Shell Top on Lee Moor the …

As you travel along the A386 from Okehampton to Tavistock the tiny village of Sourton suddenly appears as the road snakes under the shadow of the high moor. Most people immediately notice the rather flamboyant Highwayman Inn, some will remark on the ancient ‘OXO stone’ stood sentinel beside the road …

In 1853 Dartmoor was in the grip of a harsh winter, the snow lay thick with drifts several feet deep. At this time Dartmoor prison was used to house convicts who were guarded by a company of the 7th Regiment of Royal Fusiliers. The deep snows had cut off Princetown …