“he that hath sheep, swine and bees, sleep he, wake, he, may thrive“. “This little piggy went to market and this little piggy stayed at home …”, and it wasn’t that long ago that most homes kept a pig to provide a source of much needed winter meat. Dartmoor was …

For many centuries domestic pigeons were kept in specially built houses variously known as dovecotes, pigeon houses, columbaria and culver houses (from the Anglo Saxon culver = pigeon). They were primarily kept for their meat but pigeon blood was, according to Pliny, meant to cure bloodshot eyes and the dried …

A local woodsman’s wife once commented to the vicar of Holne during a discussion about beverages that her mother used to drink ‘organs tea’. The explanation was; “when tea was sixpence an ounce and coffee three pence an ounce mother used to drink organs tea.” Another woman from Ashburton noted …

‘Goosey, Goosey, Gander, where can I wander?’ Around about this time of year this website gets several queries from people who will be visiting Dartmoor for thr first time and want to know exactly where they can or can’t walk. For example: “Hi, I wonder if you can help, we …

Now, before we start, I should just like to say to any governmental representative of Blair’s bunch that this is not an attempt to incite racial hatred. If in any way it’s deemed as such I would like to humbly apologise now as that was not the intention. BUT… the …

The Devil’s Herb was probably one of the most feared plants to grow in any cottage garden, today, parsley is one of the most common herbs used in cooking and nobody gives it a second thought. But why should such an innocuous plant have earned such an evil reputation? To …

It would appear that the way things are going on Dartmoor one could be forgiven for thinking they were in Longleat safari park. Firstly there were the reports of wild boar rampaging over the southern edges of the moor, then there was the stampeding bullock and now there was great …

“Well loved he garleek, oynons, and eek lekes, And for to drynken strong wyn, reed as blood”. Chaucer – Canterbury Tales The humble onion, at one time every moorland garden grew some sort or another, spring onions, shallots or cooking onions. As I child the kitchen garden was full of …

“From little acorns mighty oaks grow”, or as is the case on Dartmoor, “From little acorns oaks of all sizes grow”, from the dwarf oaks of Wistman’s Wood to the ancient ‘Royal Oak of Meavy‘. Normally one could say that many of the native trees do not occur on the …

‘Better than many more melodious singers, I love the monotonous music of the goatsucker. He has but two notes, and after sustaining the higher for thirty seconds or more, drops half a tone upon the lower and so concludes his burst of song. He loves the twilight, for his great …