“I will never try it again, I did not know what Dartmoor was like.” Princetown – February the 6th 1931 – It was a typical chilly February day at Princetown with the infamous Dartmoor mist rolling across the moor. The village was going about its daily business when suddenly the …

On the 26th of February 1909 the following appeared in many of the local newspapers; “The usually peaceful little town of Okehampton is just now greatly excited at the fact that Mr. Harford Green, a Hertfordshire gentleman, who had been staying there, has been missing for three days.” What they …

  “Dart, Dart, cruel Dart, every year thou claim’st a heart.” The above famous saying dates way back into the realms of Dartmoor’s folklore and refers to the fact that over the centuries the River Dart has claimed many lives. There can be no question that at times the river can …

On the 26th of March 1941 the Western Morning News published the following report under the headline of ,”Vanished from Dartmoor.” It read: “Stanley Thurston the man who boasted that no English goal could hold him, escaped from Dartmoor Prison yesterday morning and was still at large up to a …

If you happen across a Dartmoor pony drift today you will see that in the main it’s an operation that consists of a combination of horsepower and mechanised vehicles such as quad bikes and trail bikes. However in days gone by there were a couple of vast differences, firstly the …

  If ever you happen to be strolling along a Dartmoor lane any time between May and September and happen to notice a small yellow flower growing in a hedgerow then there is a chance that you have just come across Herb Bennet. To be precise the Latin name for …

  Moor Beer – now there’s a sentiment that many folk will appreciate especially when the beer and ales are actually brewed on Dartmoor. Having sampled many of them in-situ so to speak I can verify that the art of brewing is still alive and kicking on the moor. For …

  Mary Tavy is a small and tranquil moorland village nestled snugly in a small valley above the River Tavy but sadly in the August of 1905 things were far from peaceful. The events over that August Bank Holiday are probably one of the most tragic and pitiful in the …

“Is my team ploughing, That I was used to drive And hear the harness jingle When I was man alive?” Ay, the horses trample, The harness jingles now; No change though you lie under The land you used to plough.” A. E. Housman Even today I think there is something …

  No visit to Dartmoor is complete without a visit to the Museum of Dartmoor Life which is conveniently located in the centre of Okehampton. Here you can step back through millennia of Dartmoor’s history by way of exhibits which show how they lived, where they worked, how they played …