Not that long ago you could be forgiven for thinking that Dartmoor was akin to the wild west. There were robbers, thieves and rustlers or as they are called on Dartmoor – ‘Sheep Stealers’ behind every rock and boulder. One notorious gang were holed up on the high moors near …

On the 8th of September 2014 ITV screened the first in the series of Ray Mears’ Wilderness Walks which was filmed on Dartmoor. His journey began on the ‘Roof of Devon’ better known as High Willhays from where he then moved over to the old target railway on the Okehampton …

There was once a time when a man had to be ‘as good as his word’ or else the full weight of the law would come crashing down upon him. In the late 1850’s the Dartmoor town of Chagford was witness to the crime of ‘breach of promise’ which considering …

Just beyond the realms of living memory there was a famous parson living in Hennock. His name was parson Harris and locally he was known as a ‘wizard’. This may seem a strange pass-time for a man of the cloth but he was only versed in ‘white magic’ and so …

Back in the times when Dartmoor was under the rule of the dreaded Saxon’s lived a mighty man called Ordulph. His feats of legendary strength were celebrated in the mead halls by the bards. One such tale was how Ordulph would often stand astride the river Tavy and order his …

Anybody who has read the book or watched the film of, ‘The Name of the Rose’ will not be surprised at anything medieval monks got up to. Dartmoor has its own version in the, ‘Mad Monk of Gidleigh’, well to be exact, ‘The Mad Monk of Haldon’ but as the …

This tale begins high up on the wastes of Southern Dartmoor on one of those days when the fickle Dartmoor weather can swing either way. The early morning sunrise was a weak affair and as the huntsman lead his hounds upon the moor the sky was tinged with a weak …

The most famous person to emerge from the Dark Ages was the legendary figure of King Arthur, Arturus, Artorius or have who you will. His history and background are to this day fiercely debated with the Scots, Welsh and English all claiming he was a son of their soil. For …

‘At Postbridge, in a rude cottage of granite blocks put together without mortar, and in the midst of a marsh. lived an old blind man, Jonas Coaker… When Mr Sheppard and I saw him he was aged eighty-three, and came downstairs for a few hours only in the day. He …

This story comes from the very southern edge of Dartmoor and concerns a butler called John Trinnaman who was employed at Stowford House, near Ivybridge. Now, legend has it that Trinnaman was a strong and handsome man who was strongly attached to the lady of the house, this devotion was …