Dartmoor Places

“Evil Combe – Steep valley edges drop to boggy ground that the sun doesn’t touch, and where nothing but heather dares to grow. The wind, exhausted from its long journey across the moors, howls like the great wild dogs that are rumoured to roam these parts. Some believe the devil …

“Follow the track S. W, we soon reach the head of the combe down which Middle Brook runs, and which is known as Petre’s Pits Bottom. In this are the ruins of a building in which it used to be said that the horses employed by the Red Lake Peat …

Lettaford is a small hamlet situated on an old packhorse track a few miles to the west of North Bovey. The earliest record of the hamlet appeared in the Assize Rolls of 1244 as Lottreford then down through the centuries it mutated into Litterford, Liddaford until arriving at today’s Lettaford. …

“Meanwhile the warrener pushed for that desolate elevation known as Devil’s Tor, gaining which he sat down with his face to the south and rested a while. The spot was singular, and the hill itself crowned with no irregular peaks and turrets of shattered stone like its neighbours. Instead, masses …

Old Crockern the ancient deity of Dartmoor is reputed to have warned that; “if you scratch my back then I’ll rip you pockets out.” which basically signalled that there was/is no profit to be made by exploiting Dartmoor’s natural resources. In the cases of numerous Dartmoor mining ventures this certainly …

  “… passing through a gateway makes a direct descent of the steep, rugged and often very wet Diamond Lane. (This part of the route must surely have called into question the physical fitness of pedestrian monks as well at the surefootedness of palfreys and packhorses!). – Hemery, p.187. As …

  Mention the word ‘Dunnabridge‘ and possibly the first thing that springs to mind is the historic (and prehistoric) ‘Dunnabridge Pound‘. However, there have been and also are such place-names as; Dunna Bridge (The), Dunnabridge Farm, Dunnabridge Newtake, Dunnabridge Plantation, Dunnabridge Moor, Dunnabridge Steps, Dunnabridge Ford, Dunnabridge Pound Farm, Dunnabridge …

  It’s a well known fact that the Princetown area was/is famous for its quarries which included Merrivale, Foggintor, Swell Tor and Ingra to name but a few. However, there is also another one which gets very little mention and that is – HERNE HOLE – the very name could well …

  “A new bridge at an awkward bend – work is proceeding on a modern double-width bridge across the River Walkham on the Tavistock to Princetown road. The new bridge is about 50 yards from the picturesque existing bridge, and here the present route takes an extremely awkward double bend. …

As you trundle up the B3212 road from Dousland  to Princetown which many today refer to as the Peek Hill Road  you’ll be confronted with another of Dartmoor’s enigmas. In fact this road was once referred to in certain quarters as ‘Goadstone Hill‘ and just to the right of the …