Dartmoor Places

“Doe Tor, the Hill of Waters, for the rocky mass springs out of a wide stretch of bogs, and is enfolded by a stream that dances in many white falls from ledge to ledge in a “goyle” that in remote ages, and down through historic times to our own, has …

I wonder how many people have driven along the A386 Okehampton to Tavistock road and looked down at the skeletal remains of the old Wheal Betsy engine house. From the roadside there is nothing unusual about the building, but if you park up and walk down to the bottom side …

Wembley Walk, no it’s not a song akin to the ‘Lambeth Walk’ or anything to do with football although there is an association with the place called Wembley. It was here that on the 23rd of April 1924 the British Empire Exhibition was opened. In the same year the work …

According to the Place-Name Society, Gover,Et.al.1992, pp.197-198, the name of the tor was first documented in the Court Rolls of 1481 as Walterydonne. It next appeared as Waterndown(e) in 1520 and then in 1609 as Waterdontorr, this changed slightly in 1702 to Walter Tor. The general consensus of opinion is …

This is not a legend as such but it is one of those quirky things that are a ‘must see’ if you are in Lydford. Tucked neatly to the right of the church porch is a small rectangular grave. It’s obviously much visited as there is a small track worn …

If you look at an Ordnance Survey map of Dartmoor you will see hundreds of cross names, e.g. Cold East Cross, Challacombe Cross etc. The cross element actually refers to a crossing of roads and not (in most cases) an actual cross. Beetor Cross is another example, although at this …

“Such a vast bleak area of monotonous moorland, with scarce a house visible to cheer the solitude. Positively for miles you see no track of man on the moor. On the road across it we came to a small inn, where the horses were baited. Its name was ‘The Warren’ …

High up on the edge of the North Moor is Wild tor and under its watchful shadow issues the Walla Brook or the Headon River as it is known locally. The whole area around the stream has been worked by the old tinners, much of their activities are still visible …

In May 2003 it was announced that the owner of the land on which Vixen tor stands had closed all access to the famous landmark. Although for the past 30 years the land was held in private ownership there had always been an access agreement. The new owner, Mrs Alford, …

Vixen Tor has always been the focus for man’s attention, during the Bronze Age he buried his dead in the shadows of the mighty outcrop. Later on the tor entered the realms of Dartmoor legend as it played host to the evil witch Vixiana who lived amongst its dark caves. …