Tag Archives: Dartmoor

Many sources state that the rabbit was not an original native of Britain and that they were introduced by the Normans. There are now several reports that this was not so and perhaps re-introduced should be the correct term. Archaeological excavations at Boxgrove in West Sussex revealed rabbit remains that …

One thing Dartmoor is not short of is walls and another thing is stone with which to build them, there must be literally hundreds of miles of walling across the moor. It is also surprising how deep into remote areas the walls extend and are a true testament to the …

“Thither, youths, Turn your astonish’d eyes; behold yon huge And unhewn sphere of living adamant, Which, poised by magic, rests its central weight On yonder pointed rock: firm as it seems, Such is the strange and virtuous property, It moves obsequious to the gentlest touch Of him whose breath is …

When walking on Dartmoor it won’t take very long to come across a leat, in the modern landscape it may appear as a gently flowing channel of water or simply as a shallow, dry ditch. Nobody to my knowledge has been brave enough to estimate the miles of leats that …

I have heard on occasions that Hog’s Pudding is the ‘Devonshire haggis’ which I find totally incomprehensible. It looks nothing like haggis and it sure as hell tastes nothing like haggis. Granted it is a large sausage and it has some magical ingredients but unlike the haggis they do not …

When you hear talk of the Dartmoor Drifts people are either discussing a bad winter or a practice that has occurred for centuries, this page concerns the latter instance. I suppose a cowboy would describe a drift as a ’round-up’ for it was an occasion when cattle and ponies were …

Today if you drive down any Dartmoor road you will meet vans and lorries delivering the many necessities of life either to the villages and towns or from the various business on the moor. There is nothing more frustrating than getting stuck behind such a vehicle especially on the steep …

The County or ‘C’ Stones of Dartmoor are often overlooked as a feature of Dartmoor roads. They are always found near the major bridges of the moor and originally would have consisted of a pair of stone pillars incised with the letter ‘C’ which denoted the word ‘County’. Today many …

‘The Clappers of Dartmoor‘ sounds very much it should be followed by the “Bells of St. Martin’s” but in this instance it refers to a type of bridge found on the moor and in other upland areas of Britain. One thing Dartmoor is not lacking is rivers, streams and leats …

Allspice, Barum Beauty, Beech Bearer, Beef Apple, Bickington Grey, Billy Down Pippin, Bowden’s Seedling, Brown’s Apple, Butterbox, Devon Crimson, Devonshire Redstreake, Devonshire Striped, Devonshire Whitesour, Docker’s Devonshire, Ellis Bitter, Endsleigh Beauty, Fair Maid of Devon, Farmer’s Glory, Golden Bittersweet, Hollow Core, Johnny Voun, Limberland, Listener, Lucombe’s Pine, Lucombe’s Seedling, Malor, …