Given countrywide Park standing in 1951, Dartmoor sits in the south of county Devon, southwest Britain, and covers an area of 365 square miles. Virtually half the park is swampland, a paradise for wildlife and those wishing to escape the rigours of town life.
Dartmoor Forest, owned by the Duchy of Cornwall since 1307, is a previous royal hunting ground and makes up the majority of the region. The grass and heather moors are littered with hefty granite boulders scattered amongst the rolling hills. Wild ponies graze among the barren hills ; despite running wild, all have human owners and are gathered annually each autumn.
approximately 10% of the moor is wood, much of it running along the tranquil river valleys. Stone circles and funeral chambers are testament to Dartmoor’s important and enigmatic past. Indeed, Dartmoor is famous not only for its beautiful landscapes. It was in the small town of Grimspound that Sherlock Holmes found himself investigating the hound of the Baskervilles.
Dartmoor was one of Europe’s largest tin mining areas back in the 12th century. The stone built homes of the miners can still be found along many of the regions streams and streams.
abbot’s Way runs across the southern part of the moor, racing across wild country and moorland bogs. The area is assumed to be named after the abbots who are thought to have used this path when travelling between Buckland Abbey and Buckfast Abbey. Man’s presence over the ages is clear in this barren land. Shed circles dating back to the Bronze and Iron ages remain today.
South of monks Way sits Harford Moor. The Middle Ages drew tin miners from far and wide seeking riches below the surface. Today visitors are drawn by the vast wilderness and wildlife. A medieval cross adorns Harford Church, one out of many in the area which once served as signposts for those travelling across the moors.
Becky Falls wood Park first opened to the public in 1903. Some of the most delightful walks in England’s southwest can be had here amongst the pleasant waterfalls and big granite.
To the west is Upper Plym Valley and a lovely array of plants and wildlife. The tracks in these parts are rather simpler to navigate than many others in the moors and provide much of interest on the way. The spectacular moorland scenery is interspersed with deserted tin mines dating back over a century and various prehistoric relics including stone and hut circles.
For more information about travel and useful tips for tourists, visit famouswonders.com and check out Cornwall Coast.
Tags: County, Dartmoor, England, wilderness