Given national Park standing in 1951, Dartmoor sits in the south of county Devon, southwest England, and covers an area of 365 square miles. Almost half the park is swampland, a nirvana for wildlife and those wanting to escape the pains of town life.
Dartmoor Forest, owned by the Duchy of Cornwall since 1307, is a former royal hunting ground and makes up the vast majority of the area. The grass and heather moors are scattered with hefty granite stones scattered amongst the rolling hills. Wild ponies graze among the barren hills ; in spite of running wild, all have human owners and are gathered annually each autumn.
roughly ten percent of the moor is wood, much of it running along the tranquil stream valleys. Stone circles and funeral chambers are testament to Dartmoor’s important and enigmatic past. Indeed, Dartmoor is famous not just for its beautiful landscapes. It was in the small hamlet of Grimspound that Sherlock Holmes found himself digging into the hound of the Baskervilles.
Dartmoor was one of Europe’s biggest tin mining areas back in the 12th century. The stone built homes of the miners can still be found along plenty of the regions streams and rivers.
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. Hut circles dating back to the Bronze and Iron ages remain today.
South of abbots 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 huge badlands and wildlife. A medieval cross adorns Harford Church, one of many in the area which once served as signposts for those travelling across the moors.
Becky Falls wood Park first opened to the general public in 1903. Some of the most delightful walks in England’s southwest can be had here among the pleasant waterfalls and huge granite.
To the west is Upper Plym Valley and a beautiful array of plants and wildlife. The tracks in these parts are somewhat better to navigate than many others in the moors and provide much of interest on the way. The spectacular moorland view is interspersed with abandoned tin mines dating back over a century and various prehistoric relics including stone and hut circles.
Thinking about traveling outside of the country? Famouswonders.com can help you decide where to go on your next vacation, or you can view Canterbury Cathedral.
Tags: County, Dartmoor, England, wilderness
