DARTMOOR NATIONAL PARK

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INTRODUCTION

Dartmoor was designated a National park in 1951 and is located in the heart of Devon in the south west of England.  Dartmoor covers an area of 368² miles (954² km) of open rugged moorland and is famous for its tors, rolling valleys, rivers and wide open spaces.  Dartmoor contains the largest Bronze Age remains in the whole of Britain and the history of people living on Dartmoor goes back more than 10,000 years.  It is believed than some 33,400 people continue to work and live on Dartmoor by using the necessary skills such as farming, thatching and Wallers – which are part of the Dartmoor heritage. The Bronze Age buildings, settlements and relics can be found throughout the whole of the National Park the reason so many archaeological structures survived to this day is because they were constructed of granite a material that makes up 65% of the rock on Dartmoor.

Dartmoor is a National Park of two halves; it’s bisected by a couple of roads running from west to east, the northern moor and southern moor or as some would say the upper and lower moors.  The northern and southern moor couldn’t be more different to each other, the northern moor is very isolated, bleak with very little forestation, very few farms and only a few villages, Belstone and South Zeal to mention a couple.  A part of the northern and northwest moor is used extensively by the army for training and as a firing range.  There has been a military presence on Dartmoor for over 200 years but the public can have access to this part of the moor when the army are not training.  In the south there are a few small villages, probably the most visited and the best known is Widecombe-in-the-Moor.

Whatever the season Dartmoor is a very beautiful place to visit but the summer months especially are because of the panoramic views, the glorious colours of the vegetation and plant life, the bubbling brooks and the alpine effect of the reservoirs where forest meets water.  The weather on Dartmoor can change very quickly from being good to treacherous in a very short time.  Dartmoor is known for its fog and mists, its bogs and mires so when visiting, walking or participating in any activities on Dartmoor check the weather forecast.