Things To Do near Plym Ford
Goldsmith's Cross, Princetown, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
Goldsmith's Cross is one of a high number of crosses marking the route of the ancient Buckfast to Tavistock Monastic Route as shown on the Harvey British Mountain Map 'Dartmoor' map. Goldsmith's Cross is located just south of the infamous Foxtor Mires that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle used as in...
Hutchinson's Cross/Devonport Leat Cross, Princetown, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
In his 'Walking The Dartmoor Waterways: A guide to retracing the leats and canals of the Dartmoor country', Eric Hemery writes: 'Above the right bank [of the Devonport Leat] stands a modern granite cross erected in 1968 by Lieutenant Commander B. Hutchinson of Stoke Fleming, in memory of his moth...
Black Lane Peat Pass, Princetown, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
The name Black Lane Peat Pass suggests a tidy, sunken road with high, black peat walls offering easy passage through difficult terrain. Whilst this might once have been the case, and there are still such peat passes on the north moor, if you walk Black Lane Peat Pass today you'll expe...
Erme Head, Sheepstor, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
Famous South Devon rivers such as the Plym, Avon, Yealm and Erme rise in the heart of Dartmoor's south plateau. The Erme takes the longest and most dramatic route across the moor to Ivybridge and then down to the South Devon coast at Erme Mouth between Wonwell Beach and Meadowsfoot Beach. It's also...
Drizzle Combe (Drizzlecombe), Sheepstor, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
Drizzle Combe is a short valley in the southern section of the Dartmoor National Park. It's situated between Burrator Reservoir and the high south moor. Cut by a brook, the area is known for its prehistoric sites and is part of the Upper Plym Valley (English Heritage). In his book 'High Dartmoo...
Drizzle Combe Settlements, Sheepstor, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
Look at the Upper Plym Valley area (follow the River Plym upstream from Cadover Bridge to Plym Head) on the Ordnance Survey Explorer OL28 'Dartmoor' map and you'll see a high number of settlements. By Drizzle Combe, there are the remains of a large settlement at Whittenknowles Rocks a...
Fox Tor, Princetown, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
In comparison to the larger north moor, the National Park's south moor has relatively few tors. One of the most impressive is Fox Tor. Situated on the edge of Dartmoor's south plateau, overlooking the infamous Foxtor Mires to which the tor gave its name, Fox Tor provides magnificent views over Da...
Erme Pits, Sheepstor, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
Follow the path marked Abbot's Way on the Ordnance Survey Explorer OL28 'Dartmoor' map from either the east or west and you'll cross the heart of Dartmoor's south plateau. Where the Abbot's Way crosses Erme Head Ford by Erme Head are a number of very deep pits known as Erme Pits. These are the...
Ditsworthy Warren, Sheepstor, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
Study a map of Dartmoor and you'll see plenty of names with the word 'warren' in them. Perhaps the most well-known example is Headland Warren by The Warren House Inn in the heart of the National Park. Another is Ditsworthy Warren in the Upper Plym Valley in the southern section of Dartmoor. Warre...
Drizzle Combe Stone Rows, Sheepstor, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
In his superb 'The Field Archaeoogy of Dartmoor', Phil Newman writes: 'The majority of menhirs are associated with stone rows, forming the terminals at one end of the row. These may have existed before the rows were added or were erected as a deliberate element of the row. The three stone rows at...
Drizzle Combe Giant's Basin, Sheepstor, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
In 'High Dartmoor', Eric Hemery wrote: 'The huge despoiled cairn near the barrow heading the southernmost row is known as Giants Basin [sic]; Bill Pengelly told me that many of its stones were taken by Ditsworthy warreners for constructing their rabbit-buries.'
Combshead Tor, Princetown, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 1 mile away)
Burrator Reservoir is an exceptionally popular visitor attraction in the south western section of Dartmoor National Park. It's beautiful and great for waterside walks. The reservoir is also fringed by many stunning tors. Leather Tor and the vast bulk of Sheeps Tor are the most dramatic. At the easte...
Childe's Tomb and Cross, Princetown, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 2 miles away)
Who was Childe? Whilst hunting on Dartmoor, Childe was overwhelmed by a snowstorm. To survive, he killed his horse, disembowelled it and then climbed inside for shelter. The snowstorm continued and Childe froze to death. Upon the event of his death, it became known that he'd leave his lands at Plyms...
Foxtor Mires, Princetown, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 2 miles away)
There are some places on Dartmoor that are best avoided. Raybarrow Pool by Cosdon Hill on the north moor is a dangerous place. Down on the edge of the National Park's south plateau, Foxtor Mires is another. Said to have been the inspiration for Grimpen Mire in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Hound of...
Down Tor Stone Row (Hingston Hill Stone Row), Princetown, Dartmoor National Park (approx. 2 miles away)
This is arguably the most extraordinary stone row on Dartmoor. Whilst Stall Moor Stone Row is the longest in the world and Stalldown Stone Row has the tallest collection of stones, for sheer presence it's hard to beat Down Tor Stone Row (Hingston Hill Stone Row). This is essential visiting when...