History & Heritage in Dartmoor National Park
White Tor Fort/Neolithic Enclosure, Peter Tavy, Dartmoor National Park
If you're interested in the history and prehistory of Dartmoor National Park, buy a copy of Phil Newman's 'The Field Archaeology of Dartmoor'. In chapter 2, which covers the 'Mesolithic to Early Bronze Age', there's a section on tor enclosures. Newman writes: 'Two somewhat enigmatic sites that ma...
Stephen's Grave, Peter Tavy, Dartmoor National Park
In his 'Guide to Dartmoor', William Crossing wrote: 'Retracing our steps northward to the peat track (T.16), we turn L., shortly afterwards reaching a mound close beside it. This is known as Stephens' Grave [sic], and marks the site where a suicide was buried with the barbarous rites once customa...
King's Oven, Postbridge, Dartmoor National Park
One of Dartmoor's many curious place names, the Dartmoor expert William Crossing states that' we shall hardly be wrong in supposing that [the name King's Oven] was derived not from being a furnace connected with tinworks belonging to Henry III., but to a much earlier king, for there cannot be a doub...
Moretonhampstead Public Art/Sculpture ('Dartmoor Flight'), Moretonhampstead, Dartmoor National Park
One of the highlights of Moretonhampstead is its public art/sculptures. From a sparrowhawk to Dartmoor ponies, barn owl to relief panels, the town is full of creative goodness. These beautiful works were created by a group of artists lead by Roger Dean as part of a project called 'Dartmoor Flig...
Haytor Quarry, Haytor Vale, Dartmoor National Park
One of a number of quarries on the moorland around Haytor Rocks. Granite was quarried here in the 18th and 19th centuries. A granite tramway was built in 1820 to transport the granite down to Stover Canal. From there, quarried granite was taken by water to the Teign Estuary and Teignmouth. Granit...
Sextons Cottage and Church House (National Trust), Widecombe in the Moor, Dartmoor National Park
A sexton maintained church buildings and the graveyard. The sexton's cottage was his home. The 'church house was the medieval equivalent of the church hall. Its chief purpose was to house the festivals and church ales which raised funds for many an English parish church until the rise of Puritanism'...
Cosdon Beacon, Belstone, Dartmoor National Park
Cosdon Beacon is a huge cairn and trig point 550 metres above sea level at the highest point on Cosdon Hill. We've positioned Cosdon Beacon on Google maps so zoom in on the 'Satellite' setting to see its location. Read our Cosdon Hill listing for directions. Cosdon is one of a number of b...
Belstone Church, Belstone, Dartmoor National Park
Many Dartmoor churches dominate their surroundings. Widecombe-in-the-Moor's 'Cathedral of the Moor' is the most obvious example. Moretonhampstead St Andrew's Church rises high above its moorland gateway town. Manaton St Winifred Church is visible from miles around. Belstone Church, however, is tucke...
King's Barrow, Moretonhampstead, Dartmoor National Park
The barrow on top of King Tor is one of a number of these highly visible burial chambers on Hookney Down and Hamel Down. You can see them from miles around which was, clearly, the intention. See our King Tor listing for directions. Note that the barrow is close to English Heritage's Grimspound...
Holming Beam Bridge, Princetown, Dartmoor National Park
There's a car parking area at Holming Beam offering access to the Merrivale Range area of Dartmoor National Park. This is a British Army firing range but it's open to the public for large chunks of the year. The car parking area is above a beautiful valley cut by the River Cowsic as it fl...
Secret Place Sculpture, Drewsteignton, Dartmoor National Park
One of the many joys of walking in the north east section of Dartmoor National Park around Castle Drogo (National Trust) and Teign Gorge (National Trust) are the beautiful public sculptures you encounter on your way. Secret Place is on the Two Moors Way close to where it leaves/enters Dartmo...
Wistman's Wood Ford, Two Bridges, Dartmoor National Park
Wistman's Wood is an extraordinary National Nature Reserve located in a valley cut by the West Dart River on the egde of Dartmoor's high north plateau. Wistman's Wood Ford is a place where you can, in good conditions, cross the West Dart River. The ford is roughly one kilometre north of...
The Dartmoor Inn/River Lyd Stepping Stones, Lydford, Dartmoor National Park
There's a popular car parking area on the western side of Dartmoor behind The Dartmoor Inn at Lydford. You access the car parking area by a lane just north of the inn. You can explore some of the National Park's most beautiful tors from here. To do so, you have to cross the River Lyd. The easiest wa...
Brown's House (Ruin), Postbridge, Dartmoor National Park
The West Dart River rises on Dartmoor National Park's high north plateau in boggy, rough cut moorland close to southern England's most remote spot at Fur Tor. The river builds strength as it flows south cutting moorland valleys on its way past Wistman's Wood National Nature Reserve to Tw...
Standon Steps, Mary Tavy, Dartmoor National Park
This information is taken from 'Walking Dartmoor's Ancient Tracks' by the Dartmoor expert Eric Hemery: 'The simplest way to explain the remarkable Standon Steps is to quote the relevant passage from 'High Dartmoor': The alarming rapidity and volume of Tavy (prior to dep...