The following information is condensed from the
Wikipedia and National Park websites:
Dartmoor is a protected area of moorland in the
centre of Devon and covers 953 km² (368
square miles). The granite upland dates from the
Carboniferous period of geological history. The
moorland is capped with many exposed granite
hilltops (known as tors), providing habitats for
Dartmoor wildlife. The highest point is High
Willhays, 621 m above sea level. The entire area
is rich in antiquities.
Dartmoor is managed by the National Park
Authority whose 26 members are drawn from Devon
County Council, local District Councils and
Government. Parts of Dartmoor have been used as a
military firing range for over 200 years. The
public enjoy extensive access rights to the rest
of Dartmoor, and it is a popular tourist
destination. The Park was featured on the TV
programme Seven Natural Wonders as the top
natural wonder in South West England.
Dartmoor is known for its tors — large
hills, topped with outcrops of bedrock, which in
granite country such as this are usually rounded
boulder-like formations. There are over 160 tors
on Dartmoor and are the focus of an annual event
known as the Ten Tors Challenge, when over a
thousand people aged between 14 and 21 walk for
distances up to 55 miles on many differing routes
over 10 tors
The levels of rainfall on Dartmoor are
considerably higher than in the surrounding
lowlands. With much of the national park covered
in thick layers of peat, the rain is usually
absorbed quickly and distributed slowly, so that
the moor is rarely dry. In some areas, where
water accumulates, dangerous bogs or mires can
result. Some of these, topped with bright green
moss and known to locals as 'feather beds', will
shift (or 'quake') beneath your feet — the
result of pockets of air trapped beneath the
surface. Another consequence of the high rainfall
is that there are numerous rivers and streams on
Dartmoor. As well as shaping the landscape, these
have traditionally provided a source of power for
moor industries such as tin mining and quarrying.
The Moor takes its name from the River Dart,
which starts as the East Dart and West Dart and
then becomes a single river at Dartmeet.
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The majority of the prehistoric remains on
Dartmoor date back to the late Neolithic and
early Bronze Age. Indeed, Dartmoor contains the
largest concentration of Bronze Age remains in
the United Kingdom.
The climate at the time was warmer than today,
and much of today's moorland was then covered
with trees. The prehistoric settlers began
clearing the forest and established the first
farming communities.
Fire was the main method of clearing land,
creating pasture and fallow farmland. Areas less
suited for farming, tended to be burned for
livestock grazing.
There are an estimated 5,000 hut circles, which
are the remnants of Bronze Age houses,.still
surviving today, despite the fact that many have
been raided over the centuries by the builders of
the traditional dry stone walls. The smallest are
around 6 ft (1.8 m) in diameter, and the largest
may be up to five times that size. It is believed
that they would have had a conical roof,
supported by timbers and covered in turf or
thatch.and some have L-shaped porches to protect
against wind and rain.
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The climate deteriorated over the course of a
thousand years from around 1000 BC so that much
of high Dartmoor was largely abandoned by its
early inhabitants.
It was not until the early medieval period that
the weather again became warmer, and settlers
moved back onto the moors. Like their ancient
forebears, they also used the natural granite to
build their homes, preferring a style known as
the longhouse. Some of these are still inhabited
today, although they have been clearly adapted
over the centuries. Many are now being used as
farm buildings, while others were abandoned and
fell into ruin.
The earliest surviving farms still operating
today are known as the Ancient Tenements. Most of
these date back to the 14th century or
earlier. The Dartmoor landscape is scattered with the
marks left by the many generations who have lived
and worked there over the centuries — such
as the remains of the once mighty Dartmoor
tin-mining industry, and farmhouses long since
abandoned.
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Some way into the moor stands the town of
Princetown, the site of the notorious Dartmoor
Prison, which was originally built both by, and
for, prisoners of war from the Napoleonic Wars.
The prison has a false reputation for being
escape-proof, both due to the buildings
themselves and its physical location.
Princetown is a town situated on Dartmoor in the
county of Devon in England. Princetown is best
known as the site of the notorious Dartmoor
Prison. It is the highest town on the moor, and
one of the highest in the United Kingdom. The
branch railway to the town, closed in 1956, was
also the highest railway line in England, its
Princetown terminus being 435 metres above sea
level
Conan Doyle stayed at the Royal Duchy Hotel in the town
before writing 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'.
The hotel has long since
closed and the building now houses the High
Moorland Visitor Centre which provides a wealth
of information and exhibits for those visiting
the moor.
Other points of interest in the town include the
prison museum and the town churchyard which
contains the graves of French and American
prisoners of war who were originally housed at
the prison. The church has the distinction of
being the only one in the UK constructed by POWs
and is dedicated, as are many churches in high
locations, to St. Michael. It was taken out of
use due to structural problems but is now
maintained by the Redundant Churches fund.
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A visit to Widecombe commences on the following
page.
Please click on the 'Next' button
(below right)
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