Dartmoor

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Coordinates: 50°34′N 4°0′W / 50.567°N 4°W / 50.567; -4

Dartmoor
Protected Area
View down the River Meavy towards Sharpitor and Leather Tor
Country	United Kingdom
Part	England
County	Devon
Highest point	High Willhays
- elevation	621 m (2,037 ft)
Lowest point	Doghole Bridge
- elevation	24 m (79 ft)
Area	954 km² (368 sq mi)
Animal	Dartmoor Pony
National Park of England	1951
Management	Dartmoor National Park Authority
- location	Bovey Tracey
Visitation	10.98m
IUCN category	II - National Park
Position of Dartmoor within England
Website: http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/

Dartmoor is an area of moorland in the centre of Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers 954 square kilometres (368 sq mi).^[1]

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 (2,037 ft) above sea level. The entire area is rich in antiquities and archaeology.

Dartmoor is managed by the Dartmoor National Park Authority whose 22 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 two hundred 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.

Contents 1 Physical geography 1.1 Tors 1.2 Rivers 1.3 Bogs 2 Climate 3 History 3.1 Pre-history 3.2 The historical period 4 Myths and literature 5 Ownership and access 5.1 Use by the Ministry of Defence 6 Preservation 7 Towns and villages 8 Landmarks 9 Leisure activities 10 See also 11 External links 12 Notes 13 References

[edit] Physical geography

[edit] Tors

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. They 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 of 35, 45 or 55 miles (56, 72 or 89 km) over ten tors on many differing routes. While many of the hills of Dartmoor have the word "Tor" in them quite a number do not, however this does not appear to relate to whether there is an outcrop of rock on their summit.

The highest points on Dartmoor are High Willhays (grid reference SX580895) at 621 m (2,040 ft) and Yes Tor (grid reference SX581901) 619 m (2,030 ft) on the northern moor. Ryder's Hill (grid reference SX690660), 515 m (1,690 ft), Snowdon 495 m (1,620 ft), and an unnamed point at (grid reference SX603645),493 m (1,620 ft) are the highest points on the southern moor. Probably the best known tor on Dartmoor is Haytor (also spelt Hey Tor) (grid reference SX757771), 457 m (1,500 ft). For a more complete list see List of Dartmoor tors and hills.

[edit] Rivers

The high ground of Dartmoor forms the catchment area for many of Devon's rivers. 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. It leaves the moor at Buckfastleigh, flowing through Totnes below where it opens up into a long ria, reaching the sea at Dartmouth.

For a full list, expand the Rivers of Dartmoor navigational box at the bottom of this page.

[edit] Bogs

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 areas where water accumulates, dangerous bogs or mires can result. Some of these, up to 12 feet (3.7 m) across and topped with bright green moss, are known to locals as "feather beds" or "quakers", because they shift (or 'quake') beneath your feet. This is the result of accumulations of sphagnum moss growing over a hollow in the granite filled with water.^[2]

The vegetation of the bogs depends on the type and location. Blanket bog, which forms on the highest land where the rainfall exceeds 80 inches a year, consists mainly of cotton-grass (Eriophorum species), sedges (Carex and Rhynchospora), Bog Asphodel and Common Tormentil, with Sphagnum thriving in the wettest patches. The valley bogs have lush growth of rushes, with sphagnum, cross-leaved heath, sundews and several other species.^[3]

Some of the bogs on Dartmoor have achieved notoriety, the most notable being Fox Tor Mires, supposedly the inspiration for Great Grimpen Mire in Conan Doyle's novel The Hound of the Baskervilles.^[4] Sabine Baring-Gould, in his Book of Dartmoor (1900) related the story of a man making his way through Aune Mire at the head of the River Avon when he came upon a top-hat brim down on the surface of the mire. He kicked it, whereupon a voice called out: "What be you a-doin' to my 'at?" The man replied, "Be there now a chap under'n?" "Ees, I reckon," was the reply, "and a hoss under me likewise."^[5]

[edit] Climate

Climate chart for Princetown[6]
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
219   6 1	168   6 1	162   7 2	109   10 3	100   13 6	116   16 9	112   18 11	133   18 11	156   15 9	215   12 6	234   8 4	251   7 2
average temperatures in °C precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     8.6   42 34     6.6   42 33     6.4   45 35     4.3   49 37     3.9   55 43     4.6   60 47     4.4   64 51     5.2   64 52     6.1   59 48     8.5   53 44     9.2   47 39     9.9   44 36 average temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches

Along with the rest of South West England, Dartmoor has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than locations at similar height in the rest of England. At Princetown, near the centre of the moor at a height of 453 metres (1,490 ft), January and February are the coldest months with mean minimum temperatures around 1 °C (34 °F). July and August are the warmest months with mean daily maxima not reaching 18 °C (64 °F). Compared with Teignmouth, which is on the coast about 22 miles to the east, the average maximum and minimum temperatures are 3.0 °C and 2.6 °C lower respectively, and air frost is at least five times as frequent.^[7] On the highest ground, in the north of the moor, the growing season is less than 175 days - this contrasts with some 300 days along most of the south coast of the county.^[7]

Rainfall tends to be associated with Atlantic depressions or with convection. In summer, convection caused by solar surface heating sometimes forms shower clouds and a large proportion of rainfall falls from showers and thunderstorms at this time of year. The wettest months are November and December and on the highest parts of the moor the average annual total rainfall is over 2,000 millimetres (78.7 in). This compares with less than 800 millimetres (31.5 in) in the lower land to the east, which is in the rain shadow of the moor.^[8]

Between 1961 and 1990 Met Office data shows that there was an average of 20 winter days during which snow fell on the moor, and during the same period the high moor experienced over 40 days with hail annually, which is as high as anywhere else in the country. This is explained by the instability caused by cold polar maritime air that has travelled over a large expanse of warmer ocean being forced to rise by the topography.^[8]

Comparing average temperatures between 1961–1990 and 1971–2000 at Princetown, shows that over the decade 1990–2000 there has been an average temperature increase of 0.2 °C throughout the year, but as high as 0.5 °C in late winter.^[9]

[edit] History

[edit] Pre-history

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, which suggests that this was when a larger population moved onto the hills of Dartmoor.

The climate at the time was warmer than today, and much of today's moorland was 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 swidden types of fire-fallow farmland. Areas less suited for farming tended to be burned for livestock grazing. Over the centuries these Neolithic practices greatly expanded the upland moors, and contributed to the acidification of the soil and the accumulation of peat and bogs.^[10]

The nature of the soil, which is highly acidic, means that no organic remains have survived. However, by contrast, the high durability of the natural granite means that their homes and monuments are still to be found in abundance, as are their flint tools. It should be noted that a number of remains were "restored" by enthusiastic Victorians and that, in some cases, they have placed their own interpretation on how an area may have looked.

Numerous menhirs (more usually referred to locally as standing stones or longstones), stone circles, kistvaens, cairns and stone rows are to be found on the moor. The most significant sites include:

• Beardown Man, near Devil’s Tor – isolated standing stone 3.5 m (11 ft) high, said to have another 1 m (3.3 ft) below ground. grid reference SX596796
• Challacombe, near the prehistoric settlement of Grimspound – triple stone row. grid reference SX689807
• Drizzlecombe, east of Sheepstor village – stone circles, rows, standing stones, kistvaens and cairns. grid reference SX591669
• Grey Wethers, near Postbridge – double circle, aligned almost exactly north south. grid reference SX638831
• Laughter Tor, near Two Bridges – standing stone 2.4 m (7.9 ft) high and two double stone rows, one 164 m (540 ft) long. grid reference SX652753
• Merrivale, between Princetown and Tavistock – includes a double stone row 182 m (600 ft) long, 1.1 m (3.6 ft) wide, aligned almost exactly east-west), stone circles and a kistvaen. grid reference SX554747
• Scorhill, west of Chagford – circle, 26.8 m (88 ft) in circumference, and stone rows. grid reference SX654873
• Shovel Down, north of Fernworthy reservoir – double stone row approximately 120 m (390 ft) long. grid reference SX660859
• Upper Erme stone row is the longest on Dartmoor at 3,300 m (11,000 ft)

There are also an estimated 5,000 hut circles still surviving today, despite the fact that many have been raided over the centuries by the builders of the traditional dry stone walls. These are the remnants of Bronze Age houses. The smallest are around 1.8 m (6 ft) in diameter, and the largest may be up to five times this size.

Some have L-shaped porches to protect against wind and rain – some particularly good examples are to be found at Grimspound. It is believed that they would have had a conical roof, supported by timbers and covered in turf or thatch.

Many ancient structures, including the hut circles at Grimspound, were reconstructed during the 19th century – most notably by civil engineer and historian Richard Hansford Worth. Some of this work was based more on speculation than archaeological expertise, and has since been criticised for its inaccuracy.

[edit] The historical period

The climate worsened 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 which 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 in operation today, are known as the Ancient Tenements. Most of these date back to the 14th century and sometimes earlier.

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 (now misplaced) reputation for being escape-proof, both due to the buildings themselves and its physical location.

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. Indeed the industrial archaeology of Dartmoor is a subject in its own right.

[edit] Myths and literature

Dartmoor abounds with myths and legends. It is reputedly the haunt of pixies, a headless horseman, a mysterious pack of 'spectral hounds', and a large black dog. During the Great Thunderstorm of 1638, Dartmoor was even said to have been visited by the Devil.

Many landmarks have ancient legends and ghost stories associated with them, such as Jay's Grave, the ancient burial site at Childe's Tomb, the rock pile called Bowerman's Nose, and the stone crosses that mark mediaeval routes across the moor.

A few stories have emerged in recent decades, such as the 'hairy hands', that are said to attack travellers on the B3212 near Two Bridges.

Dartmoor has inspired a number of artists and writers, such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Adventure of Silver Blaze, Eden Phillpotts, Beatrice Chase, Agatha Christie and the Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould.

[edit] Ownership and access

Over half of Dartmoor National Park (57.3%) is private land; the Forest of Dartmoor being the major part of this, owned by the Duke of Cornwall. The Ministry of Defence owns 14% (see below), 3.8% is owned by water companies (see Dartmoor reservoirs), 3.7% by the National Trust, 1.8% by the Forestry Commission and 1.4% by Dartmoor's National Park Authority. About 37% of Dartmoor is Common land.^[11]

Dartmoor differs from some other National Parks in England and Wales, in that since the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985^[12] much of it has been designated as 'Access Land', with no restrictions on where walkers can roam. This Access Land remains privately owned land.

There are still almost 450 miles (720 km) of footpaths and bridleways on Dartmoor, but they are for guidance and convenience – they do not have to be kept to, and in fact footpaths in these sections of the Park are generally not waymarked. This is not connected with the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, which has established similar rights in other rural parts of the country. Dartmoor is largely unaffected by this legislation because of its existing arrangements. In 2006, this Act opened up much of the remaining restricted land for walkers – a topic much disputed amongst the landowners and the councils.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Use by the Ministry of Defence

There is a tradition of military usage of Dartmoor dating back to the Napoleonic wars. There is still a large British Army training camp at Okehampton – also the site of an airbase during the Second World War.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) uses three areas of the northern moor for manoeuvres and live-firing exercises, totalling 108.71 square kilometres (41.97 sq mi), or just over 11% of the National Park. Red and white posts mark the boundaries of these military areas (shown on Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 scale maps). Flagpoles on many tors in and around the ranges fly red flags when firing is taking place. At other times, members of the public are allowed access. Blank rounds may also be used, but the MoD does not notify the public of this in advance.

Some "challenge" and charitable events take place with assistance of the military on Dartmoor including the long established Ten Tors event and the more recent Dartmoor Beast.

[edit] Preservation

Throughout human history, the landscape has been exploited for industrial purposes. In recent years, controversy has surrounded the work of industrial conglomerates Imerys and Watts Blake Bearne, who have used parts of the moor for china clay mining. Licences were granted by the British Government but were recently renounced after sustained public pressure from bodies such as the Dartmoor Preservation Association. Many of these licences pre-date much of the heavy machinery which is in use today. Imerys were singled out for particular criticism after work at Lee Moor destroyed a number of archaeologically significant sites.

The British government has made promises to protect the integrity of the moor; however, the cost of compensating companies for these licences, which may not have been granted in today's political climate, could prove prohibitive.

The military use of the moor has been another source of controversy, such as when training was extended in January 2003. The National Park Authority received 1,700 objections before making the decision. Objectors claimed that Dartmoor should be an area for recreation, and that the training disturbs the peace.

Those who objected included the Open Spaces Society and the Dartmoor Preservation Association. During her lifetime, Lady Sayer was another outspoken critic of the damage which she perceived that the army was doing to the moor.

[edit] Towns and villages

Dartmoor has a resident population of about 33,400, which swells considerably during holiday periods with incoming tourists. For a list, expand the Settlements of Dartmoor navigational box at the bottom of this page.

[edit] Landmarks

This article is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this article to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (September 2007)

• Black Tor Beare – Remote woodland of stunted oaks over 1,000 ft (300 m) above sea level in West Okement valley
• Bowerman's Nose – unusual rock formation
• Brentor Church – Remote church 1,100 ft (340 m) high on crag at western edge of moor
• Burrator Reservoir – late Victorian reservoir
• Castle Drogo – Edwardian faux castle built by Edwin Lutyens on crag above Teign Gorge, Drewsteignton
• Childe's Tomb – ancient burial site
• Church House, South Tawton – 15th century church ales house
• Cosdon or Cawsand Beacon – Prominent hill, northern extremity of moor, site of beacon fire for invasion warning
• Cranmere Pool – original letter box site and location of the legend of Cranmere Binjie
• Crazywell Pool – artificial lake
• Dartmeet – meeting point of East and West Dart
• Devonport Leat – man-made water channel
• Duck's Pool – location of a memorial to local writer William Crossing
• Fernworthy Dam & Reservoir – Granite-faced concrete dam and lake in Fernworthy Forest, nr. Chagford
• Great Links Tor – dominant tor on NW scarp of moor
• Grey Wethers – pair of ancient stone circles
• Grimspound – Bronze Age settlement
• Haytor Rock – Prominent tor and viewpoint between Bovey Tracey and Widecombe
• Haytor Granite Tramway – Remarkable early tramway with stone rails; ran from quarries at Haytor to Stover Canal
• High Willhays – highest point on Dartmoor
• Hound Tor – Rugged tor with remains of Iron Age village
• Jay's Grave – mysterious burial site
• Lydford Gorge – Dramatic, very deep and narrow gorge with waterfalls
• Meldon dam & viaduct – 140 ft (43 m) high concrete dam and dramatic Victorian iron bridge
• Powdermills, Cherrybrook – Remains of gunpowder grinding mill near Two Bridges
• Rattlebrook railway – Remains of horse-worked railway track to peat works near Great Links Tor
• Skaigh Valley – Narrow, wooded valley leading up on to moor at Belstone; on famous Sticklepath geological fault
• Scorhill stone circle – Well-preserved circle of standing stones near Teign-e-ver, Gidleigh
• Tavistock Canal – 19th century canal
• Tavy Cleave – dramatic river gorge on western moor near Marytavy
• Teign-e-ver – confluence of North Teign and Wallabrook; clapper bridges & tolmen stone
• Two Bridges – 18th century coaching inn
• Warren House Inn – highest inn in SW England
• Widgery Cross – Granite cross atop Brat Tor, memorial erected by Dartmoor artist William Widgery to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887
• Wistman's Wood – Remote copse of stunted oaks in valley of West Dart near two bridges
• Wheal Betsy – Engine house of mine on Blackdown, Marytavy

[edit] Leisure activities

• Rock climbing is popular on the granite tors and outcrops of Dartmoor, some of the well-known venues being Haytor, Hound Tor and The Dewerstone.^[13]

• Much of the river fishing on Dartmoor is privately owned, but permits are available for some stretches. Wild brown trout, sea trout and salmon can be found in Dartmoor rivers.^[14]

• Whitewater kayaking and canoeing are popular due to the high rainfall and high quality of rivers.^[15] The River Dart is the most prominent meeting place, the section known as the Loop being particularly popular.

• Letterboxing originated on Dartmoor in the 19th century and has become increasingly popular in recent decades. Watertight containers, or 'letterboxes', are hidden throughout Dartmoor, each containing a visitor's book and a rubber stamp. Visitors take an impression of the letterbox's rubber stamp as proof of finding the box and record their visit by stamping their own personal stamp in the letterbox's logbook.

• Geocaching is a more recent activity related to letterboxing. Geocache clues make use of GPS coordinates, whereas letterboxing clues tend to consist of grid references and compass bearings.

• The definitive guide to hill walking on Dartmoor was written by the Victorian era walker William Crossing. In 1938 a plaque and letterbox in Crossing's memory were placed at Duck's Pool on the southern moor.

[edit] See also

• Geology of the United Kingdom
• Haytor Granite Tramway
• Dartmoor Discovery Ultramarathon Race
• Rock-cut basin The Tolmen stone
• Dartmoor Way long-distance footpath

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dartmoor

• Dartmoor Society
• Dartmoor at the Open Directory Project
• Dartmoor Letterboxing
• Legendary Dartmoor
• Dartmoor National Park Authority
• Ten Tors Official Website
• Dartmoor Rescue Group

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Crossing, William Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor, the 1912 edition reprinted with new introd. by Brian Le Messurier. Dawlish: David & Charles, 1965.
• Hunt, P. J.; Wills, G. L. (eds) (1977), Devon Wetlands, Exeter: Devon County Council ISBN 0-903849-19-4.
• Pyne, Stephen J. (1997) Vestal Fire: an Environmental History, Told through Fire, of Europe and Europe's Encounter with the World. University of Washington Press, Seattle ISBN 0-295-97596-2.
• Webb, Bruce (2006). "The Environmental Setting of Human Occupation". in Roger Kain. England's Landscape. The South West. London: Collins. pp. 30–33. ISBN 0-00-715572-7. 

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v • d • e National parks of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland England : Dartmoor • Exmoor • Lake District • New Forest • Northumberland • North York Moors • Peak District • Yorkshire Dales • The Broads‡ • South Downs† Wales : Brecon Beacons • Pembrokeshire Coast • Snowdonia Scotland : Cairngorms • Loch Lomond and the Trossachs Northern Ireland : Mourne Mountains† An area with ‡ has similar status to a UK National Park. Areas marked † are proposed.

v • d • e Settlements of Dartmoor, Devon Settlements: Ashburton · Belstone · Bovey Tracey · Brentor · Bridestowe · Buckfastleigh · Buckland-in-the-Moor  · Chagford · Drewsteignton · Gidleigh · Haytor · Hexworthy · Holne · Ilsington · Ivybridge · Lustleigh · Lydford · Manaton · Mary Tavy · Moretonhampstead · Okehampton · Peter Tavy · Ponsworthy · Postbridge · Poundsgate · Princetown · Sheepstor · Sourton · South Brent · South Tawton · South Zeal · Sticklepath · Tavistock · Widecombe-in-the-Moor · Yelverton

v • d • e Rivers of Dartmoor, Devon, England Rivers: Ashburn · Avon · Bovey · Dart · East Okement · East Webburn · Erme · Jordan · Lemon · Lyd · Meavy · Plym · Swincombe · Tavy · Taw · Teign · Walkham · West Okement · West Webburn · Yealm