Dartmoor England s Last Great Wilderness

G iven National Park status        only for its beautiful             in 1951, Dartmoor sits in       landscapes. It was within the      the south of county Devon,      little village of Grimspound that  southwest England, and covers an      Sherlock Holmes found himself      area of 365 square miles. Almost      investigating the hound of the     half the park is swampland, a         Baskervilles.                      haven for wildlife and those                                             wishing to escape the rigours of      Dartmoor was one of Europe's       city life.                            biggest tin mining areas back in                                         the 12th century. The stone built  Dartmoor Forest, owned by the         homes of the miners can still be   Duchy of Cornwall since 1307, is      found along many of the regions    a former royal hunting ground and     streams and rivers.                makes up the vast majority of the                                        region. The grass and heather         Abbot's Way runs across the        moors are littered with hefty         southern part of the moor, racing  granite boulders scattered            across wild country and moorland   amongst the rolling hills. Wild       bogs. The region is thought to be  ponies graze among the barren         named after the abbots who are     hills; despite running wild, all      thought to have used this path     have human owners and are             when travelling between Buckland   gathered annually each autumn.        Abbey and Buckfast Abbey. Man's                                          presence over the ages is evident  Approximately 10% of the moor is      in this barren land. Hut circles   woodland, much of it running          dating back to the Bronze and      along the tranquil river valleys.     Iron ages remain today.            Stone circles and burial chambers                                        are testament to Dartmoor's           South of Abbots Way sits Harford   historic and enigmatic past.          Moor. The Middle Ages drew tin     Indeed, Dartmoor is famous not        miners from far and wide seeking   riches below the surface. Today       waterfalls and huge granite.       visitors are drawn by the vast                                           wilderness and wildlife. A            To the west is Upper Plym Valley   medieval cross adorns Harford         and a beautiful array of plants    Church, one of many in the area       and wildlife. The tracks in these  which once served as signposts        parts are somewhat easier to       for those travelling across the       navigate than many others in the   moors.                                moors and provide much of                                                interest along the way. The        Becky Falls Woodland Park first       spectacular moorland scenery is    opened to the public in 1903.         interspersed with abandoned tin    Some of the most enjoyable walks      mines dating back over a century   in England's southwest can be had     and various prehistoric relics     here amongst the delightful           including stone and hut circles.   About the Author: Steven Cronin owns the City Breaks website featuring city break special offers from luxury hotels to budget accommodations. For more information please visit http://www.sargas.co.uk Source: www.isnare.com