The place where legends are made! (Nationalpark Dartmoor)

Member Name: kingfisher111

Product:	Nationalpark Dartmoor
Date:	24/08/09 (143 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: beautiful open spaces

Disadvantages: none really

We have been spending a few days with my family in South Devon and no visit would ever be complete without a trip out to Dartmoor. It is a wonderful place to take families especially children who generally spend their time in built up areas because it is so expansive and beautiful. My daughters loved the day we spent roaming the moor and taking in the wonderful scenery!

Dartmoor National Park covers an area of 368 square miles and is apparently the largest and wildest open area in the south of England. We access it by driving up to Bovey Tracy which is on the edge of Dartmoor and then following signs to where we want to go. Some of the Dartmoor roads are pretty good but others can be quite narrow and winding so you do need to take special care when driving especially as it is quite likely that you will meet a large sightseeing coach coming towards you! You do probably want to check the weather before you head up onto the moor as in bad conditions it can be very bleak!

Dartmoor is excellent for both scenic drives and walking. As my mum can't walk very far these days, my parents often enjoy a drive out and through the Dartmoor villages such as Moretonhampstead, Princetown (the location of Dartmoor Prison) and the beautiful village of Widdecombe in the Moor. All of these places, and many more, are steeped in history and tradition and have lots of quaint buildings, tea rooms and gift shops.

On our recent visit we went to Widdecombe and stopped for lunch at the Cafe on the Green which offers a good variety of hot and cold food at reasonable options. There are a few other eating places there too as well as a couple of gift shops and a lovely village green that our daughters enjoyed running up and down on. You have to pay to park in the car park at Widdecombe but as this was only £1.30 for as long as you wanted, I didn't think this was too bad. The car park also is home to a small kiosk where you can get drinks, snacks and ice creams at great prices. Widdecombe is also famous for its annual fair and there is a very famous legend about a character called Uncle Tom Cobbley who along with his six pals travelled to the fair all on one grey mare! All the gift shoips have lots of souvenirs of this supposedly famous event!

If you want to experience the wide open spaces you should head to Haytor although even on the sunniest days this will feel quite breezy as it is so exposed. There is a reasonably sized car park at Haytor with a visitor centre and toilets (very important to know where these are!). There is also a small van selling refreshments at extortionate prices. I bought a packet of three custard creams for 80 pence! I would suggest taking your own refreshments if you don't want to get ripped off!

If you are lucky, Haytor is a good spot to see Dartmoor ponies. We were lucky enough to come across about half a dozen. These are quite friendly creatures and they will allow you to approach them and stroke them if you are very gentle. I did have to warn my daughters not to approach them from behind though. The girls thought that the ponies were wonderful and they don't often get the chance to see creatures like these up close. Also, don't be surprised to see lots of sheep just wandering along the roadside which is another reason to drive with caution.

If you are feeling fit and athletic you might want to walk up Haytor itself. It is a large granite tor and has a height of 457 metres. One side has a slightly less daunting gradient than the other and you often see large groups walking to the top where you can get spectacular views. I have walked it on previous visits but I thought it would probably be too much for out two small daughters who we would probably end up carrying, so we gave it a miss this time.

Talking of views though, the ones on Dartmoor are wonderful. Every direction you look you will get extraordinary views and it is particularly good to take in the colourful plants even though we don't know what most of them are.

There are so many different places to visit on Dartmoor and everyone will have their own favourites. To get a really good idea of what is on offer you can visit

www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk

I thought that I would just finish by telling you about a couple of my favourite places. One is the small village of Manaton where you should be able to find the grave of Kitty Jay. Legend states that she was a poor unmarried girl who found herself pregnant and took her own life. She is buried at the intersection between two roads and mysteriously, each day, yellow flowers appear on her grave and no one knows who puts them there.

Another favourite place of mine is the Becky Falls Woodland Park at the centre of which is a beautiful waterfall. There are lots of wonderful walks you can take around the falls and there are often lots of activities for children including challenges and indoor crafts. You do have to pay admission here and a family ticket is £22. This is a contrast to most places on Dartmoor which are all free. I have not yet visited with my young daughters although I have been many times, and I think that we will wait until they are a bit older so that they get the most out of the visit.

It is impossible in a short review to really give a total description of Dartmoor. In fact there are many books that do that. Instead I have given you a little taste of my Dartmoor which I hope you have enjoyed reading!

Summary: A top Devon sight seeing location!