Given National Park status in 1951, Dartmoor sits in the south of county Devon, southwest England, and covers an area of 365 square miles. Almost half the park is swampland, a haven for wildlife and those wishing to escape the rigours of city life.
Dartmoor Forest, owned by the Duchy of Cornwall since 1307, is a former royal hunting ground and makes up the vast majority of the region. The grass and heather moors are littered with hefty granite boulders scattered amongst the rolling hills. Wild ponies graze among the barren hills; despite running wild, all have human owners and are gathered annually each autumn.
Approximately 10% of the moor is woodland, much of it running along the tranquil river valleys. Stone circles and burial chambers are testament to Dartmoor’s historic and enigmatic past. Indeed, Dartmoor is famous not only for its beautiful landscapes. It was within the little village of Grimspound that Sherlock Holmes found himself investigating the hound of the Baskervilles.
Dartmoor was one of Europe’s biggest tin mining areas back in the 12th century. The stone built homes of the miners can still be found along many of the regions...