Rosewater and Marigold water, herbs and flowers gathered to the East, played their part, but first in importance— or perhaps first in my memory— was, thyme and grass from a fairy ring.

 

Rosewater and Marigold water,
herbs and flowers gathered to the East,
played their part,
but first in importance— or perhaps first in my memory— was,
thyme and grass from a fairy ring.

King Arthur received his mortal wound

 

n which King Arthur received his mortal wound : thus recorded

by the Poet k :

<c Naturam Cambela fontis

Mutatam ftupet efle fui, tranfcendit in undas

Sanguineus torrens ripas, et ducit in aequor

Corpora caeforum ; plures natare videres,

Et petere auxilium quos undis vita reliquit.”

The other, a bloody battle, fought betwixt the Cornifh, and the Weft Saxons of Devonfhire, in the year 824 ’, in which many thoufands fell on each ftde, and the victory remained uncertain.

Hence, after a run of about 1 2 miles, it becomes navigable for fand barges at Parbrok ; and at Eglofhel m , receives a plentiful addition to it’s ftream, from the River Laine A mile farther down, this

River reaches the greateft bridge in this county, called Wadebridge : about the year 1460 there was a ferry here whilft the tide was in, and a very dangerous ford when the tide was retired,

which moved the then Vicar of Eglofhel, one Mr. Lovebon, with great induftry and public fpirit, to undertake this bridge ; a great and ufeful, but tedious work. Beftdes the expence, fo difproportioned

to his circumftances, in the courfe of the work, there arofe fuch difficulties, as might have baffled a more mechanical age than that

in which he lived : the ground, for the foundation of fome of the

piers, proved fo fwampy, that after repeated efforts another way,

they were forced at laft to build on wool-packs ; however, it fhould

never be forgotten, that by his follicitations, and the liberal contri-

butions of others, but chiefly by his own perfeverance, and the

bleffings of providence, he lived to accomplifh the bridge as it

now ftands, with feventeen fair and uniform arches, reaching quite

crofs the valley, to the great fafety of travellers, and the credit of

his country. Hither come up fmall barks of 40 and 60 ton, and

fupply the country with coal from Wales, with flat, which rifes about

ten miles off, lime, timber, and groceries from Briftol. A mile farther

down the Alan makes two fmall Creeks on the Eaft, in return for a

brook or two which it receives; then keeping to the North-Weft, and

fupplying two Creeks on the Weftern bank which run up into St. Illy,

and little Petrock pariflies, in a mile more it reaches the antient

town of Petrockftow, alias Padftow, where there is a pier, and fome

k In Camden, page 23. and the Elaine, (Hinnulus) in Radnorshire, and

1 See Saxon chronicle. Montgomery Ihife, &c. probably this River Lain,

m That is, the Church on the River. had the name of Elaine from the fwiftnefs of

" Some Rivers among the Britifh, fays Lhuyd it’s courfe.

in Baxter’s gloflary, page 273, take their names 0 Leland, Vol. II. page 82.

from animals ; as the Caru (Cervus) in Shropfhire,

what about bartons, what is their use

well consider romans and their system
always near water , derelict often or farm distribution

a noted place called Saddletor from the hills near which the Lomen or as we now call it, the Lemon — “ fetcheth her fountain”

 

 Tor — and here I quote from Crossing’s Guide to Dartmoor where he says ‘Risdon speaks of a noted place called Saddletor from the hills near which the Lomen or as we now call it, the Lemon — “ fetcheth her fountain” . The nearest stream to the tor is the Sig which rises on Bag Tor Down about 1/4 mile S of it . . . it falls into the Lemon (the springs of which are near Lud Gate)Despite the claim by the Norman-Welsh Geoffry of Monmouth in his Historia Regum Britanniae that Ludgate was so called for having been built by the ancient British king called Lud—a manifestation of the god Nodens—the name is believed by later writers to be derived from "flood gate" or "Fleet gate", from "ludgeat", meaning "back gate" or "postern", or from the Old English term "hlid-geat", meaning "postern" or "swing gate". just below Sigford, and immediately after having received the waters of the Langworthy Brook.’ All of which we shall be investigating in due course. This particular stream, which becomes the River Sig, runs past Bugtor cottages and is typical of these moorland streams, deep set in ferns and bright flowers among the rocks as they chatter busily onwards, and it was here that Syd Wills, now living at St Budeaux, spent many happy hours of his childhood, and where he told me, ‘It was an unwritten law to let the foxes drink before you collected the duy’s water supply from the brook.’ He went on to tell me of the two Indies who once ran Bagtor House and the Barton as guesthouse nnd farm, their names Miss Blankiron and Miss Cross. Memories of them too came from Miss Catherine Haines, now in lu>r 80s and living at Bridford. She was a groom at Bagtor House in the 1920s. And here once again the tragedy of fire touched the Lemon’s tributary, the Sig. Early one morning she got up at five to go cubbing and saw clouds of smoke coming from the neighbouring liirm of Westabrook, an old thatched house standing near the banks of the river. She rushed down to wake up the Retallick family, who lived there, and to help the oldest member of the family from his bed and into the barn for safety. Eventually the fire engine arrived, ‘B ut,’ she said, thore was some problem over getting the pump started to take water I rom the stream, and I had to chase off to another farm for fuel. Meanwhile Mr Retallick was concerned about his watch which, as was his habit, he had tied to the bedpost for the night. It was resn ii‘(l — only to be stolen from him later. His son, Mr H. Retallick, now farms Bagtor Barton and he told me that recently when they were doing some repairs at Bagtor cottages they took down a partition and uncovered a small cubby hole like the ones from which lickots are sold at railway stations. ‘My guess is that is where they paid the men who worked in Newtake and Crownley M ines,’ he said and there are also the remains of a blacksmith’s shop and blowing house on the common.’ lie too remembered the two ladies from the Big House. ‘Proper 7

which have occurred on its banks. Here, at its beginnings, controversy once raged, for water used to be taken from it to feed the leat or pot water, the sole supply for Ilsington village, and Dick Wills, parish historian of Narracombe, whose family have farmed there for fourteen generations, told me there were many accusations from the thirteenth century onwards that too much water was taken, thus depriving the manor mill, Bagtor, of its supply, whilst the leat was feeding the mills of Ilsington, Liverton and Pool. ‘It seem s,’ he said ‘that there was a trough at the source and from a hole in this the water ran through the fields to Ilsington. The villagers used to go and make the hole bigger so more water ran their way. This caused a certain amount of ill feeling! ’ But for a moment we come back to the present century. On the night of 6 March 1970, when the Bovey police and their 250 guests were enjoying their twenty-first annual ball, soon after midnight everyone was asked to file out of the ballroom into the courtyard, and as they went they saw smoke pouring from the air vents, and outside flames were leaping from the roof of the hotel. The police tackled the fire with extinguishers until ten appliances arrived with sixty firemen, but all they could do was to stop the blaze Irom entirely destroying the hotel. A large section of the upper floor was wiped out and extensive damage caused to the ground floor. It was thought that the fire had started as the result of faulty wiring, but fortunately at least there were no casualties, four children who had been asleep upstairs being carried to safety. The following morning the police had to open up a special depot for people to pick up their coats at the police station in Newton Abbot, among them a silver mink. Much to everyone’s relief the draw money and prizes had also been saved! It was the biggest hotel fire in the area for years, and now it is known as the Hotel with no Guests, for it has remained an empty shell ever since. All you can hear as you stand looking over the gate is the whistling of the wind through the glassless windows. The owners did want to rebuild it on a bigger scale, but the plan was turned down by the Dartmoor National Park Comm ittee. At the entrance is a board which states CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. Could it perhaps be forever? Let us look now at something beautiful instead, for it is only fair to visit the Lemon’s main tributary while we are on this part of the moor — the River Sig which rises in Bagtor Mire under Rippon 

Seven Lords’ Lands,

 

Close to Hennesbury Gate is a hut-circle known as Seven Lords’ Lands, 

from the fact that seven manors meet there.’
‘A gunshot or two from Hennesbury Gate, and close to the parish boundary wall, is a very perfect hut circle, or aboriginal dwelling, known from medieval times as Seven Lords’ Lands, for it is a boundary point where seven manors meet.’ 
What a very evocative name – Seven Lords’ Lands,
 does not that conjure up images of seven noble knights standing on a hilltop and surveying the extent of their vast estates? If this was the case then they certainly were not the first to do so because despite what both Page and the Ordnance Survey of 1889 tell us Seven Lords’ Lands is in fact a prehistoric cairn.
 The now vegetation covered pile of rocks dates back to the Bronze Age and today stands at about 0.6m at the centre with a 10m diameter . There is evidence that a kerb of closely spaced surrounded the cairn which displays six of the original stones still in-situ. 
A sickening shallow depression in the centre of the cairn suggests that at some stage the monument has suffered at the hands of either antiquarians or looters. However for once this was not so for in 1946 Hansford Worth reported that the cairn circle had been converted into a shelter trench by; “some ingenious soldier.”
 However, despite this intrusion the cairn remains in a fairly good state of preservation when compared to some of Dartmoor’s cairns. So much so that in Butler’s opinion there still may be an undisturbed burial underneath. If one looks at the wider landscape this cairn is by no means the only example in the area and is probably associated with the Bronze Age settlement at Foale’s Arrishes.
To find an explanation of the place-name one must move away from the prehistoric era and leap forward to the medieval period when either by design or accident the cairn supposedly became a meeting place of seven manorial bounds. This theory held good for many years and has been proffered by many Dartmoor writers, . In all reality the seven manorial bounds co-join within the vicinity of the cairn not exactly at the cairn, these manors are; Widecombe Town, Natsworthy, Buckland, Bagtor, Halshanger, Great Houndtor and Dunstone with Blackslade. This phenomenon is by no means exclusive to Seven Lords’ Lands as up and down the country there are numerous examples of boundaries using prehistoric landscape features as markers. This can be argued is because such monuments have always been regarded as sacred and therefore afforded the respect of later generations.
This story took an exciting turn in the 1990s when Dave Brewer stepped beyond the obvious and moved into the realms of Saxon ‘Hundreds’ and in particular the Kerswell Hundred which later became the Haytor Hundred. The Kerswell Hundred was split into two sectors, the first had its administrative centre around what is now Kingskerswell. The second sector although being called the Haytor Hundred did not encompass Haytor itself, it did however comprise of the following manors; Widecombe Town ( North Hall), Natsworthy, Spitchwick, Blackaton Pipard, Jordan, Buckland and Dunstone with Blackslade. It is known from the Cartulary of Torre Abbey that the sworn men of the Kerswell Hundred used to meet on a monthly basis at a hill then known as Kyngesdone. The purpose for these meetings was to allow the delegates to discuss and debate the various issues that had arisen within their respective hundred, . Therefore if this was the norm for Anglo Saxon administration would it not have been logical to say that also such sworn men from the Haytor Hundred also met on a monthly basis?
In 1994 Mike Brown found a small piece of parchment lodged in the bowels of the West Devon Record Office which turned out to be a record of the beating of Buckland bounds from 1683. The description of Seven Lords’ Lands was as follows: ‘Hoartsberry where the seven Lords meete and seven stones are pitched up together to each Lord a stone, and the stone that belongs to the Lord of the Manor of Buckland is the South Stone save one‘, p.14. Clearly this entry does not give the date and origins of this custom but along with the evidence from the Cartulary of Torre Abbey would suggest a long tradition. If meetings were held at Seven Lords’ Land then this would in effect classify the place as a ‘Moot Hill’, moot stemming from the old Saxon word for a court or council – möt. Other indicators to the age of the area can be seen in nearby Harefoot Cross and Harefoot Mires, both contain the element hēre which is an Anglo Saxon word meaning ”dignity or importance, Clark Hall,p.18. Could this allude to Seven Lords’ Land as a place of importance or where dignitaries met?
There is enough evidence to show that Seven Lords’ lands has an important place in the historical record of Dartmoor especially as it is, to the best of my knowledge, the only place of its kind on the moor. However the monument has not been without its trails and tribulations as noted above but now the monument has suffered the indignation of being covered with gorse to such an extent that it’s almost invisible. The Dartmoor Magazine reported in the spring of 2008 that the editor on four occasions has reported this deplorable state of affairs to the Dartmoor National Park Authority. The then Chief Executive responded with the normal DNPA arrogance stating that as the monument was scheduled and that the authority had no responsibility of care towards it, Stanbrook,  p.4. Stanbrook also reported that a member of the public had informed her that they too had written to the DNPA complaining about the state of the cairn. That was two years ago and there has been no reply forthcoming – what a surprise. It is interesting to see that the brand spanking new information centre which has just been built two miles down the road at Haytor was in 2007 projected to cost £336,750.00p? Well, finally (September 2009) the gorse was cleared and  again you can see the Seven Lord’s Lands cairn in all its glory, however the march of gorse and bracken is timeless and by 2014 it had started to regrow as can be seen from the photo above. In the summer of 2016 there was a mini digger doing some kind of work near to the cairn circle so maybe the vegetation will once gain be removed.

saltash

Welcome, good wenches. 

Thy Prince hath not forgotten your loyal act, and, because of it, we are pleased to-day to bestow a favour on the burgesses of Saltash, which favour our herald shall now proclaim. Ho there, herald! The proclamation.

 H e r a l d : Know that of our special favour with the assent of our Council we have granted, for ourselves and our heirs, to the Mayor and Burgesses of our town of Saltash in the County of Cornwall, that they should have the proceeds and revenues of a certain Ferryboat in our said town of Saltash for a term of thirty years, by returning to us and our heirs annually, during the said thirty years, instead of the aforesaid proceeds and revenues, ten pounds at Michaelmas in equal portions. God save the King. {Cheers.) Ho ! I see another friend—that roistering knave, William Leache. Come hither, rascal. By my faith, thy face is as honest and as ugly as ever. {Leache kneels). Nay, do not kneel, We have been comrades in arms, and thou hast ever served me with unswerving fealty. But, thou hast lost an ey e! Was it at Poitiers ? Ay, I mind it now, and, by the rood, to-day I will requite thy loss as I can. Thou shalt have thirty marks each year charged to our privy purse. But look to it that the saucy wenches of Saltash take it not from thee, for, by my soul, they would seduce blessed Antony himself. And, friend William, thy one eye has a roving look that would do the work of two. And now we must press on, for the king’s work is urgent. Farewell, my friends. Forget not your allegiance to the Lord Christ, and—Edward and England for ever ! {Cheers. Exit procession, followed by townspeople). GEpteobe 4 .— &ixteentfj Ccnturp DRAKE’S DREAM. ‘As every schoolboy knows’—and schoolgirl, too, one would add To Macaulay’s egregious phrase—Queen Elizabeth Never in life set foot in the Duchy of Cornwall. To-night we may well rub our eyes on beholding her ghost Transported from Westminster Abbey to dance at Saltash, A point far beyond the range of her longest Progresses ! But pageants, like poets, are granted a measure of licence. What though the incident be but a figment of fancy ? No one can argue that Drake, as here shown, did not dream it. See him, pacing with troubled mind the green deck of the field. For safer bestowal the treasure new-taken from Spain Know not, sirrah ! 

He has moved from ships in the haven to Trematon Keep, Instead of despatching it under strong guard to the Tower. Truth to tell he is sorely reluctant to part with it. For, knowing Elizabeth’s greed for gold and for jewels, He doubts if, after her fingers have dipped in the coffers, Anything will be left for himself and his mariners : A sackful of silver, it may be, flung to her sea dogs, A gracious reprieve from the hangman’s rope for their Captain ! And now word is come that the Queen is storming and swearing Because of the long delay in receiving the plunder. “ She suspects me," growls Drake, “ ’twere wise to tarry no longer : The waggons shall set forth at dawn." And, filled with foreboding, He flings himself down, and dreams in the lee of the hedgerow. (Drake is seen dreaming. Enter men with maypole followed by Mayday procession of children, May Queen, etc., and townspeople who enter singing a Mayday madrigal. At end of song man runs in shouting). News, news, my masters ! News, I say. (All gather round. Shouts of “ What is it ? ” ) ’Tis said that the Queen is approaching Saltash and will be here at any moment. Not our good Queen Bess ! Out upon thy lying tongue ! What should bring her here ? Nay, that I know not. I can only tell you as ’twas told to me. Perchance she comes to join in our Mayday revelling ? (Laughter from crowd). Out upon thee for a saucy knave! Have a care, or that tongue of thine will lose thee thine head, and a good riddance too say I ! (Laughter.) (Cheers heard in distance. Great excitement. Shouts of " What is it ? ’’) The Queen ! The Queen is here ! The Mayor is greeting her even now. Come on now, we will give her a real Saltash welcome. (Shouts of “ Ay, ay, that will we.” Enter Queen, ladies-in-waiting, etc., Mayor and other townspeople.) Good Mr. Mayor, methinks our visit to this our ancient Borough of Saltash is well-timed, for I see the maypole yonder, and, if my eyes mistake not, a fair maid who is to be crowned Queen of the May. Such customs are dear to us, and we shall be graciously pleased to watch your revels, but first there is a matter that concerns us closely, and demands oui instant attention. Where is Master Drake, for it is his affairs that have brought us hither, and we would have speech with him at once. My liege, I know not if he is to be found on the quay------

Ods bodikins, thou hads’t best find out forthwith or it will be the worse for thee. Go, send a messenger at once, and see to it that Drake is brought here instantly. (Drake groans and stirs uneasily in his sleep). It shall be as your Majesty commands. Giles Gosling, thou art fleet of foot. Hie thee to the quay and see if Frankie Drake has arrived, and if so bring him hither at once. (Exit messenger.) Now let the ceremonies begin. Bring thy May Queen hither and Elizabeth shall crown her. By the rood, a merry je st! A queen to crown a queen! The idea doth please us mightily. (May Queen and attendants come forward to Queen and curtsey) It is our royal pleasure to crown thee Queen of the May. See to it that thou dost rule thy subjects with love and justice. So shalt thou find happiness in thy kingdom. (Leads her to the throne) And now the Maypole. (The maypole is danced. Messenger arrives running to Mayor). Your Grace, Captain Drake is here. Will your Majesty be pleased to have speech with him in the inn yonder ? Nay, what we have to say shall be said here in the presence of you all. Bring him to me. (Exit messenger to fetch Drake. Some consternation among the crowd, and an atmosphere of uneasiness. Enter Drake and his sea-dogs. He pauses on seeing the Queen) Stand forth, Master Drake. (Drake advances and kneels.) My gracious liege ! Drake, is’t true that thou hast seized three Spanish treasure ships and anchored them off the quay here? Speak out and be speedy. Thou wert better dally with a lioness than with Elizabeth. ’Tis true, your Grace, I see no reason to deny it. See no reason! Have a care, Master Drake, beshrew me, but that head of thine is in deadly peril. Where are the gold and treasure that thou didst seize ? It hath not reached oui coffers. Where is it, I say ? Stored in a safe place, most gracious lady, against the day when it can be given over to your Majesty’s still safer keeping. Thou hast a smooth tongue for a pirate, Master Drake, for by my father’s beard, that is all thou art! But thou canst not trick us, so have a care. What is the amount of this treasure, sirrah? Some £60,000, my liege, an all too poor a gift for your gracious Majesty. £60,000! ! ’Tis a princely sum. Look to it that it doth reach our coffers within a sennight, Drake, or it will be the worse for thee. £60,000! !! Methinks thy queen must pardon thee and graciously accept thy gift. £10,000 shalt thou keep for thyself as a mark of our esteem. But oh ! I fear me thou art a sorry rog

(Drake kneels and kisses Queen’s hand during her speech. Meanwhile his wife, with her father and brother, has entered and has watched rather fearfully. A t end she conies forward joyfully but shyly to Drake) B u t whom have we here ? Part of the treasufe, Frankie ? A y, your Grace, a treasure in very sooth, once known to Saltash folk as M ary Newman, and now m y own dear wife. Mistress Drake, we are glad to greet thee, for thy wooing b y our Frankie touched all hearts. Keep an eye on th y man, for he is over venturesome on the high seas. W ilt lend him to th y queen for a space ? Then come, Drake, th y h a n d ! W e will tread a M ayday measure. (Dance follows.) Now, good people, our royal coach awaits us, and we must away. E lizabeth of England will not easily forget this M ayday, nor her subjects’ loving welcome. The burdens of a sovereign are heavy, but it doth ease them m ightily to know that th y queen can claim the allegiance of such loyal and trusty hearts. Farewell. (Exeunt omnes to m usic) C p tso be 5 — C isfjtee nt!) C e n tu r p POWDER AND PATCHES. In pageantry Time's leaden feet to quicksilver change : The slow-moving centuries race, years dwindle to minutes. A magical carpet now bears us to Georgian days O f silk and brocade on a background of rags and tatters. A turbulent age when beggars cut throats for a shilling And gentlemen settled their quarrels with rapiers, killing With no more excuse than the slight o f a lifted eyebrow. A n age none the less of curtseys and exquisite manners, O f tuneful gavotte and quadrille, stately dances which taught A reverence for women (not notably practised, maybe, By a manhood largely composed o f rakes and of roues) Tonight Lady Betty descends from her new sedan chair To step, with friends at the Manor upon the smooth lawn, A minuet, daintiest o f measures, undreaming of days When, deafened by raucous percussion and saxophone discord, We dance with a shuffle derived from the amorous ape. Hark ! From that tuneful, quieter England of yesterday

x

The Teign Gorge is located in the north eastern section of Dartmoor National Park close to the ancient stannary town Chagford and the pretty villages Drewsteignton and Dunsford. The National Trust's Castle Drogo is at the mouth of the gorge.

Teign Gorge 

  

The Teign Gorge is located in the north eastern section of Dartmoor National Park close to the ancient stannary town Chagford and the pretty villages Drewsteignton and Dunsford. The National Trust's Castle Drogo is at the mouth of the gorge. The National

Trust's Dunsford Wood and Steps Bridge are to the east.

We've been walking the Teign Gorge on a regular basis for over seven years now and never tire of its natural beauty. It's widely recognised as being one of the most stunning areas in the National Park. We've positioned the Teign Gorge on Google maps so zoom in on the 'Satellite' setting to see its exact location.

Cut by the River Teign that rises at two sources on Dartmoor's high north plateau, the gorge is a wooded, steep sided valley that runs for miles towards the National Park border.

If you are visiting for the first time, explore the area between Castle Drogo and Fingle Bridge. There's ample parking at both attractions. Follow the Hunter's Path along the northern lip of the gorge and return on the Fisherman's Path that follows the course of the River Teign. The views from the Hunter's Path around Sharp Tor (Teign Gorge/North East Dartmoor) are particularly impressive. You'll see Chagford and the high moors around Hangingstone Hill to the west.

Within the gorge, we'd recommend visiting Castle Drogo, Fingle Bridge with its pub and Sharp Tor. Across the valley from Castle Drogo is the superb Whiddon Deer Park. Cranbrook Castle Hillfort offers immense views of Dartmoor National Park and large areas of Devon. Paths have been opened up on the southern side of the gorge under the name Deer Stalkers Paths.

Given the high number of attractions within the Teign Gorge, plan a weekend break to Chagford to explore the area. There's a top walk along the gorge from Chagford. In Spring and Autumn, it's particularly stunning.

If this is your type of thing, try also the Dart Gorge and Lustleigh Cleave, Tavy Cleave and the wooded valleys around Burrator Reservoir.

In early August 2013, the National Trust and Woodland Trust announced that they had acquired, and were set to restore, a stretch of woodland in the middle of the Teign Gorge between the National Trust's Castle Drogo Estate and the National Trust's woodland around Steps Bridge. This woodland is known as Fingle Woods (National Trust/Woodland Trust). The acquisition means that the entire length of the gorge is now managed by the National Trust and Woodland Trust. A statement from the National Trust explained: 'Together we'll be able to create almost 30 miles (48km) of footpaths for visitors who will be able to see and enjoy the woodlands and get a real feel for the enormity of the place. The woodlands now belong to us jointly and we are ready to start the restoration process for the benefit of wildlife and people over the next 50 years. It also now allows us to manage a 10km long landscape of woodland in the Teign Gorge on Dartmoor'.

Holne,

Mel Pool, Holne, Dartmoor National Park

Wild swimming is popular in Dartmoor National Park. Mel Pool is one of the most beautiful, and remote, places in which you can enjoy it. A stretch of cascades and calm pools of water on the River Dart in the stunning Dart Gorge, it's relatively difficult to get to although nothing too challenging for a fit person.

We've positioned the Mel Pool area on Google maps so zoom in on the 'Satellite' setting to see its location.

The Dart Gorge is an amazing steep-sided gorge cut by the River Dart as it flows from the north moor down to Dartmouth. Mel Tor is a rocky outcrop on the north lip of the gorge. Bench Tor is another rocky outcrop on a spur of land on the south side of the gorge. Between Mel Tor and Bench Tor, all the way down at the bottom of the gorge, is Mel Pool where the Dart bends through particularly wild woodland and runs towards another wild swimming area called Sharrah Pool. Heavily wooded gorge walls tower above you and amplify the sound of water as it flows east.

To visit, follow the road that runs from Ashburton to Holne. Continue past Holne to Venford Reservoir on the edge of the south moor. There are two car parks on either side of the reservoir. Start from the car park to the east. From that car park, walk north west to the corner of the railings that surround the reservoir dam and water works. Drop down to a disused road. This runs round the spur of land on which Bench Tor is located. Follow the disused road for a few minutes and you'll see a track to your left that cuts down through bracken. It runs alongside Venford Brook as it drops to the edge of the River Dart. A path runs east. Follow the river downstream. You'll pass cascades, a waterfall and other pools of water in which you can swim. Somtimes you walk by the river. Sometimes you leave the bank and walk above the river. Mel Pool is located on the bend of the river as marked on the Ordnance Survey Explorer OL28 'Dartmoor' map. There are giant slabs of granite and stretches of calm water.

Note that you can follow the river on foot down to Sharrah Pool. It's very difficult walking on narrow tracks and across slippery rocks. There are some steep climbs and drops so be very careful. Don't try this route if you are not a confident walker or reasonably fit. That said, we've done this with young kids so, in the scheme of things, it's not that difficult.