Discover the Dartmoor Story

Children from Ashburton and Moretonhampstead schools braved the elements on Tuesday to walk to one of Dartmoor’s finest beauty spots, Bonehill Rocks. They paraded banners and flags they had designed, inspired by the story of Dartmoor and their ancestors who farmed it.

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Existing trails at Fernworthy Reservoir are being upgraded; which will allow access to some parts of the Lake to those who are less agile. Kit Hancock, South West Lakes Trust local Warden, visited Fernworthy last Friday to check the progress of the contractors, ‘Landmarc’, who are undertaking the work. Kit said, “It is great to see Potter’s Walk almost complete and usable again. This short, lakeside walk has always been popular with many people. Landmarc are a good company to have on the job as they have been only too willing to work with us and the Park to protect hut circles near the trail and keep things neat and tidy as they go, which will help the path naturalise quickly.” Looking ahead they will shortly be working on reinstating the permissive footpath through the felled woodland and woodland to the bird hide; then making the path and steps below the dam easier to negotiate. Apart from the odd stream crossing, boardwalk improvements and soft spot, everything else between the bird hide right round to the dam will be kept much as it is, making it easier to negotiate but without running a track right round. Potter’s Walk, which should be fully open in October, is a circular route of about ¾ of a mile, suitable for disabled users and those less agile. It has resting places and some slopes which some may require assistance. The walk is named after Sydney Potter who lived and worked at Fernworthy for over 50 years. More information about the project is available here Moor than meets the eye is also developing a Heritage Trails interactive web map to help visitors plan their visit to the moor. It will allow visitors to choose a route from a list or submit their own and will provide information about features of historic or wildlife importance.

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A new exhibition, Dartmoor: a Wild and Wondrous Region, has opened at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter. This is the first major review of how Dartmoor has been portrayed in art and the largest exhibition of its kind in a generation. The exhibition contains oil paintings, watercolours, early photographs and postcards from RAMM's own collections as well as loans from British museums and private collections. Many of the works have rarely been seen in public before.The exhibition runs until April 1st so there is plenty of time to visit and see how artists helped change peoples perceptions of the moor from 'squalida Montana Dertmore' to a 'wild and wondrous region'. A programme of events has been organised to complement the exhibition with activities taking place at RAMM and across Dartmoor. For more details of the activities taking place visit www.rammuseum.org.uk.The exhibition has been co-curated by Peter F Mason and RAMM, Exeter and has been funded in partnership between Moor than meets the eye and RAMM and sponsored by Dartmoor Preservation Association, Tozers Solicitors and Hawksmoor Investment Management.

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