On a balmy day, on 11 February, the Dartmoor Preservation Association conservation volunteers met at Hillbridge Farm for another day’s work on my land, Common Wood, near Horndon.  We were joined by Butterfly Conservation’s Megan Lowe and Simon Phelps of the All the Moor Butterflies project.  They work with landowners to try to improve the habitat for butterflies…

  On Friday 25th January, 31  aficionados of the Short Walks programme met at Shaugh Bridge car park. The weather was grey and dull – but towards the end of the walk the sun shone on the righteous. We set out to see remnants of four C19th industries – china clay, iron mining, brick works and granite quarrying….

The weather was kind on 13th January when 14 walkers assembled at Moretonhamstead for the first DPA walk of 2019. We followed footpaths and lanes to North Bovey where we had a look at the 13th/15th century church of St John the Baptist. Among the interesting  features were painted roof bosses including one showing the…

A team of 15 volunteers worked at Pudsham Meadows on Saturday 12 January, clearing a wall of vegetation ready for the wall to be repaired, gathering litter and re-opening a drainage ditch. Ten photos below with captions.                                    …

The last DPA walk of 2018   Thirteen intrepid walkers undeterred by the weather followed part of the course of the Devonport Leat. The Leat was conceived as a business venture in 1792 to supply water to the growing town of Plymouth Dock (later renamed Devonport). It took water from the Cowsic, Blackaton brook and…

  In the dimpsy, the wind and rain having more or less stopped, on 12th December nine conservation volunteers made their annual treck up the slopes of Sharpitor, onto the DPA land, where there is a self-sown conifer. We took festive lights, snacks and mulled wine and in the dark drank the health of all…

On Thursday 13th December, 17 members and friends met at Norsworthy Bridge car park for the lasr short walk of 2018. The weather was quite grey and cold – but there was no rain! The route started at the small gate that is often overlooked on the left just before approaching the bridge. This leads…

Last Saturday, the rain held off, just about, and 9 intrepid walkers set out from Harford Moor Gate. We decided to do the walk in reverse, keeping to the river valley first and returning along the high tops in the hope that the cloud would lift to afford us the promised views. The rain of…

Sunday 25th November saw 24 DPA members and friends meeting at Lydford High Down car park, just up the lane by the Dartmoor Inn, near Lydford. The weather was dull with white overcast cloud and a forecast of a 10% chance of rain and a “feel-like” temperature of -1°C.  In truth, I didn’t think it…

On Saturday 10th November 11 walkers retraced the walk that was abandoned in snow in March.   This time it was wet, but only some of the time and the autumn colours were splendid. We were again very glad to be joined by Peter F. Mason who had curated the exhibition “Dartmoor a Wild and Wondrous…