The DPA Conservation Team gathered again near Clearbrook, on Roborough Common, on Friday 17th September 2015 under a somewhat leaden sky – the weather showed us both sunshine and a light shower during the day. By the “close of play”, we had reached the road – Roborough Down Lane, which is a milestone along the…

The DPA volunteers (and you can join us!) started a new project on Wednesday 26th August 2015 on Mardon Down.  This is an area that is rich with Bronze Age archaeology as well as more recent features, particularly from WWII. The meeting point was beside the Headless Cross, otherwise known as the Maximajor Stone after the…

Nineteen members of the DPA enjoyed a very nice walk around Runnage Farm, led by farmer Phil Coaker, on 14th August.  Phil showed us various features, including his flock of Whiteface Dartmoor sheep, hay meadow and herd of South Devon cattle (including the bull known as Big Tone).   They also have a herd of ponies…

Tuesday 16th June saw the trusty DPA Conservation team starting work again, clearing bracken on Roborough Common. We started at “The Camp” – the old Iron Age hilltop structure and moved onto Drake’s 1591 Plymouth Leat after the morning coffee break. This team doesn’t hang around! The bracken growth seems to be a lot less…

Dendles farmstead was been obscured by conifers for almost 40 years until 15 years or so ago.  After that, stock were excluded from the area to allow regeneration of native tree species, but gorse, bramble and rank grasses grew to such an extent that the farmstead was again invisible.   The DPA conservation volunteers have…

Thursday 5th March was the last day on Devonport Leat as the winter conservation season winds down, before the nesting season begins.  We met behind Roborough Rock and the small car park across the main road and then walked along the leat to the day’s starting point, while Derek and Keith took tools and some of…

Friday 6th February saw the motley crew that is the DPA Conservation Team assembling in the car park beside Plymouth Leat on the road down to Clearbrook.  Derek met us there to collect my own tools and then drove via Chub Tor to the end of the tarmac road to deliver the tools to the…

Perhaps I should thank Helios, the Greek sun god? Friday 23rd January was a quite glorious day on our part of Dartmoor, as the photos below show, although the sun faded just as we finished work, with perfect timing. When I got home, the rain set in – the weather forecast was quite accurate. This…

Friday 9th January was a grey day as the DPA Conservation Team congregated in the car park by the leat on the road down to Clearbrook.  The group was split into two parties with four people driving to the end section of Drake’s Plymouth Leat while the remainder walked to the west end of the tunnel…

Three more photos from Friday 12th December when the DPA Conservation Team started clearing the end-section of the Plymouth (Drake’s) Leat. The photo above shows work on the habitat pile, made from cuttings, for the benefit of insects etc. Derek with a trenching tool borrowed from David, digging a drainage channel to take water from…