Soil Walk

Another fabulous walk , learnt loads and had cake made in the style of different soils we discovered along the walk from Haytor to Yarner Wood. Thank you Rob, Harry and Albert for all your input. and Thanks to Clare and Chris for the cake.

Peat - we got Chocolate Brownies with this! 

Shortcake and nuts for River Valley Soil

Sunday 10 July

Volunteers needed this Sunday to work on historic tramway Come and join Dartmoor National Park Ranger Simon Lee on Sunday 10 July as he leads a team of volunteers to continue working on the popular Templer Way walking route near Haytor. The day runs from 10:30 until 3:30 and starts at the National Park Visitor Centre, Haytor. The Templer Way follows the route by which granite was taken from the quarries in the Haytor area during the 1800s on an 18 mile journey toTeignmouth on the south coast. A granite tramway was used to transport the stone down to Stover Canal from where it was shipped down to the docks at Teignmouth. Large parts of the old tramway still exist, especially in the area near Haytor itself. Conservation work days are a great way of getting healthy exercise in a fantastic environment and meeting like-minded people as well as helping look after this special place. You will also learn more about Dartmoor’s fascinating history and moorland management. If you are interested in coming along on one of Simon’s Haytor conservation work days please get in touch by emailing slee@dartmoor.gov.uk  or calling 07711 104541. Booking is essential as tools and equipment need to be organised. For those who come along regularly there will be plenty of variety with practical work being carried out on habitat management and archaeological sites as well as helping keep this iconic Dartmoor location looking good.

A Granite Legacy

The Bovey Tracey Parishscape Project, Granite Elements, is uncovering more than the magnificent stone tramway that ran from Hay Tor to the navigable Stover Canal.  A walk led by Albert Knott from Natural England, and Barry Green , an expert countryman, illustrated the many skills that local people use to exploit and manage the land adjacent to the tramway route.  The walk had many notable views and first we looked across the rolling Devon countryside criss-crossed with hedges and the hills topped with trees.  This old pattern has changed in many places as the hedges were ripped out to create larger fields for modern machinery and this has affected the wildlife who use the hedges as corridors.  Some field boundaries are very ancient indeed going back to the Bronze age.

We continued through a wood where we stepped across a stream channelled by an appropriated piece or tramway - it's always easier to use what's around than cut your own!  We looked at the flora and fauna of felled areas, admired the industry of ancient coppicing, saw the damage that larger animals can cause to trees but how this in turn can produce an airy parkland environment.  We were shown the points of good fencing and the styles of stone wall building.  We followed the track through Yarner Wood where  volunteers, as elsewhere along the route,  are making  the tramway more visible.  We discussed how the granite was cut and shaped to make the tramway and the simple tools and incredible labour of the men who made it   Contemplating  all that effort for something that  was only used for about 20 years added to the  effort over centuries of those who maintain the land made us all feel thirsty and luckily Ullacombe Farm  cafe was our final destination.

I attended a second walk on the art and ecology of the Tramway that was equally enjoyable and illuminating so look out for others and discover the many elements of this exciting project.

Philippa Wood Walk participant 

Soil: The world beneath your feet

This is the next Granite Elements Walk on Wednesday 13 July

Creative Walk around Haytor

Thank goodness the rain cleared and the sun came out by the end of the walk around the Quarry and along the newly cleared Granite Tramway (we were all very impressed by all the hard work that has gone into that)
It was led by Amanda Pellatt and there was so much to experience, awakening all our senses throughout the afternoon. We are so lucky to live here !!

Newly cleared Granite Tramway

Haytor Quarry

Great Walk on the Granite Tramway

We had a great walk on Friday with Barry Green and Albert Knott the magical duo full of so much information about Rural Skills and how that heritage affects the landscape, the fauna and flora and us humans. 

Looking forward to the next walk now ! 

Art Walk on 20 June