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Dartmoor Guide
Dartmoor suits every type of Devon holiday visitor, from those who prefer the quiet pastime of bird watching, to the more energetic who like the activity of Tor Walking, Letterboxing, white water rafting,canoing, cycling or climbing. You will almost certainly find an activity to inspire you, your family and friends, and all in a remarkable unspoilt environment and surroundings unsurpassed in Britain, stunning beautiful scenery and fantastic views.
Dartmoor is an area of moorland in the centre of Devon, England, protected by National Park status, it covers 953 km² (368 mile²).
The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops (known as Tors), providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The highest point is High Willhays, 621 m (2,040 ft) above sea level. The entire area is rich in antiquities and archaeology.
Dartmoor is managed by the Dartmoor National Park Authority whose 26 members are drawn from Devon County Council, local District Councils and Government.
Parts of Dartmoor have been used as a military firing range for over 200 years. The public enjoy extensive access rights to the rest of Dartmoor and it is a popular tourist destination. The Park was featured on the TV programme Seven Natural Wonders as the top natural wonder in South West England.
Dartmoor and the fact that a great deal of it is undisturbed for much of the year is an encouragement to the wildlife.
The more common mammals include: Dartmoor ponies, rabbits, foxes, otters, badgers, grey squirrels, weasels, ,stoats, hares and deer. Rumours abound of large wild cats such as cougars roaming wild on the moor, but little evidence has been forthcoming and until anything more substantial is available these reports should be filed under the general heading of cryptozoology.
Herds of cattle and domestic sheep can be seen apparently roaming free on the moor. All are owned by farmers and let out to graze. Each is branded - the sheep with a coloured patch on its coat, unique to its owner. The livestock will naturally remain within the territory in which they are released, although walls and cattle grids (a pit in the road covered with metal bars - impassable to hoofed animals) provide an additional level of control.
Dartmoor has given its name to two breeds of sheep - Whiteface Dartmoor and Greyface Dartmoor - which are descended from breeds which have roamed on the moor since at least the 17th century. They are still to be found there but are now vastly outnumbered by the Scottish Blackface. Less common species such as Exmoor Horn and Cheviot are also to be found on Dartmoor. The most common cattle are the Galloway and Aberdeen Angus.
Reptiles include: Grass Snakes, adders, slow worms and Common Lizards.
Amphibians include: Common frog; Common toad
With its range of high grassy moorland, bogs, farmland and deep wooded valleys, Dartmoor also provides a range of habitats for a variety of birds, some quite rare. With their preferred habitat these include:
Buzzard (trees and hedgerows)
Coal tit (pine plantations)
Cormorant (reservoirs)
Crossbill (pine plantations)
Cuckoo (upland heathland)
Curlew (valley bogs)
Dipper (rivers and streams)
Dunlin (bogs)
Goldcrest (pine plantations)
Golden Plover (bogs)
Goosander (rivers and streams)
Grasshopper Warbler (farmland)
Grey Heron (rivers and streams)
House martin (farm buildings)
Meadow pipit (upland heathland)
Nightjar (pine plantations)
Owl (farm buildings)
Peregrine falcon (tors and rocky outcrops)
Pied flycatcher (woodland)
Raven (tors and rocky outcrops)
Redstart (woodland)
Reed bunting (farmland)
Ring ouzel (tors and rocky outcrops)
Siskin (pine plantations)
Skylark (upland heathland)
Snipe (farmland and valley bogs)
Song thrush (hedgerows and dry stone walls)
Stonechat (upland heathland)
Swallow (farm buildings)
Wheatear (grass moorland, tors and rocky outcrops)
Whinchat (grass moorland)
Whitethroat (grass moorland)
Wild duck (reservoirs)
Wood warbler (woodland)
Yellowhammer (grass moorland)
Many of the rivers and streams support the fish species commonly to be found in Britain and Ireland; salmon and trout are also to be found in some, though less frequently than in previous times
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