UNITED KINGDOM
Wild & Ancient Dartmoor
Wistman’s Wood
• The UK’s most southerly upland boasts stunning views and rich wildlife, interwoven with a fascinating mix of archaeology, history, myth and legend • Visit Wistman’s Wood, one of three rare remnants of high-altitude ancient oak woodland • Take a tour of Higher Uppacott medieval farmhouse, guided by a member of the restoration team
At Yarner Wood National Nature Reserve we will look out for pied flycatchers, redstarts and wood warblers, and investigate the unique granite tramway once used to transport hewn granite blocks to the Teign Estuary to be shipped for construction around the world. A trip to the high moor will take us to eerie Wistman’s Wood, where lichens cling to the boughs of ancient oaks, and we will also walk amongst some of the flowerrich hay meadows still to be found here.
Dartmoor is the last, and largest, remaining wilderness in southern England, a landscape steeped in history and culture, made famous by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Hound of the Baskervilles. It is astonishingly rich in wildlife – lush oak woodlands teeming with songbirds, rolling moorlands where the song of the skylark and the call of the cuckoo are still widely heard, high mire systems where dunlin breed, and fast flowing rivers where trout and dippers thrive.
We will stay throughout at the threestar Two Bridges Hotel in the heart of Dartmoor National Park, perched on the banks of the West Dart River.
Today it is one of our most popular national parks, yet Dartmoor owes its present appearance to millennia of human influence. Our tour will venture beyond the picture-postcard image of ponies and cream teas to explore medieval villages and farms, ancient droves and track ways, and the abandoned industrial landscapes shaped by tin, lead and granite extraction. 42
FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: As we will explore the area largely on foot, participants should be prepared for walks of around three miles over paths that can be uneven, rocky and muddy (particularly at Yarner Wood National Nature Reserve and Wistman’s Wood). Participants should have a good overall level of fitness.
Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time. The Tour Director might also adjust the itinerary in response to local weather conditions.
This tour will be led by Peter Exley, BSc, a conservationist and ornithologist who works for the RSPB. Peter lives on the edge of Dartmoor, and is a Board Member of the Moor than Meets the Eye project to restore the landscapes and support the communities of the Moor. Day 1 Assemble 1530 at Exeter St David’s Station or 1700 at the Two Bridges Hotel, Dartmoor. Check in for three nights followed by welcome and introductory lecture. Optional evening walk on Trendlebere Down to listen for nightjars (weather permitting). Day 2 Rich oak woodlands at Yarner Wood National Nature Reserve (possible pied flycatchers, redstarts and wood warblers, Haytor Granite Tramway), Trendlebere Down (sundews, orchids, Dartford warblers, butterflies), Hound Tor (abandoned medieval village). Day 3 Holne Moor (rich historical landscape, home to whinchats, cuckoos and adders), Higher Uppacott (restored medieval longhouse) and Wistman’s Wood (atmospheric ancient oak woodland). Day 4 Walk from Bronze Age settlement of Grimspound through Challacombe (abandoned medieval village) and Soussons Down (wildlife rich valley) to Headland Warren (former commercial rabbit warren). Tour disperses 1300 at the hotel or c 1400 at Exeter St David’s Station. Cost of £995 includes: accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, two lunches, dinner with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities. Not included: travel insurance, double room for single use supplement £150. TOUR CODE: DART21
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May 21–24, 2021 from £995 per person | with Peter Exley
