Tag Archives: Tales

Dartmoor Tors and Tales

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Dartmoor Tors and Tales

If you were to ask anyone who’s been to Dartmoor “What is the thing you remember the most about it?”, there’s more than a fair chance that the answer would be “the tors” – but what exactly are tors? According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a tor is a topographical name to describe a ‘high rock or pile of rocks, generally on the top of a hill’.

The word has been in use since Anglo-Saxon times, and although they aren’t confined to Dartmoor, there are some 890 of them here according to a website called Tors of Dartmoor. The website is a ‘Bible’ for aficionados of these granite rocks, but even they would probably have to admit that it’s not easy to decide what constitutes a Tor and what doesn’t. Some are unmistakeable, but others are not, and just to confuse the issue, not every one of them is called a Tor, such as Blackingstone Rock pictured below. There are plenty of people who like to ‘bag’ as many tors as possible, but if you’re not one of them, I’m going to mention just a few that are worth seeking out should you ever find yourself in ‘Hairy Hands’ country.

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Originally posted 2022-08-03 16:11:48.

A Selection of Pubs around Dartmoor

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A Selection of Pubs around Dartmoor

I wouldn’t mind guessing that after reading the last few Dartmoor posts about the infamous prison you could do with a bit of light refreshment, and so I’m going to introduce you to some of the Dartmoor pubs I’ve enjoyed visiting over the years. They aren’t recommendations like a Trip Advisor review might be, but are included for all sorts of reasons – so sit back, pour yourself a drink and join me on a pub crawl around Dartmoor.

I’m going to ease you in gently with a convivial pub in the south-west corner of the moor at the Royal Oak, Meavy, which lies about 10 miles north-east of Plymouth close to Burrator Reservoir.

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Originally posted 2023-06-11 08:10:45.