A day out on Dartmoor
Dartmoor is a place where the beauty of nature can be seen in all its glory. With its rolling hills, rocky outcrops, pristine forests, and ancient woodlands. It’s easy to see why it has been dubbed “the last great wilderness of England.” A day spent on Dartmoor is a day well spent.
Dartmoor National Park is a large, wild area of moorland in Devon, South West England. It covers 954 km² (368 sq mi) and is the largest open space in the southwest peninsula. The moor contains lofty granite tors – rocky hills or mini mountains formed by the weathering of granite and exposed granite cliffs. The highest point on Dartmoor is High Willhays, at 621 metres (2,037 ft) above sea level.
I took Izzy, my 10-year-old daughter, up to explore a couple of the better-known granite tors – Haytor and Hound Tor. After clambering over the rocks, we checked out Jay’s Grave and then headed to one of the many attractive Dartmoor towns and villages in the centre of Dartmoor national park, Widecombe-in-the-moor, where I enjoyed a cider shandy in one of the smallest pubs in England.
We drove up the windy B3387 from Bovey Tracy onto Dartmoor. On the way, we passed many carefree sheep on the road. They were variously ambling, sunning themselves or with their heads firmly into the banks rooting out the tastiest of the lush greenery. Hats off to the cyclists who negotiate these roads and seemed to be making light work powering up some often very steep roads.
As we rounded a bend, we caught our first reasonably close-up view of Haytor

Haytor Rocks
Haytor Rocks is a group of granite rocks on the eastern edge of Dartmoor. They are made up of two main summits: Low Man at 468 metres (1,535 ft), and High Man at 519 metres (1,701 ft). The rocks are popular with climbers and walkers alike and offer stunning views of the surrounding countryside, which author and columnist Simon Jenkins rated among the top 10 in England for natural beauty.
There are three car parking areas to pull up at, and the choice comes down to how lazy you are feeling, as each one is progressively higher and therefore nearer to the rocks. Although none of the walks were particularly strenuous, we still chose the top car park, which conveniently also had an ice cream van in prime position.
A family of Dartmoor ponies seemed fairly unfazed by the presence of humans and their metallic rides.

Izzy was keen to get up onto the rocks and start scrambling about, so we headed up the slope.
The gorse at the edge of the wide path was in full bloom. Beautiful, bright yellow, pink and purple fl
