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Beautiful Dartmoor and Its Interesting Antiquities
220 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1912
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May 28, 2026
An interesting, if outdated read. The book is collected from three of Breton's 1913 publications and is a straight copy of them, including all the period advertisements - which provide interesting reading.
It is essentially a walking guide, but by today's standards would be quite difficult to follow in comparison to modern guides (there are no maps for a start). The walks tend to start from train stations, particularly Dousland, where there is no longer station.
What is interesting is how the moornhas changed overtime in many aspects. The author relates some antiquities which sadly no longer exist, such as the Cholwichtown stone row and a unique double cisted cair circle above Ditsowrthy Warren which has been robbed of the cists over the last century.
What has perhaps surprisingly not changed is the poor attitude of some visitors and access rights; Breton relates that the then owner of Vixen Tor was considering closing access due to rubbish and antisocial behaviour in the 1900's, and has since been closed by the current owner in the 1990's. Then off course Holne Chase which was closed for the same reason and remains closed now (except where express permission has been gained).
Of particular interest to me was funding out about a Bull baiting ring in sheepstor village - I didnt know bull baiting was even a thing - Savage as it was!
As it is 3 books in 1, some parts are repeated from one text to the next, but is a must read for the Dartmoor enthusiast.
It is essentially a walking guide, but by today's standards would be quite difficult to follow in comparison to modern guides (there are no maps for a start). The walks tend to start from train stations, particularly Dousland, where there is no longer station.
What is interesting is how the moornhas changed overtime in many aspects. The author relates some antiquities which sadly no longer exist, such as the Cholwichtown stone row and a unique double cisted cair circle above Ditsowrthy Warren which has been robbed of the cists over the last century.
What has perhaps surprisingly not changed is the poor attitude of some visitors and access rights; Breton relates that the then owner of Vixen Tor was considering closing access due to rubbish and antisocial behaviour in the 1900's, and has since been closed by the current owner in the 1990's. Then off course Holne Chase which was closed for the same reason and remains closed now (except where express permission has been gained).
Of particular interest to me was funding out about a Bull baiting ring in sheepstor village - I didnt know bull baiting was even a thing - Savage as it was!
As it is 3 books in 1, some parts are repeated from one text to the next, but is a must read for the Dartmoor enthusiast.
Displaying 1 of 1 review