Active Dartmoor – a week of events to experience Dartmoor

Dartmoor was recently voted by Cuisine magazine in New Zealand as the ‘hippest’ place to visit in the world. Whatever your views about that accolade it is certain that Dartmoor offers different things to different people. Following up from last years blog about all the events and opportunities for both quiet and active enjoyment of the Moor (Summer on Dartmoor), Saturday 31st March sees the launch of Active Dartmoor week at Castle Drogo.

Active Dartmoor Issue 3 cover - March 2012

Nick Baker (naturalist, writer and presenter) will open the day at 11am and visitors will get the opportunity to try local food, take part in bushcraft activities, den building, story trails, guided walks, roof top tours of the castle, geocaching, fly fishing with the Arundell Arms fishing instructors on the croquet lawn, experience photography with a pinhole camera and of course sign up to any of the challenge events that are taking place throughout the week.

What is happening throughout the week? See the Active Dartmoor website for further details on any of the activities listed below.

Sunday 1-Thursday 5 April – The Gidleigh Golf Challenge
The real challenge of course is to get the lowest score over the five day to win a 3 course lunch with wine for two in our Michelin starred  restaurant (Monday- Friday)
Places on the Gidleigh Golf challenge are limited to 16 people per day, between 2pm – 4.30pm. Booking is essential by calling the Gidleigh Park Hotel on 01647 432367.

Monday 2 April – Cookery demonstration, foraging & wine with Ashburton Cookery School
Join Ashburton Cookery School for an evening of good food with the Forager, David Beaseley.  For more information and to book, please email jess@discoverdartmoor.com

Tuesday 3 April – Dare Devil High Adventures with River Dart Country Park
Join The River Dart Country Park for an action packed day of adrenalin fueled outdoor adventure. For further information and to take part in this wonderful day out please email enquiries@crsadventures.com or call 01364 653 444. Pre booking is essential to take advantage of this one-off deal!

Tuesday 3 April from 10am – Guided walks with Moorland Guides
If you like to get out on the moor and go for a hike, come along to the Moorland Guides’ launch day at Postbridge, right in the heart of the moor. Starting at 10am, there will be two-hour walks taking place every hour. To book call 07579 969121 or just turn up on the day. 

Wednesday 4 April from 11am – The Art of Walking with Amanda Pellatt
Find your creative inspiration in the River Erme Valley. Booking via amandapellatt@yahoo.co.uk, 07727 066027 or visit www.amandapellatt.co.uk

Thursday 5 April from 11am – Geocaching & art challenges with Dartmoor National Park Authority
Starting from the Haytor Information Centre, Dartmoor National Park officers will host a series of guided and self-guided geocache trails that will allow families, groups and individuals the opportunity to try this activity.
For further details contact rdrysdale@dartmoor-npa.org or call 01626 831 003.

Thursday 5 April from 2pm – 5pm – Fly Fishing with the Arundell Arms
Pre booking is essential to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity!  Book on 01566 784 666 or go to www.arundellarms.com for more details.

Friday 6 April, 10.30am – The secret Gem of Dartmoor walk with Mark Walker
Fancy a 10 mile walk back through time? To book, please call 01752 897 034 

Saturday 7 April (11am-4pm) – Big Oke Abseil with Adventure Okehampton
To book your place email activities@adventureokehampton.com or call 0844 2930556.

Saturday 7 April – Firkin Challenge with The Royal Oak Inn
Closing date for entries is 31st March. For more information, please visit www.royaloakinn.org.uk. To enter, download an entry form.

Sunday 8 April, 10am & 12.30pm – The Brentor 2 Stage Bike Race, Brentor
For entry and further information, please visit http://www.rutrainingtoday.co.uk/the-brentor-2-stage-race

Have a wonderful week and dont forget to pick up a copy of Issue 3 of Active Dartmoor or a free copy of the 2012 Enjoy Dartmoor, the official guide to the National Park.

Discovering the delights of Dartmoor – a stepping stone into nature

In early February 2012, on one of those beautiful  crisp clear winter days, an intrepid group of children and parents from Ford Primary school  in Plymouth met up with the Dartmoor National Park Authority’s Education Officer, Willem Montagne. The occasion had been set up by Stepping Stones to encourage people from Plymouth to make the most of the National Park on their doorstep. In spite of the bitter cold and the frozen ground, little encouragement was needed. The valleys running into the Burrator Reservoirs were chosen as the area to explore.

Heigh Ho - Willem leads the way up on to Dartmoor

Up the hill, round the rocks, down the abandoned lane, passed the old mine, into the ruined farm, across the stream over the clapper bridge, through the woods, up the valley. Keep moving, keep warm, mind the ponies.  At the far end of the walk it felt as though we were on the edge of the known world. A place to appreciate the largest open space in southern England. This is where we had the picnic.

Ford Primary get to enjoy the magic of War Horse Country like Steven Spielberg

The plan had been to use some Dartmoor derived coloured clays and get the whole group doing some painting with them. However the extreme cold kept the painting activity limited to a demonstration. It was clear that the children really wanted to have a go at painting with the Dartmoor earth pigments, so it was arranged to do it later as a class room exercise back at school. Gathering different coloured clays and adding a little water and glue makes the perfect colours to paint the wonders of Dartmoor with. The stark broken rock tors, the bare winter trees, the hardy Dartmoor ponies, the distant moorland hills are all rich subjects for the children to capture in painted pictures just as we saw them on that fine walk.

Earth Pigment Painting at Burrator

Having discovered the delights of Dartmoor away from roads and settlements will I am sure lead the participants to returning in future years, to have adventures of their own so they in turn can have as much fun as I have had showing a new generation what to see and what to do and how to leave no trace behind.

Do you fancy a go at  painting with earth pigments?
Then come along to Princetown on 07 May 2012 for a free family fun Day where you too will be able to play/paint with the same earth pigments.
Further details will shortly be available on the What’s On section of the website or call The High Moorland Visitor Centre on 01822 890 414

Kelly College cadets – helping Rangers on Dartmoor

Kelly College CCF (Combined Cadet Force) is a regular group who come out and help National Park Rangers on the Western side of Dartmoor. As I have only been on this side of the Moor for the last 12 months it has been good to have the support of a group to help with some of the bigger tasks that have needed to be completed.

Over the past eight months, they have helped me complete a number of tasks on footpaths and bridleways in Mary Tavy and Peter Tavy. They have completed digging out 40 metres of drain below Burntown Farm; repaired a hole in the disused Mine Leat on Kingsett Down; transported 8 tons of stone with wheelbarrows and then spread it on a drift lane below Lower Godsworthy Farm; and for their latest task have spread a further 2 tons of surface stone on Route 27, the bridleway running between the Peter Tavy Inn and the River Tavy.

The surface work was completed with the help of  Edward and Tim Dodd, and Colin Abel, farmers at Chubb Farm and Lower Godsworthy Farms respectively, as they were able to prepare the sites initially for the group to come in.

Its been great working with this group. They are full of energy, are happy and keen to get on with it, and despite having a limited amount of time on each visit, are flexible in their approach which helps to complete each task.

Kelly College cadets after a walk up to Baggator

Thanks with all your help to date, Ranger Rob Taylor, Sector G

Planning on Dartmoor – another step forward

Today (Friday 10 February) sees the publication of the next version of the ‘local plan’ for Dartmoor.  This Plan, the ‘DMD’ sits below our Core Strategy plan and contains 64 policies and site allocations, which we’ll be using when we make decisions on planning applications in the National Park.  If you’re thinking about building an extension, putting up solar panels, or have someone at home hoping for some affordable housing in your village, this affects you.

For those outside the planning system it must seem like a strange world at times.  Plans take a long time to prepare – we started this one in 2009 – since then we’ve held around 30 public consultation events and met with approaching 2,000 people. We’ve gathered a lot of evidence too, carrying out studies into flood risk, landscape character, house prices and children’s play space to name but a few.  There are also reports such as Sustainability Appraisal and Habitats Assessment to make sure the Plan is sound. 

We’re aware you can have to jump through a lot of hoops to get planning permission – it’s probably little consolation but we have to jump through a lot to prepare the policies too!

So what does this Plan say? We’ll let you into a secret – some of it isn’t that different from the old one!  Some policies have been working fine and don’t need changing, however there are new or changed policies for new or changing issues such as housing and tourism.  What is also new, is that we have also looked at where new housing might go; in the National Park we don’t have to deliver the big housing numbers the district council’s do, but we do have to find enough land to meet the needs of local people.  When a family outgrows its house, a teenager wants to go it alone or a family breaks up that can create a demand for more housing – we need to help deliver this housing so that people can continue to live in their communities (and afford to do so). This helps Dartmoor stay as a living working landscape.   

So what happens next? This isn’t adopted policy yet, but it’s getting there.  The ‘Publication Version’ means we think this Plan is ready for adoption, but you have until 11 April 2012 to send us your comments.  After this an independent inspector will look at the Plan and any comments and decide if it is ‘sound’. All going well by early 2013 we could be using these policies to decide your application for that extension you’ve been thinking about.

There’s a lot more information on our website but if you have any questions please get in touch 

One Year On – Boardwalk Bash – High, Dry and Safe!

Boardwalk Bash – what a difference a year makes! 

Subscribers to the Dartmoor National Park blog will recall an article in April 2011 about how a group of regular walkers had set about raising funds for and then repairing and making safe a boardwalk. Well rather than leave the story with the group needing a further £300 to raise read on to see how they have got on!

Final stages of making the boardwalk safe

A 200m long boardwalk across Pixie’s Moor, South Tawton has been successfully covered in sheets of weld mesh to increase all year round safety for users. The footpath is well used and gives access to a small piece of wet flush on the edge of Cosdon Beacon giving an opportunity for users to view a variety of flora especially in the spring and summer months without getting their feet wet!

Paul’s Tuesday Walking Group (Paul Rendell is Editor of Dartmoor News Magazine) had rightly complained about the slippery nature of the surface after prolonged periods of wet weather (not unusual for Dartmoor!) but rather than leaving it like that they then set about raising the £800.00 required to purchase the weld mesh to overcome this problem. The group and subscribers to the magazine generously donated money to this worthy cause and then some members of the group came out to start the process of fixing the mesh to the wooden structure last year.

The final session to complete the task took place on a very cold and wet Monday in January with snow having to be cleared from the surface of the boardwalk before the final sheets could be fixed on.
 

A man for all weathers - Ranger Ian Brooker working in the snow!

This has been a really worthwhile project and a massive thanks goes out to all concerned for such positive action in overcoming a problem and during a time of such financial austerity!!

Ranger Ian Brooker – Ranger Sector H

Voluntary Wardens – helping out in ALL weather!

Why was I not surprised when in late January I managed to choose a particularly wet, cold and grey day to drive to Mary Tavy to meet Bill McOwan, a Voluntary Warden, to spend the day renewing a gateway behind Gibbett Hill.

A Scotsman who is long used to foul weather, Bill still graciously agreed to help with the task when I met him at 09:30 to start. Ripping out the old gate and posts was a 5 minute job, satisfying even in the rain.

Voluntary Warden - Bill McOwan measuring a gap!

Leaving it as  a gap would have helped our spirits tremendously and allowed us to dry out immediately but that was not an option as it’s common land, and there are grazing animals throughout the year.

So the digging began. We decided to opt for a four foot gate, replacing the old three foot six. This was mainly because it would ensure the whole gap was filled to prevent stock getting on to the road. Also, if you can use a standard gate size, it’s less complicated to repair if needed. Not that we were thinking too much about this as the rain kept on coming. Its funny, you don’t tend to notice the fact that you are getting wetter or muddier, it’s only when you stop for coffee, or lunch. Then the challenge really begins, avoiding getting mud on the sandwiches!

Two six inch square gateposts were persuaded, with plenty of infill and bar work, to stay solid. The gate was then hung on the moorland side, to ensure that any stock would not be able to open the gate if they pushed against it. With the end in sight and thoughts of a warm cuppa and dry clothes dancing about inside your mind, that’s the time when mistakes can be made. Mindful of the fact we were both pretty wet, and needing to get the job done, I can guarantee I have never taken longer to fit a latch that works properly, such was the need to get out of there! With Bills eyes rolling to the heavens, I could see his mind ticking away, probably calling me any number of names only an ex Royal Marine would know, but thankfully too polite to say!

Voluntary Warden - Bill McOwan 'singing the praises of Ranger Rob Taylor in the rain'

We were all done by 4 in the afternoon. Tidied up and away from site. The gate looks great, a big improvement. Thanks for your help Bill, you’d can choose the sunny day next time.

Ranger Rob Taylor, Ranger Sector G

If you would like to know more about being a Voluntary Warden and/or volunteering opportunities please see the volunteer page on the National Park website

Light – Camera – Action

Well Dartmoor has spent all of January being feted by the media and hogging the limelight as it appeared on the big screen (Warhorse!!), the small screen (Sherlock, 3 Hungry Boys, Escape to the Country etc) and over the radio waves (Chris Evans and Simon Mayo) so not to be outdone February has brought us the stunning light and weather that so enamoured Mr Spielberg and his crew.

Sheep grazing - Smallacombe Rocks

Light
Crisp, frosty mornings capture the Moor perfectly. Winter’s sunrises and sunsets are particularly special and whether it is looking over the Moor, seeing the sun as it rises or sets over a tor or watching as it lights up the world down below it is a wonderful time to be on Dartmoor.

Camera
So it is no wonder then so many people (amateur and professional camerapeople, walkers and visitors alike) are up early to make sure they catch it at its best. If you cant quite raise yourself from out under a warm duvet then make sure you visit the exhibition gallery at the High Moorland Visitor Centre, Princetown as the next three exhibitions are
Celebrating National Parks (until 04 March)
An exhibition by photographer Adam Burton of stunning photographs of Dartmoor and the other UK National Parks.
Dark Skies  (10 March – 16 May 2012)
An exhibition of night sky timelapses, light painting and dusk to dawn images.
and
Winning Landscapes (18 May – 12 September 2012)
An exhibition showcasing War Horse film locations and including Capturing Dartmoor photography competition entries from 2011.

Action
Obviously it is not only us humans who have to make allowances for when the weather is crisper on the moor, as the livestock will very often spend more time on or near roads which are warmer and also have a generous layer of delicious salt on them! It makes for some fantastic shots with stunning backgrounds but it does mean a word of caution. Please make sure that your action this winter is to take care when driving due to ice and remembering that it is very likely that sheep, ponies or cattle are going to be round the next corner.
If you are unfortunate enough to be involved in a collision with livestock you must ensure that you report it via the Dartmoor Livestock Protection Society and/or the Police.

For a range of stunning Dartmoor images, check out the gallery for the Capture Dartmoor competition here or if you would like to submit something to the Visit Dartmoor flickr page

If you would like further information on Dartmoor please see the National Park website or for details on things to do and places to stay see the Visit Dartmoor website

Warhorse – helping to bring it to a screen near you!

Helping bring Warhorse to a big screen near you!

You may have been amongst the many who have raced already to see the new Spielberg blockbuster, Warhorse, but regardless you will be aware that the action starts (and ends) on Dartmoor. What most people are not privy to is the huge amount of time, effort and sheer hard work that goes into bringing movies of this scale to the big screen. For staff at Dartmoor National Park Authority it was a peek into a world that was as different as the light, beauty and open expanse of Dartmoor was to most of the film crew.

Here, the National Park’s Conservation Officer, Sue Halse, takes us through the story of bringing the Dartmoor element of Warhorse to fruition.

When was the Authority first approached?
“Back in May 2010, I was approached by a Location Manager seeking possible sites for a film, known at the time only as Dartmoor. I was unaware how big this particular enquiry was to become, though from the first there was a strong emphasis on keeping information out of the media.

The initial proposals developed into a very large film operation at Ditsworthy Warren House, with pre-shoots and additional location units at various other sites and times on a smaller scale.”

But why would Dartmoor National Park Authority need to be involved?
“Well, commercial activities on the common are covered under the byelaws in the Dartmoor Commons Act, and this is the basis for the Authority’s involvement in filming activity, even where it is not on land owned by DNPA, so there were lots of issues to be resolved including:
* the protection of archaeology on site;
* listed building advice and monitoring of the temporary changes to the building;
* public access to the area;
* traffic management (including aerial filming);
* habitat protection (including ploughing within field and boundary removal and replacement);
* water and waste management
and the list went on and on…”

Did you get a chance to visit the set?
“After a huge amount of emails, phone calls and visits to make sure that the filming first of all came to fruition and then was carried out to everyones satisfaction, I was very fortunate to be rewarded by being given an escorted tour towards the end of the shoot.
We started with an exploration of the huge marquee which not only housed the catering area, where food was available throughout the day for the 300+ people on site, but also the dressing areas. It was an amazing sight with long rows of light-bulb-surrounded mirrors and then rows and rows of costumes, mostly in muted colours, neatly hung and carefully labelled and all of these kept dry by large blowers which ran 24/7 to supply a constant stream of warm-air.

Did you meet the real stars, the horses?
From the marquee I was then taken to the area where the horses were stabled – this was a special secure compound and the 8 or 9 horses there, each with their own groom, looked very well cared for and interested in all the sights, sounds and smells. Apparently each of the horses had particular skills/training to perform certain actions, and had their own make-up artist to ensure continuity!

Moving onto the location site itself, I was waved past the security staff, into a bustle of activity with people rushing forwards and backwards. There was an artificial horse in the same colouring as Joey (presumably no need for make-up there!), generator lorries, snack catering stalls – lots of fresh fruit in evidence! –  dressing tents, and various actors, extras, dressers and support staff.  We walked past the turnip field where soil and plants had been transported in to convert the usual grassland here into the required set.

Did you get a chance to see any filming?
Nearing Ditsworthy Warren House, where filming was taking place, I was fascinated to watch  the filming of one of the horses who had to look up in a tree to see the owl perched in there. The horse had been trained to watch, and move his head up with, an orange ball, so the ball was hung over a branch, and as it was raised the horse moved his head to watch it go up – it was done several times – a lot of work for a very small scene, and then presumably post-editing to blank out the ball. I can’t wait to see it in the film, as from my vantage point behind the cameraman I was able to watch both the action and the film on the camera monitor at the same time. It demonstrated to me the huge attention to detail that went into making the film.
As that take finished I realised that Mr Spielberg was standing just in front of me! He turned around, and politely shook hands, commenting on what a great place Dartmoor was. He moved away to direct another scene nearby, with his bodyguards close at hand, and left me vowing not to wash my hand for at least a day!!
I had been aware through my liaison with the location manager that security was high priority, not just for Mr Spielberg, but also for the other actors, to prevent photographs of unguarded moments being shot and used by paparazzi, so this really was a unique opportunity.

We moved to inspect the barn which, though it looked totally authentic was actually built of lightweight plastic material, and at the time housed an animal trainer with one of the several owls available for the film, about to be filmed in the tree where the orange ball had just been used. Very quickly, to avoid holding up any filming, we had a quick dash inside Ditsworthy Warren House to see how the set had been created from what was previously an empty shell.

Any other highlights?
The final highlight of my visit was to watch a section of filming (it’s actually shown in the trailer) where Joey (the horse) and rider Albert are galloping alongside a vintage car travelling along the road. This was filmed on the road along Ringmoor Down, with a helicopter swooping along very close to the ground to film it, probably no more than 7-8 ft up – several times. A very good helicopter pilot, and a cameraman with good nerves!

Happy New Year – Dartmoor’s big (and small) screen 2012 debut!

2012 promises to be an exciting year for Dartmoor with the launch of War Horse Nationwide on 13th January.

To celebrate there are competitions, guided walks, events and exhibitions. details of which can be found on the Dartmoor National Park Authority website and the official Dartmoor tourism website.

In the meantime, other famous Dartmoor literary connections are not wanting to be outshone. On Sunday 08 January at 20:30 on BBC1, the Sherlock episode will be ‘The Hounds of Baskerville’ , which the BBC state as being the legendary detective’s most famous case! 

So, if you can’t make it onto Dartmoor for the next couple of weeks then sit back and enjoy the stunning landscape from the comfort of your own home or local cinema.

Merry ‘Kissmas’ from Dartmoor National Park Authority

Merry Kissmas - © Alan Pewsey

This year Dartmoor has celebrated its 60th Anniversary as a National Park and as part of its celebrations held a ‘Capture Dartmoor’ photography competition. The second prize in the competition went to Alan Pewsey with his picture of horse riders on Hameldown but he is also took the image above of old Bowerman being given a kiss.

If you want to see more images of Dartmoor then this festive season why dont you visit the stunning new exhibition by professional landscape photographer Adam Burton on display at Dartmoor National Park Authority’s High Moorland Visitor Centre in Princetown.

Alternatively, view the Visit Dartmoor flickr page and dont forget that on 13 January Steven Spielberg’s latest film, War Horse, is released in the UK – an opportunity to see stunning Dartmoor images on the big screen.