31 Dartmoor Facts: Impressive Details On National Park Disclosed

One of the most popular attractions in Britain, with the most extraordinary natural beauty and picturesque landscapes, Dartmoor National Park is often visited by people from near and far.

Whether you're looking forward to a walk, ride, cycle, or a wild swim on the moor, with the granite hilltops, wildlife, and great weather, you're going to have a unique experience at Dartmoor National Park. This mesmerizing moorland sees a heavy footfall each year, and yet, the park hasn't lost its brilliance, thanks to its unique, widespread diversity.

Location Of Dartmoor

Designated as a national park in October 1951, it got its name from the River Dart, a river with two tributaries, East Dart and West Dart, that meet at Dartmeet.

Dartmoor is a 368 sq mi (952 sq km) park located in the uplands area in Devon, in the southwest part of England. With the most extensive granite areas in Britain, the surprising fact is that most of the granite in Dartmoor is found under peat deposits.

The granite hilltops here are called tors, with the highest point of Dartmoor being High Willhays, about 679 yds (621 m) above sea level, which is also the highest point in the south of England.

There's a total of 2,800 listed buildings and 1,078 monuments on the Dartmoor landscape. With an average population of almost 33,000 in the local settlements, this number climbs during the tourist seasons. The many towns of Dartmoor National Park include Christow, Yelverton, and Buckfastleigh.

Dartmoor National Park Authority has been managing Dartmoor National Park, taking care of the park's day-to-day operations for visitors to have a fun time.

Dartmoor is considered one of the most important Bronze Age archeological sites in Western Europe.

Dartmoor National Park has some of the oldest stone formations in the history of Europe, including the standing stones, stone rows, stone circles, and cairns.

There are also an estimated 5,000 hut circles that are oval or circular depressions. Hut circles represent a stone wall of a roundhouse foundation from the second century BC.

The standing stones, prehistoric elements of the park, indicate human interference clearing up the place about 10,000 years ago. Some popular standing stones are Beardown Man, The Longstone Standing Stone, Drizzle Combe Standing Stones, and more.

The Forest of Dartmoor is under the possession of the Duke of Cornwall. This privately owned area of the National Park is maintained under his ownership. Some of the land, including Haytor, is in the hands of the Dartmoor National Park Authority.

The Ministry of Defense owns a portion of the park as well. For more than 200 years, parts of Dartmoor have been used as a firing range.

Interestingly, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novel 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' is set in this National Park. This was also the venue of Harry Potter's Quidditch World Cup.

Wildlife In Dartmoor

Dartmoor National Park is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), with four habitats and houses a range of wildlife.

The population of the Southern damselfly, along with Atlantic salmon and Otter, stand as the reasons for its SAC status.

While farming takes up 90% of Dartmoor, about a third of it is common grazing land, and it is common to find free-ranging ponies, cattle, and sheep. There are also weasels, badgers, otters, foxes, grey squirrels, and rabbits in their burrows.

Several years ago, the ponies that belonged to farmers were made to transport food, wool, and tin across the moor or made to work in the mines.

The park is also home to many groups of deer, while sheep do drop into the park to graze from neighboring farms.

The variety of bird species found in Dartmoor National Park is vast. This includes skylark, common snipe, the ring ouzel, and the cuckoo. Internationally critical populations of meadow pipit and stonechat are found flying about too.

The world's largest land slug, the Ash Black, can exceed 7.87 in (20 cm) features in Dartmoor's Woodland.

There are also mammals, including about 60 species of newt, bats, toads, and frogs. It wouldn't be surprising to find lovely butterflies here, including the emperor moth and green hairstreak.

Also famous for its myths and legends, Dartmoor is said to be home to pixies and fairies, and its horror elements feature the haunting of a pack of ghostly hounds and a headless horseman.

Climate And Ecology Of Dartmoor

Like the rest of South West England, the temperate climate at Dartmoor makes it wetter and milder than locations at a similar height in the rest of England.

The granite at Dartmoor dates back to 280 million years ago, with the prehistoric remains on Dartmoor dating back to the Neolithic and early Bronze Age. Dartmoor National Park has a significant mining and geological history with all that granite.

Despite receiving heavy rainfall, most of it gets absorbed quickly by a large amount of peat in Dartmoor National Park. The peats, decaying vegetation, absorb rainwater and gradually distribute it, keeping the area relatively wet.

The highest grounds at Dartmoor form catchment areas for the rivers around. These rivers contribute as a power source for the quarries and tin mining industries. Rivers of Dartmoor have otters and salmon living in them.

The old forests portion of Dartmoor National Park has oak trees that are hundreds of years old.

An abundance of oakwoods, including the Turkey Oak, nettles, and brambles, and a vast collection of camellias are found here. There's also moss, orchids, lichens, ferns, and bluebells that are amongst the flora at Dartmoor.

Things To Do In Dartmoor National Park

While children and adults have many activities awaiting at Dartmoor National Park, you could even get your pet dog along.

Dartmoor welcomes almost 2.3 million visitors a year, summing up to a currency value of 120 million pounds. Visitors can often indulge in a range of activities such as kayaking, hiking, cycling, and sightseeing. With the rivers at Dartmoor, visitors could enjoy fishing here or canoeing.

It is easy to walk your dogs here with dog-friendly trails and the added advantage of dog food being available. While you can enjoy the view from the modern castle Drogo, you can also get some good bread at the monastery at Buckfast Abbey.

At the farmer's market, tourists purchase some good quality, fresh products such as honey, fresh vegetables, meat, and some dairy products like cheese.

The Zoological Park at Dartmoor, spread over 145,200 sq. yd (37,793 sq m), protects nature by conserving wildlife and ecology. Wildlife enthusiasts will be thrilled to visit here because of 70 different animal species, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates.

With over 217.48 mi (350 km) of paths and byways, a detailed map in your hands will get you ready to cycle within the park's cycling trails. The options of trails are aplenty, including Haldon Forest Trails, the Granite Way, Granite and Gears Princeton to Burator Route, to name a few.

Undoubtedly, this is one of the most diverse national parks you'll ever visit. Apart from the activities listed out, there are horse photography classes, a visit to the National Park Visitor Center (Hayton), visiting King Arthur's Cornwall in Tintagel, and a hot air balloon tour as a cherry on top.

Every year, many festivals, shows, fairs, sporting events, endurance challenges, and family events add to the thrill of visiting Dartmoor National Park. They range from Chagstock and Dartmoor Folk Festival to Ten Tors and Tour of Britain.

If you happen to be a nature lover and seek an adventurous trip, Dartmoor National Park is the place to visit.