A collection of walks, discoveries, insights and pictures of exploring Dartmoor National Park
August 14, 2023
A-Z of ‘features’ synonymous with Dartmoor
There are many features which can be found on Dartmoor which can be described as being synonymous with the National Park. As a bit of fun, the author has chosen his favourite A-Z items, with each letter of the alphabet being the first letter of a particular ‘feature’.
A- Adit – ‘King of the Dart’ at SX73348 68819B – Buddle – Golden Dagger Mine. Ted Birkett Dixon who lead Workers Education Association (WEA) night walks on Dartmoor until 2003 is pictured explaining the operation of the circular buddle. C – Clapper Bridge at Teignhead FarmD – Dressing Floor at Huntingdon Mine (SX66778 66922)E – Enclosure – Jan Reynolds Ace ‘Club’F – Feather Beds – Checking out three Feather Beds at Hameldown, Teign Head and Aune HeadG – Girt near Fox TorH – Hut Circle at Erme PoundI – Inscribed Boundary Rock – Outer Dinger at SX58026 88353J – Jumper. Near Tor Rocks Quarry, a drilling practice stone, which might have been for either testing drills or for ‘Jumper’ practise. The inset picture shows the operation of a ‘Jumper’ from around 1930. ‘Jumpers’ were used in the 19th century and first half of 20th century and were a solid and heavy iron bar about 5′ long with a central swelling and two working ends. By skillfully lifting and dropping the ‘Jumper’ a hole could be drilled into the granite. They were used for splitting granite in conjuction with tare and feathers.K – Kistvaen at Roundy Park (SX63919 79666)L – Longhouse at Whittenknowles Rocks (SX58641 67013)M – Mould Stone(s) at Fayrecombe Mill. A double and a single mould stone (below and to the left) – SX63775 84269
N – Newtake (Hamlyn). O – Observation Post (OP17). Located on the ridge above Knack Mine Ford and a short distance to the north of the Wheal Virgin Stone. (SX61234 88768)P – Peat Pass. Northern Phillpotts Peat Pass Marker at Black Ridge (SX59770 85856)Q – Quarry (Rubble Heap) at SX75580 77300R – Rock Basin. Gutter Tor SX57775 66880S – Stamping Mill at Eylesbarrow (SX59340 67760)T – Tramway at Leftlake. The Redlake Tramway was operational from 1911 to 1932 for transporting materials and men to and from the china clay operations at Redlake and Leftlake. It wasn’t used to transport clay, which was sent down a gravity fed pipeline adjacent to the tramwayU – ‘Urts’ – WhortleberriesV – Vermin Trap at Gutter Tor. The wooden mock up built by the author indicates how this vermin trap associated with Ditsworthy Warren would have looked (SX57882 66747)W – Whim at Whiteworks Mine (SX61165 70926)X – Xenolith(s) (Braddon Tor, aka Hoax Tor). A Xenolith is a piece of rock within an igneous mass (e.g Granite) which is not derived from the original magma but has been introduced from elsewhere, especially the surrounding country rock.Y – Yawning (Lambing). The word ‘Yawning’ is a Devonian wordZ – Zircon prospecting. Jack Cloke’s prospect at Wapsworthy, where he is alleged to have found Zircons (fake diamonds) – SX54500 7985
