Dartmoor

The first cuckoo of the 2016 season has already been heard on Dartmoor, thereby heralding the long-awaited spring.

Over the last two years, Dartmoor National Park Authority, in partnership with Devon Birds and Exeter University, has been asking the public to report their cuckoo sightings.

During that time, we have collected over 2,000 records of cuckoos across Devon, with 90% of those records coming from Dartmoor.

This spring, we are again collecting as many sightings as possible. Please log your observations by going to our interactive map at www.dartmoor.gov.uk/...

Here in Devon we are proud of our beautiful landscapes that offer all of us the opportunity to get outdoors and soak up the delicious views.

Just in time for the summer season a new book is coming out which will provide everyone with the chance to get out and explore the wonderful area.

Entitled "Wild Swimming Walks - Dartmoor and South Devon, 28 Lake, River and Beach Days Out", the book was written by Sophie Pierce and Matt Newbury who both hold the area close to their hearts.

Sophie said: "For years now I have been having fantastic adventures with my friends and...

Here in Devon we are proud of our beautiful landscapes that offer all of us the opportunity to get outdoors and soak up the delicious views.

Just in time for the summer season a new book is coming out which will provide everyone with the chance to get out and explore the wonderful area.

Titled Wild Swimming Walks - Dartmoor and South Devon, 28 Lake, River and Beach Days Out, the book was written by Sophie Pierce and Matt Newbury who both hold the area close to their hearts.

Sophie said: "For years now I have been having fantastic adventures with my friends and...

Join Dartmoor National Park Ranger Simon Lee on Sunday 10 April as he leads a team of volunteers working on the popular Templer Way walking route near Haytor.

The day runs from 10:30 until 3:30 and starts at the National Park Visitor Centre, Haytor.

The Templer Way follows the route by which granite was taken from the quarries in the Haytor area during the 1800s on an 18 mile journey to Teignmouth on the south coast.

A granite tramway was used to transport the stone down to Stover Canal from where it was shipped down to the docks at Teignmouth. Large parts of the...

Devon and Cornwall Police is teaming up with partner agencies to tackle crime across Dartmoor throughout the summer. Local officers will be part of a multi-agency operation which aims to prevent and disrupt criminals operating in isolated rural areas, particularly at car parks and beauty spots surrounding the national park.

The moor historically sees a seasonal rise in crime in the summer months with an influx of visitors to the region.

The operation will see dedicated regular high-visibility patrols tackling a range of rural crimes common to the moorland.

They...

There is not much time left to help raise £10,000 towards repairs to the badly eroded Nun’s Cross bridleway near Princetown.

The Mend Our Mountains campaign was launched by the British Mountaineering Council earlier this month and will run until 16 May.

Working with eight national parks, they hope to raise more than £100,000 to repair damaged paths.

This is a fundraising appeal with a difference - powered by crowdfunding.

Through this campaign on Dartmoor, BMC are trying to raise funds to repair severe erosion on the spectacular and ancient Nun's Cross...

Every schoolchild in England will have the chance to visit our inspiring National Parks at each stage of their education under plans announced today by Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss—as new figures reveal only 10% of schoolchildren currently have access to outdoor learning.

The new Plan for National Parks kickstarts a programme of activity to safeguard the future of iconic landscapes—like Exmoor and Dartmoor—including by engaging young people throughout their education:

• from primary school, bringing more than 80,000 young people to visit National Parks and putting...

Devon Wildlife Trust is today celebrating the news that it has received a £13,340.00 funding award from SITA Trust for its project "Meadows for Everyone". Hay meadows are one of England’s rarest habitats. On Dartmoor, after many years of decline, there are now hopes that these spectacularly colourful landscape features could be on the verge of a real renaissance. A Heritage Lottery Fund project is promoting better management for surviving meadows, and a number of owners are cooperating to establish new flowering grasslands on private land. The Meadows for Everyone project will complement...

Join Dartmoor National Park Ranger Ella Briens and Archaeologist Andy Crabb on Sunday 28 February 2016 as they lead a party of volunteers to uncover the remains of the Crazy Well farmstead.

They will be removing gorse with hand tools to expose the farmstead features which have become overgrown. The farmstead is in a splendid location south of Crazy Well Pool, within the Burrator reservoir catchment.

The site contains the ruins of a two roomed building, set within a small enclosure in the outer fields of “Classywell.” It is possible that the building was originally a “...