Dartmoor

Body found in search for missing man

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Mon, 03/17/2014 - 9:45am

A body has been found by search teams looking for missing Plymouth man Martin Hough.

The body was discovered by officers at midday near Burrator Reservoir. Officers, members of the Dartmoor Rescue Group and the police helicopter were in the area since Martin Hough, 53, was reported missing to police on Sunday at around 7.15pm. He was last seen at about 9.45am that morning at an address in Rocky Park Road, wearing jeans and a blue/black check shirt and black boots. The death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared on behalf of the coroner.

Mystery of the Moor

Watch TV presenter Mike Dilger as he follows the unfolding story of the internationally important discoveries made during the excavation of a prehistoric burial on Whitehorse Hill in Dartmoor National Park. When archaeologists unearthed the contents contained within the burial cist in a remote part of Dartmoor in 2012, they had no idea they were about to find an internationally important collection of prehistoric remains. Academics and scientists alike were fascinated by the well preserved findings from this prehistoric cremation burial which allowed them one of the best glimpses into life...

Dartmoor hosts air crash exercise

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Fri, 02/21/2014 - 1:02pm

Dartmoor Training Area and Okehampton Battle Camp were the location of a simulated aviation incident for a training exercise recently. The South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust’s Hazardous Area Response Team, who organised the exercise at Okehampton, were testing their capabilities, and those of several other agencies, in responding to a mass casualty exercise.

Exercise Indigo was designed to identify and explore the quality of care received by patients in a mass casualty situation and involved personnel from Devon and Cornwall Police, Devon and Somerset Fire and...

Biomass warms Dartmoor Visitors

Visitors to the National Park Visitor Centre in Princetown are now being kept warm by a new biomass boiler, burning Dartmoor wood.

The recently installed 180kW Herz biomass boiler at Dartmoor National Park Authority's High Moorland Office in Princetown provides heat and hot water for the Visitor Centre as well as the offices of the National Park Authority and Duchy of Cornwall. It was installed by the Ashburton based 5D Group.

The wood chips which fuel the boiler are supplied by the Dartmoor Woodfuel Co-operative which is based at Brimpts Farm, Dartmeet. This has the...

Good news for Dartmoor beauty spot

One of Dartmoor’s most picturesque and wildlife rich valleys has received a boost with the news that a set of practical improvements are set to go ahead this winter.

Devon Wildlife Trust’s Emsworthy nature reserve sits below Saddle Tor between Widecombe-in-the-Moor and Haytor. Its mix of old dry stone walls, pasture, wet grassland and mire make it a popular spot for walkers, picnickers and wildlife watchers. Each spring the nature reserve becomes a stunning blaze of violet as several of its fields are covered in bluebells. The nature reserve is home to remarkable and rare wildlife...

Good news for cyclists and walkers on Dartmoor

Devon County Council has agreed the proposed schedule of schemes to increase walking and cycling on Dartmoor.

The “Granite and Gears” project, led by the County Council and Dartmoor National Park, was awarded £4.4 million fundingfrom The Department for Transport's (DfT) Cycling Ambition fund in August.

The project is also supported with an additional £3 million from Local Transport Plan funding, section 106 money and contributions from Devon County Council, Dartmoor National Park, Teignbridge District Council and West Devon Borough Council.

It will develop a network...

Festive Fun and Christmas Shopping in Chagford

Event Date: 
10/12/2013 - 5:00pm to 8:00pm
Venue: 
Chagford Square

Chagford will be bustling at a festive late-night shopping event on Tuesday 10th December 2013.

As always, the Dartmoor town will be a riot of colour with lights and over 50 decorated Christmas trees on all the shops. There will be entertainment in all the streets from 6pm, which will appeal to all age groups and shoppers. A hog roast, bands, hot chestnuts and Father Christmas for the children are just some of the fun and merriment on the night.

Each year, Chagford’s independent shops stage a Shopper’s Spectacular Evening. Thousands of present ideas for all ages...

Dartmoor youth theatre relives the First World War

Event Date: 
23/11/2013 - 5:00pm to 24/11/2013 - 4:00pm
Venue: 
Moretonhamsptead Parish Hall and Castle Drogo

With the centenary of the First World War around the corner, Dartmoor’s young people have been delving into Devon’s past. ‘Road to Nowhere’ is a new drama devised by MED Theatre’s Young Company and explores the impact the First World War had on Dartmoor and its communities.

When a nation is called to war, two young tin miners chose separate paths; while one friend faces the front line, another faces internment at Dartmoor prison and accusations of cowardice. Meanwhile Castle Drogo stands deserted and incomplete as the stone masons down their tools and head for the front line....

'Hot bott' cushions to keep churchgoers warm

Two churches in Devon are piloting hot cushions to keep worshippers warm during services during the winter.

The re-usable, portable ‘hot-bott’ cushion will be used in churches in Broadclyst and South Tawton.

Each church has been given 50 cushions to trial, with the aim of keeping worshippers warm and comfortable during services.

The pilot is part of the Diocese of Exeter’s ‘Shrinking the Footprint’ campaign to reduce carbon emissions. The Church of England in Devon is exploring a variety of new and efficient heating systems for church buildings. Three quarters of...

Cycle The Dartmoor Way

A new circular cycling route around Dartmoor National Park has been launched with TV presenter, journalist, author and cyclist Robert Penn cutting the ribbon and officially declaring The Dartmoor Way open to the public.

The Dartmoor Way is a 95 mile-long circular cycling route around Dartmoor linking hamlets, villages and towns. It has been newly signed with brightly coloured waymarkers and is expected to attract cyclists of all abilities from the region, as well as tourists and holidaymakers from across the country, from families to cycling enthusiasts.

Passing through or...

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