DARTMOOR in Winter

The couple have recently become celebrities - their battle to change the run down former stables and barns have been the subject of a 10 - programme documentary in the South West - now being shown on the Discovery Real Time channel. With two young children, I was looking forward to enjoy what is still a working farm. The Hughes' farm pigs and keep chickens as well as a reasonable herd of Dartmoor Ponies. On arrival we were very impressed with the fruits of their work. After a reasonable drive along the farm's own access road we arrived. The interior of our accommodation was very opulent - wood burner, flatscreen TV, AGA stove, and everything had been fitted to the highest of standards and are the only five star rated cottages on Dartmoor. Our hosts were very helpful - living nearby in the large farmhouse they are on hand to answer any questions, and were very happy to show the kids the animals, which is one of the main attractions of staying there.

One morning early on we went up to help collect the eggs, which the children loved and they also saw newborn piglets. The Hughes place a big emphasis on the fact that it is still a working farm - vegetarians look away, but the pork was particularly agreeable and much more tasty than mass-produced supermarket rubbish. The fun on the farm continued with a trip to feed the Dartmoor ponies with hay. Surrounding Holwell are several 'Tors' - hills with mounds of granite rocks on the tops. The certainly look imposing - I found out that the unusual features were caused by erosion - large areas of Dartmoor have granite base - but they look as if they had been placed there by giants. We took several walks up these Tors and they afforded fantastic views - from Hay Tor on a clear day it was possible to see to the coast.

The climbs certainly weren't too taxing - my son, aged 20 months and daughter, three, got up easily. The local village of Widdecombe-in-the-Moor boasted the usual collections of souvenir shops, but also a great pub called The Rugglestone. This is a very traditional country pub, complete with beer straight from the barrel behind the bar. The food was home cooked, full of taste and very filling. Just going for a drive across Dartmoor can be an adventure - go off the beaten track slightly, and you'll be going down narrow lanes the width of a car, opening gates blocking the way, and dodging ponies. Dartmoor is possibly the last great wilderness in England - you enter a new country when you go over the first cattle grid, and we certainly didn't want to return to civilisation.

Fact File
You can email the High Moorland Visitor Centre (HMVC@dartmoor-npa.gov.uk) for a copy of the Dartmoor Visitor featuring information on Dartmoor National Park Authority Guided Walks and a whole array of Walking Guides.
High Willhays in north Dartmoor is the highest tor at over 620 metres.
Dartmoor spans 368 square miles - approximately 22 miles east to west and 24 miles north to south.
Agatha Christie was born in Torquay, Devon, but was a frequent visitor to the Hay Tor area of Dartmoor.
Charles Kingsley (1819-1875), author of many novels including the Water Babies was born in the pretty village of Holne on Dartmoor and was the son of a vicar.
All the cattle, sheep and ponies grazing on Dartmoor are owned by farmers.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was said to have been inspired to write the Sherlock Holmes' mystery 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' from tales he heard about Dartmoor while staying at the Duchy Hotel in Princetown, which is now the High Moorland Visitor Centre.