Excursions #1 - Wistman's Wood, Dartmoor

Welcome to the first of Hidden Plymouth Excursions, & a nice car journey that takes us to Dartmoor for a popular destination for Plymothians to discover - Wistman's Wood. This visit can be classed as our first real trip to experience the woods in their full beauty under clear skies as the first visit back in 2008 was shrouded in dense fog & driving rain. This time, the weather couldn't have been better & taking a welcome break from heavy research & we decided to join our Cousin, a former Royal Marine who used the area for training back in the nineties, now enjoying this vast landscape for it's charm, beauty & ruggedness. It's worth noting that if you plan your own visit, do a little research on the moor conditions & weather check as it can be a dangerous place in stormy weather.

Wistman's Wood is located near to Two Bridges Hotel, where you can find limited parking for a short visit. Even though the sun was blazing down, the heavy rainfall in previous days was evident with boggy conditions & fast flowing streams. Lying alongside the West Dart River, the wood was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1964. The source of the Devonport Leat lies in close proximity & will feature on another excursion in the near future.

This ancient copse of dwarf oak trees is filled with tales of myth & mystery, & with a quick search on Google you can find for yourselves the stories that surround this magical & enchanting location but don't just read about it - go see for yourself!

IMPORTANT UPDATE!

On the day of this visit we were driving back & slowed down on the Princetown road for a group of ponies crossing the highway a few hundred yards ahead. As we drew closer, a stupid idiot on 125cc motorbike overtook us at speed, but luckily the last pony had just got moorside as he reached them. Later that night, a biker hit a pony which was killed in the process. Now we're not saying that the biker was at fault because night conditions are different but what's needed is just a little care & attention when driving across Dartmoor & thankfully it is a minority choose to ignore.