A quick trip across the moors. . . . . . . .

Dartmoor National Park is an area of moorland in South Devon 
covering 368 sq mi. It was my 'playground' on many a weekend 
as a child. . . . . a quite magical, historical place, one which I'm 
always thrilled to visit when home.

Besides the massive granite rock formations called 'tors' on the uplands, 

tucked into the valleys are farms and tiny villages.

I so wanted Jasmin to visit Dartmoor during our visit in June.

Fortunately my wonderful friend Jackie - she of the beautiful garden I recently shared 

with you HERE - picked us up one morning and took us across Dartmoor, on to Plymouth 

and then Dartmouth (both coming up in another post).

Despite cloudy skies we were able to enjoy views as I related my childhood 

stories - such as falling into the River Dart from a boulder at a favorite 

spot called Dartmeet whilst on a Sunday family picnic. A close call I was told 

when older. We wondered if the same boulder was still there along the bank, 

or has it moved down river during sixty plus years!!!

Dartmeet - where the River Dart is so beautiful.

We stopped here for coffee - and Jasmin enjoyed a 'cream tea' - I think

she loves them as much as I do! It's where we were able to photograph 

the beautiful peacocks HERE, also miniature ponies and goats.

HM Prison Dartmoor 

Opened in 1809 to accommodate prisoners 

of the Napoleonic Wars with France. 

A foreboding sight to come upon in the small moorland town of 

Princetown. It is still in use and currently has over 600 inmates, much changed 

from its original days when at one time it housed over 6,000 prisoners!

The whole story here is quite fascinating.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Dartmoor

Dartmoor is often referred to as 'the last wilderness'.

Over the past 12,000 years man has hunted, farmed, mined, quarried, and 

lived on and around Dartmoor.

A place of intrigue and fascination.

If you've visited you already know that - if you have a chance to 

visit be sure to go.

'Proud as a Peacock' on Dartmoor ----------------

A day out on Dartmoor, included a stop for a snack at this very special place. 

I think we enjoyed the wildlife more than anything else - this bevy of peacocks 

(you can just see one rather plain brown peahen in the last pic) being the 

main attraction.

Such magnificent birds who cry loudly like babies, and who seemed to enjoy

fluttering on and off the cafe's roof.

Strutting their stuff, they were definitely fun to watch, and those colors,

those beautiful colors. The male's train feathers can grow up to six feet in length. 

Isn't Nature marvelous!

Did you know that peacocks shed their beautiful train feathers naturally

after the mating season and then grow new ones?

Thankfully they can then be gathered and sold without any harm to the bird.

Birds such as these in the wild often live for up to 20 years.