On the first Saturday morning of our trip, we woke up feeling more refreshed than on any previous morning. Whether this was due to the fact that we had finally adjusted to the five-hour time change or because we slept in the most “American”-like hotel on our trip, I don’t know. Perhaps a little of both. We started the day bright and early, driving southwest from Exeter into Dartmoor National Park (www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk). My husband shot video as we drove in through the winding forest roads and emerged onto the nearly treeless, undulating hills of Dartmoor.

Dartmoor’s stark landscape and famous tors are the source of its beauty. I was awed again and again by the sights before us, wishing we had hours to climb the numerous hills and clamber over the rocky tors at the top. It is a desolate and haunting place, rich in prehistoric remains – Bronze-Age coffins, standing stones, hut circles, and burial cists.

Our first stop was at Haytor Rocks, and shortly later, Hound Tor. This large, magnificent grouping of rocks was utilized by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in his Sherlock Holmes’ tale, “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” Then we retraced our steps and headed into the hedge-lined lane leading towards the charming village of Widecombe-in-the-Moor, which is immortalized by a folk song about its fair. The 120 ft quaint tower of St Pancras Church is a landmark for miles around. 

Leaving Princetown, we drove through Merrivale, past Great Mis Tor, and the village of Tavistock, and then swung northward towards Lydford and the famous Lydford Gorge. Lydford is a secluded village nestled on the edge of Dartmoor that is dominated by the haunting remains of its 12^th century castle. We hiked one of the trails into the gorge to view the Devil’s cauldron, a whirlpool fed by the tumbling water of the River Lyd. Had we enough time, we also would have visited the 90 ft high waterfall of White Lady Falls at the opposite end of the gorge.