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Dartmoor Forest

Civil parishes in DevonDartmoorDevon geography stubs

Dartmoor Forest is a civil parish in Devon, England. It was formed in 1987 by the splitting of the former parish of Lydford. It covers about 56,000 acres (230 km2) entirely within Dartmoor National Park, and is the largest parish in Devon. Despite its size its population in 2001 was only 1,619. Due to its large size it is surrounded by many other parishes: these are, clockwise from the north, Belstone, South Tawton, Throwleigh, Gidleigh, Chagford, North Bovey, Manaton, Widecombe in the Moor, Holne, West Buckfastleigh, Dean Prior, South Brent, Ugborough, Harford, Cornwood, Shaugh Prior, Sheepstor, Walkhampton, Whitchurch, Peter Tavy, Lydford, land common to the parishes of Bridestowe and Sourton, and Okehampton Hamlets.The principal settlement in the parish is Princetown. Other settlements include Bellever, Hexworthy, Postbridge and Two Bridges.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Dartmoor Forest (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Dartmoor Forest
West Devon Dartmoor Forest

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Wikipedia: Dartmoor ForestContinue reading on Wikipedia

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N 50.592 ° E -3.948 °
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Dartmoor Forest


West Devon, Dartmoor Forest
England, United Kingdom
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Two Bridges, Devon
Two Bridges, Devon

Two Bridges is an isolated location on the river West Dart in the heart of Dartmoor National Park in Devon, England. It is situated around 2.5 km (1.6 mi) northeast of Princetown at the intersection of the two roads that cross Dartmoor: one is the old turnpike road which was built across Dartmoor in the late 18th century (now known as the B3212); the other is the B3357. A map dated 1765 suggests the origin of the name, for in those days the road crossed both the West Dart and the River Cowsic, just upstream from the point where they meet, and required two separate bridges. By 1891, these had disappeared and there was just a single bridge, further downstream, over the West Dart. Today, however, there are again two bridges on the site, because a more modern structure has been added alongside its earlier predecessor. Visitors often mistakenly assume that these are the same two bridges that gave the name to the site. In the 18th century, Two Bridges was best known for its potato market. Some small quarries in the vicinity show that there was also light industry in the area. Those who met and worked in this remote spot were fed and lodged at the Saracen's Head. It was built in 1794 as a coaching inn, and still stands there today, although it is now known as the Two Bridges Hotel. It continues to be a popular meeting point for tourists and walkers. The area is also surrounded by prehistoric antiquities, including Bronze Age settlements, stone rows and an impressive standing stone, the Beardown Man, situated to the north. The Devonport Leat—a man-made waterchannel—passes nearby. Wistman's Wood, a high-altitude oak wood, is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) to the north.

Bellever
Bellever

Bellever is a hamlet in Dartmoor, Devon, England. It is located on the river East Dart about 2 kilometres (1 mi) south of Postbridge. The first mention of a settlement at this location is in a Duchy of Cornwall record from 1355 which gives the name of a farm here as Welford, a contraction of wielle (spring) and ford. However, in his High Dartmoor (1983), Eric Hemery proposed that the name comes from bal (mine) and ford, meaning the mine by the ford. Until the period after World War II the hamlet consisted of Bellever Farm (owned by the Duchy of Cornwall) and its outbuildings, with a small number of cottages for the farm workers. The farm gained a reputation for the introduction of Galloway and Aberdeen Angus cattle onto Dartmoor. However, in 1931 the Forestry Commission, now Forestry England bought the farm and began a large planting scheme here; several houses were built in the 1950s to house the forestry workers. The coniferous plantation known as Bellever Forest surrounds the hamlet on its north, west and south sides. In 1934 some of the barns of Bellever Farm were let to Youth Hostels Association (England & Wales) and now form the oldest, still functioning youth hostel in Devon.As of 2019 the hamlet is served by a daily bus service that runs between Yelverton, Princetown, Postbridge and Tavistock. During the summer Forestry England run a small visitor centre by the East Dart river.Bellever Tor lies 1.5 kilometres (1 mi) to the southwest.