2008 – ROUTE NOTES

All entrants will receive a route card before the event detailing the direction to be taken at each junction. The route will also be well signed with Marshals giving additional direction at busy junctions.

These route notes have been prepared to give all entrants some basic information about the places that they pass through in terms of history, nature and scenic value.  It is hoped that in doing so you will get more value for money than if you rode around without this background.

100 mile route

3368metres (11,059ft) of climbing.

Abbrook Park Sports & Social Club – This is the event HQ and is the former social club of the Watts, Blake & Bearne china clay mining company.  Nowadays it hosts a number of sports clubs (over 20) including the Dartmoor Classic Sportif Promoters, the Mid-Devon Cycling Club and its associated under 16 youth section, the Abbrook Aces.  In the courtyard you will see a number of pieces of machinery that were used in the clay industry.

China Clay Works (Miles 1 to 3 miles, 1 to 4 km & the final 2 miles, 3 km) – Nowadays it is open cast mining but less than 50 years ago it was underground working. – It was always best to dig with your back to the River Teign as the seam of clay was inclined and it fell back on the shovel.  The clay has a multitude of uses including glazing of paper, making toilet fittings and lipstick. Nowadays it is facing stiff competition from clay that is mined in places like Brazil. The end result is that the clay companies are seeking to use the spent land for buildings. Within these plans could well be an outdoor velodrome to serve the South West.

Bellamarsh Mill (off route at Rixey Park Corner, 3 miles, 3.7 km) – The site of the last public hanging in Devon. A man called Shillabeer who lived in Lustleigh met his end there when found guilty of stealing a loaf of bread.

Chudleigh Knighton Heath (3 to 4 miles, 4 to 6 km) – A site of special scientific interest and home of the nightjar.

Trenchford, Tottiford and Kennick Reservoirs (8 to 10 miles, 13 to 16 km) –The area around these reservoirs is known locally as “Little Switzerland”. They are seen at their best on a bright June morning when the rhododendrons are in bloom and reflect in the still waters. The first reservoir to be finished was Trenchford. It was started in 1903 and officially opened in September 1907. It covers 30 acres and holds 200 million gallons of water when full. The 3 reservoirs were built to provide a source of water for Torquay. When Fernworthy Reservoir sited on the higher reaches of the River Teign was completed this provided the main water source.  Nowadays the main source is the Roadford Reservoir.

Blackingstone Rock (12 miles & 19.3 km) – There are fine views from the summit of this rock taking in the whole of East Devon and then northwards to Exmoor. It is not recommended to attempt the climb unless wearing proper footwear. This is one of 3 rocks sited on this eastern ridge of Dartmoor. The others are Hingstone Rocks and Hel Tor. Legend has it that King Arthur and The Evil One stood on two hills facing each other and threw quoits with the king defeating the Devil.  Where the quoits landed they became the stones we see today.  As you crest the short hill beyond the rock you may see an entrance to Blackingstone Quarry. This is the source of the stone used to make the individual stones.

The tow routes split on meeting B3212 – see later text for 100km route till it rejoins 100 mile route. 100 km goes to the left and 100 mile to the right.

Steps Bridge (16 miles) – This is the start of a route for walkers along the riverbank. In late March and April the banks are covered in wild daffodils. Just before the bridge is the site of a one time popular Youth Hostel.

Dunsford (18 miles) – Nowadays this is very much in the commuter belt for Exeter. It has a fine church and some say an equally fine pub.

Teign Valley (18 to 23 miles) – This narrow road generally follows the river but with a climbs away before dropping back down. On the high hills above are a number of ancient hill camps including Cranbrook, Woolston and Prestonbury. The valley narrows till at its top end it is referred to as Fingle Gorge. As you look up the steep slopes you can visualise how difficult they would have been to attack the encampments along the ridge. The river is crossed twice by the old bridges of Clifford and Fingle.

Drewsteignton (23 miles) – In its early days the land here belonged to Drogo or Dru the second son of Walter de Ponz, Earl of Arques and Toulouse, and the grandson of Richard, Duke of Normandy. It is from them that the Drews of Devon are descended. When the Doomsday Book was compiled he had 73 manors in England. When xxxxx Drew, the founder of the Home & Colonial grocery chain and not a Devonian, decided to spend some of his fortune on building a castle he chose a site near Drewsteington and named it Castle Drogo. Edward Lutyens was the architect. He also designed of the Cenotaph and the Governer’s Residence at New Delhi. The castle was intended to become the ancestral home of the Drews. Unfortunately the son was killed in battle during the First World War and the grandiose dreams came to nought.  It is now a National Trust property with fine vies across the upper reaches of the River Teign.

Spinster’s Rock (off route at 25 miles) – This is a dolmen. It collapsed in the 1800s and the story goes that 3 spinsters from nearby Chagford came up one morning before breakfast, stood the 3 supporting stones vertical and then put the horizontal stone back on top!  In fact it took a lot of time and effort to repair it – see the plaque close by for the full story.

Whiddon Down (26 miles) – This village was once a staging post for the changing of horses on the route between Penzance and London.

Sticklepath and Finch’s Forge (29 miles) – As you drop into the village you will cross the River Taw as it flows off the northern slopes of Dartmoor. It was this fast flowing water that was and is still used to power everything at Finch’s Foundry. This was a family business making everything needed that was made of iron and used on the farm. The National Trust now runs it and it is open most days of the year.

Okehampton (34 miles) – Ochmentune was the name the town had when William the Conqueror bestowed it upon Baldwin De Brionys.  The castle, which is to the West of the town, was built some years after Baldwin.  Inscribed in the stones is a Latin phrase and date 1809. This suggests that French prisoners of war were kept there. The “Grey Lady” reputedly haunts the castle grounds.
Above the town is the military camp that is used as a base for artillery practice and is also the HQ for the Ten Tors Expedition  - in 2008 this will be over the same weekend as the Dartmoor Sportif. If at any time you do venture on the moor in this area look out for the warning flags and if they are flying steer clear as the munitions used are live.

Granite Way Cycle Path (36 to 39 miles) – This is part of the National Cycle Network 29. Initially it runs parallel to the railway line that connects Meldon Quarry with Okehampton Station and thence Exeter and the rest of the rail network. The stone is generally used as ballast on for rail tracks. Once past the quarry you will cross the Meldon Viaduct that bridges the River Okement far below. On Meldon Down, to the West of the viaduct, there was on a dark and stormy night a battle in 1643 between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians under Major James Chudleigh. From the viaduct to Prewley you will be on the bed of the old railway line.

Bridestowe (46 miles) – This village was one of several around Dartmoor that was subject to the payment of “Venville”.  This was a tax that allowed pasturage and turbary *.  No one was allowed into a royal forest after nightfall with all beasts being home.  Those who paid the tax were regarded as the sovereign’s special tenants but were called upon to perform certain duties such as appear at the Duchy Courts.  The rights of the venville men are set out in a document of Henry 8th entitled “Instructions for my Lord Prince’s Forest of Dartmoor”.  It states “they shall have all that may do them good except green oak and venison.”
*turbary –the right to go on land and dig peat for fuel and remove it.

Lydford (49 miles) –Contrary to general belief Lydford was not a stannary town. It was however a site for many trials. The court was held in Lydford Castle – the stump of the keep can be seen on your right hand side as you pass through the village. It was described in the reign of Henry 8th as “one of the most annoious, contagious and detestable places within this realm”.  Sir Richard Grenville was governor of the castle during the Civil Wars and Judge Jefferies also presided here.
Anyone who transgressed could be subject to “Lydford Law”.  Browne wrote this about in 1644 as “hanging first and trying afterwards”.
“I have oft heard of Lydford Law
How in the morn they hang and draw
And sit in judgement after.”

Lydford Gorge (51 miles) – A popular place with visitors. The deep and narrow gorge is dark and sinister with a fast flowing river that has a notorious whirlpool partway down. When Frank Mitchell, the Mad Axeman, notorious and violent criminal escaped from Dartmoor a pair of young police constables * were sent to Lydford Gorge on a stormy night to look for him.   Little were they to know that he had been picked up by the Kray’s henchmen and disposed of with his body never found. Some time later the Kray Twins stood trial for the murder – one of the first in the UK where there was no body. This lack of knowledge did little to settle their nerves as they made their way through the gorge by flashlight.
 * One of the 2 constables rode the 2007 Dartmoor Sportif but his name will remain anonymous to all but a few.

Brent Tor Church (54 miles) – You will turn left just before reaching the Church of St Michael but will see it standing high on top of the tor. It was dedicated 1st December 1319 but it may have been built before then as it is mentioned in deeds of 1269. The building itself is small with a nave 37.5 feet long.
On a clear day the views from the top are magnificent looking southwards down to Plymouth Sound, westwards across Bodmin Moor and northwards up to Exmoor while to the East is the imposing flank of Dartmoor.

River Tavy (58 miles) – You will cross the River Tavy by Harford Bridge. This river is a tributary of the River Tamar. Above Harford Bridge there are numerous signs of the tin mining industry with the old engine houses casting weird shadows on the hillsides.  The River is said to be abundant in trout.

Brent Tor Common, Plaster Down and Whitchurch Common (55, 59 and 60 miles) – These low-level commons are favourite places for sheep, cattle and Dartmoor ponies to graze.  Take care that none are lying in the road and or run across in front of you as you approach them.

Horrabridge (64 miles) – The narrow hump backed bridge crosses the River Walkham – another tributary of the River Tamar.

Peak Hill (66 miles) – As you toil up Peak Hill you will see remnants of the old railway that once linked Plymouth to Princetown in the form of the buttresses that supported the bridge. The bed of this line is now a well used off road cycle route. From the top you will se the North Hessary Tor transmitter arial. This is just behind your next objective the control at Princetown.

Princetown (71 miles & 56km) – Home of the infamous prison though nowadays it no longer holds the hardened criminals it once did nor do they go out with small hammers to break down big rocks into little stones. Sir Thomas Thrwhitt, who had great hopes of reclaiming Dartmoor, laid the foundation stone of the prison on 20th March 1806. It was built and inhabited by French and American prisoners of war taken in the battles against Napoleon. After 1816 the prison laid idle till part of it was used as a naphtha factory. In 1850 it was opened up again for convicts.

Princehall (76 miles & 63 km) – Variously known as Prynce Hall and Prynshall this was one of 35 farms on Dartmoor that were of such antiquity that when the Royal Forest was set up they remained outside its scope. They are held by copy of Court Roll and have the privilege of “Turbary and Pasturage”. Until 1796 they also had the right to enclose 8 acres of land if the father and grandfather of the tenant had held the farm successively. This enclosed land was known as “new take”.

Dartmeet (79 miles & 68km) – Close by the bridge is the confluence of the East (Easter) and West (Wester) Darts.  In 1240 there was a “Perambulation of the Forest of Dartmoor” by order of Henry 3rd and carried out by 12 knights. This was to define the boundaries of the forest. Shortly afterwards its completion the forest was bestowed upon his brother Richard. In 1609 there was a further survey done by 25 jurors and presented to a Survey Court held in Okehampton on 16th August. The Easter and Wester Dart formed part of this later survey.

Ponsworthy (81 miles & 72km) – At the base a steep narrow hill (care) with a ford (care as it can be slippery and the stone bridge is equally risky) near the road junction and unusually not at the bottom of the hill.

Cockingford (83 miles & 75 km) – At the base of another steep narrow hill (care) and the site of an old mill

Jay’s Grave (85 miles & 81km) – This is the burial place of Kitty Jay an unmarried woman who committed suicide by hanging herself in an outbuilding of a farm known as “Canna”. As was the custom in those days anyone who committed suicide could not be buried in the consecrated grounds of a churchyard and they were buried at the roadside. About 40 years after her death a James Bryant of Hedge Barton had the grave opened and female human bones including a skull were found. The bones were put into a box and re-interred with the mound and marking stones laid as you see them today. The grave often has flowers on it but no one owns up to putting them there.

Manaton (90 miles & 88 km) – In the churchyard is the base of a cross but the cross has been removed. This was done by a former rector to try and stop the custom of carrying a corpse around the cross 3 times before burial. He thought that if the cross were removed the custom would stop – he was wrong.  The church that was badly damaged by lightening on 13th Dec 1779 and restored in 1865 has 4 huge perpendicular granite stones to form the doorway.

Becky Falls (92 miles & 91km) – The falls are sometimes known as Becka Falls and are private property with an admission charge levied to all visitors. The fall drops 78 to 80 feet through a boulder-strewn gully. They are best seen when the stream is in full flow or in the autumn when the colours of the leaves are changing.

Trendlebeare Down (94 miles 92 km) – From the road that skirts around the hill there are fine views across to Lustleigh Cleave and is the road bends before the drop down to Yarner Woods the panoramic expanse of the Bovey Basin lies below you and out to the English Channel.

Yarner Woods (95 miles & 94 km) – This is a National heritage Reserve site with the remains of redundant mine workings in the grounds

Bovey Tracey (96 miles & 96 km) – The town takes its mane from the river on which it stands and the family that once owned the land here. The best known member of this family, or perhaps the most notorious, being Richard de Tracey. He was one of the knights that murdered St Thomas a Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. In penance as well as making a pilgrimage from Winchester to Canterbury on his knees he gave away much of his land that included the village of Doccombe (100 milers passed through this village at 14 miles).

100 KM ROUTE FROM MORETONHAMPSTEAD TO PRINCETOWN

Moretonhampstead (23.7 km) – As you approach the town there are some fine old almshouses on your right hand side. The town has a festival of “hidden” gardens in late May. The White Hart Inn is an old coaching stage.

North Bovey (26km) – This is one of the prettiest villages on the route with many fine thatched buildings. The village green has a number of trees around its perimeter that according to the plaques have been planted to commemorate various key moments of the reigns of British sovereigns e.g. Golden Jubilees.

Widdecombe (36 km) – This is probably the best known village on Dartmoor. It is home of Widdecombe Fair held in September. It was the Fair that according to the song attracted Beel Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney, Peter Davy, Dan’l Whiddon, Harry Hawk, Old Uncle Tom Cobley & All to go there on Tom Pearc’e old grey mare from Spreyton – but it died on the way.
The church of St Pancras allegedly built by tinners is known a “The Cathedral of the Moor”. On Sunday 21st October, 1638 there was a huge storm during a service and large pieces of masonry came down killing 4 and injuring 62 of the congregation.

Bellever (45 km) – There is a well used youth hostel here. The nearby woods are the centre of forestry activities and the unmetalled tracks are used for car rallies.

Postbridge (off course at 48 km) – This is the site of one of the best known Dartmoor clapper bridges. The bridge features on innumerable photos and post cards.

100km route

2171mtrs (7129ft) of climbing.

The 100km route follows the 100mile route until Cossick Cross. Here, descend into Moretonhampstead and head for North Bovey. On Langstone Hill bear right. At Heatree Cross descend to Widdecombe. Cross the West Weburn River at Shallowford. Continue to Bellever and pass in front of the Youth Hostel onto the B3212. Pass in front of the Two Bridges Hotel and bear left to Princetown. At the feed station, you will rejoin the 100mile route.

View from Hennock back over the Teign/Bovey Plain

Dartmoor Classic Partners

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