The Dartmoor &amp; Exmoor Library

Vixen Tor: The Dartmoor Landmark You Still Can't Visit

When a landowner fenced off Vixen Tor in 2003, it triggered years of legal wrangling over whether the public had any right to clamber over this particular pile of Dartmoor granite. A public inquiry eventually concluded they didn't. Two decades later, the tor remains behind barriers—a peculiar footnote in the ongoing story of who gets to walk where on Britain's open moorland.

The Hairy Hands of Dartmoor: When Drivers Lost Control on the B3212 and Blamed Something Invisible

The Hairy Hands legend grew around early-twentieth-century accidents on the B3212 between Postbridge and Two Bridges, including a fatal motorcycle crash in 1921. Later accounts claimed that phantom hands seized handlebars or steering wheels, combining documented accidents with witness stories and Dartmoor folklore.

Yes Tor and High Willhays: When Dartmoor's Highest Point Is Inside a Firing Range

High Willhays is Dartmoor’s highest point at 621 metres, standing beside Yes Tor within the Okehampton military training area. Public access to both depends on the range being open, so walkers must check the published firing times and red-flag warnings before setting out.

Bowerman's Nose: The Dartmoor Rock Stack That Punishes Working Weekends

This distinctive tor on Dartmoor supposedly marks the spot where a hunter and his pack were petrified mid-chase for the crime of hunting on the Sabbath. The details shift depending on who's telling it—some versions blame divine wrath, others point to a vengeful witch—but everyone agrees that working Sundays came with rather permanent consequences.

The Exmoor Story

Exmoor is a place of rugged coastlines, deep wooded valleys, open moorland and remarkable wildlife. From Exmoor ponies and red deer to hidden villages, ancient landmarks and local legends, discover the places and stories that make this unique landscape so special.

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Culbone Church: When England's Smallest Parish Church Sits in a Forest Without a Road

The building measures thirty-five feet by twelve, seats about thirty people, and requires a mile-long footpath approach through oak woodland. It's been there since the twelfth century and car access has never been an option.

The Lynmouth Flood of 1952: When Two Rivers Destroyed a Village in One Night

On 15 August 1952, exceptional rainfall sent two rivers crashing through a Victorian resort, killing thirty-four people and obliterating buildings, roads, and bridges. The damage was catastrophic, the rebuilding total, and Exmoor's valleys proved how fast they drain when the rain won't stop.

The Exmoor Beast: Big Cat Sightings & the 1980s Hunt

Large black cat sightings on Exmoor sparked police and Royal Marines searches in the 1980s. Nothing conclusive was found, but reports continue.

The Doone Valley Problem: When a Novel Creates Geography That Doesn't Quite Exist

R.D. Blackmore set his 1869 novel in a specific Exmoor valley, visitors have been searching for Doone homesteads ever since, and the locations don't quite match the descriptions. The legend outlasted the accuracy.

Dunkery Beacon: When Exmoor's Highest Point Rose Just Clear of the Plateau

At 519 metres, Dunkery Beacon is the summit of Exmoor and the highest ground in Somerset. It doesn't tower dramatically above its surroundings—the moorland plateau keeps it company—but the views stretch wide because of it.