Archive 5 - 2003-10 October

This site contains over 500 free photographs, (none of them have the right click disabled). This means that you may copy any of these to your own machine, use them, print them or e-mail them by placing the cursor over a picture, right clicking your mouse and choosing your option. As long as you do not sell them, these are free pictures. However, if you feel like it, a donation, however small, (for abused and suffering ponies & horses), to the SWEP charity : Reg No. 1087579, would be appreciated. Click here for the South West Equine Protection page.

Travel to the easy to reach (Exeter 20 minutes) Beacon Villages area of Dartmoor in Devon (Belstone, South Tawton, South Zeal and Sticklepath, where you�ll find the best hotels, guest houses. campsites & farms and enjoy stimulating weather, few cars, local organic recipes, wild flowers and tame locals to give you a vacation, or even a day trip, that�s relaxing and fun.

Look over this site at the facilities and locations available for angling, bird watching, camping, climbing, cycling, horse riding, rambling, & water sports.
If that�s all too energetic you can just enjoy the peace, watching this village farming community at its daily life tending sheep, cattle & crops and enjoy the moorland landscape with its buzzards, granite tors, sparkling streams and ancient monuments.

When you are refreshed, pay a visit to Castle Drogo, The Finch Foundry, The Museum of Dartmoor Life, The Miniature Pony Centre, Lydford Gorge, Buckfast Abbey, Dartmoor Prison or picnic at the other castles, gardens, rivers & places in the Duchy of Cornwall that are the inspiration of artists, musicians, poets and writers. If you�re lucky, you will be here for the Dartmoor Folk Festival, The Fireshow, Sticklepath Midsummer Weekend, South Zeal Carnival, Belstone Pantomime, the Cosdon Run, etc. etc .......

Any one of our villages is ideally placed for exploring the whole of the West Country, as our location is very central, and can be reached by car or coach on the main A30 trunk route from Exeter to Penzance. (London via Bristol M4, Wales via Bristol M4, The North & Midlands via Bristol M6 - Bristol to Exeter M5 motorways) We are situated in the middle of the triangle of Exeter (25 minutes), Plymouth (40 minutes) and Newquay (60 minutes) airports. We can also be reached from Europe by sea to Plymouth and by rail to Exeter or Plymouth, with good bus/coach connections.

With 365 square miles of Dartmoor to enjoy, why would you want to go further afield? You might, of course, want the sea - you can have it - North to Ilfracombe, Saunton, Clovelly, Westward Ho, Lynton & Porlock (off Exmoor) ; West to Bude, Padstow & Newquay; South to Exmouth, Torquay, Dartmouth & Looe. Any one of these could be reached by 10 a.m. after a good Dartmoor breakfast.

Maybe you want world class attractions? Buckfast Abbey, The Eden Project, The National Maritime Aquarium, Lundy Island, Exeter Cathedral, Tintagel Castle, Land�s End and hundreds more are all easily within reach.

And, best of all, after your day out on the moor, in the sea or at the castle, you can come back to the welcoming atmosphere of our local inns, pubs and hotels for a good meal and some friendly conversation before retiring to bed. And if, tomorrow, you don�t want to do anything at all, then you couldn�t find a better place to do it than Belstone, South Tawton, South Zeal & Sticklepath!