First impressions of Devon

Well, the winter solstice has passed and Oli and I are feeling settled in our new home! Of course we miss France but we're discovering lots to love about being here!! Except the dampness, I'd forgotten about that!!! It's warm here, but so damp at this time of year!!!
Torquay is a large town situated on the south coast of Devon. Not far from Cornwall and the beautiful Dartmoor National Park. We live a few minutes walk from the centre of the town and the harbor. Walk not too far in most directions and you are by the sea. The South west coastal path follows the cliffs all the way into Cornwall. From these undulating paths you can get fantastic views of the coast and it's hidden views. At this time of the year the paths are muddy and woodlands empty of life but reaching a little cove for your picnic is really enjoyable and works off all the Christmas mince pies!!! The trees may be leafless but in the undergrowth lush green ferns give color to the decaying woodland floor. It's easier as you walk the path to get glimpses of the sea too!
Babacombe is a little area 15 minutes walk from where we live. Follow the steep road down to the beach or follow a woodland path down. It's a great place for a twilight walk, and in summer a popular swimming spot. How ever the place is in need of a little tender care. This part of the coastline is vulnerable to many a cliff slide and part of the beach is now unusable and unsafe as the cliffs crumble away into the sea.

Since arriving here we have been exploring the countryside and enjoying the many traditional
customs that have been a part of the West Country for centuries, including Fire Barrel rolling at Ottery Saint Mary.
Young boys lift up barrels filled with tar and straw which are then set alight. They are then carried around the streets. Men carry huge barrels, with no particular direction they run hell for leather through the crowds!! You have to keep your eyes about you! The origins of this team macho rivalry
are unclear but it is said they date from pagan times. In fact the event takes place at Samhain, the pagan end of the year. Samhain is often celebrated with fire to
keep the bad spirits away. A time to remember the ancestors and pay them respect. This festival's origin is now also seen in our remembrance day.
The fires now burn to remember GUY FAWKES who tried to blow up Parliament on 5th November 1605. He was a member of a Catholic revolutionary group. The plan was to get rid of protestant rule and King James I. The plot was foiled just before the planned time, Guy Fawkes caught guarding the gunpowder.
For pagans this time of year is more about bringing light into the home and getting ready for the darkness of winter. A time for introspection and learning from the past year. Making lanterns for the home is one way to bring in warmth and to guard the home from some of the less welcome guests on Samhain night!Throughout the winter we have been out and about, mainly up on the moors. Dartmoor is a huge area of unspoilt land full of history. I LOVE it! Its a place so full of wildness and magic. No matter what time of year visited there is always a view to make you stop and wonder.
As you pass up onto the Dartmoor, which ever area you happen to be in you are not far from one of the landmark 'Tors'. You have Haytor, Hound Tor, Vixens Tor and Bowerman's nose.Each name as a legend to go with it. A legend passed on for generations. Every name has a meaning here! Legend had it that Bowerman lived about AD1100. He mischievously disturbed a coven of witches and was turned to stone! Vixen Tor is so called after Vixana. She lurked on the near by path that twisted around the bog, lurking for passing travellers. Her spells created mists which swirled around her victims until they became lost to the bogs! Apparently she was defeated by a traveller with a magic ring!!!!The tors can look ominous on the horizon, silhouetted by the low winter sun. Yet, they majestically sit on the highest points of Dartmoor like prehistoric kings that remind us of our past!!!


Talking of the past, Dartmoor is home to fossilised Bronze Age villages and medieval settlements. (one pictured above is Hound Tor and it's settlement, deserted due to changes in the climate and THE BLACK DEATH) These villages are surrounded by Bronze age field boundaries known as reaves. These low banks of stone are often many kilometers long and crisscross the moors. The stone walls that line the modern fields are often based on ancient walls and contain huge stones. There are 5000 hut circles many of neolithic origin and 75 ceremonial stone rows as well as burial mounds, chambered tombs and stone circles. These sites are often linked by old drove roads, many walkable today. Under the Saxons people has roaming rights but under Norman rule this all changed. The land was renamed forest and came under the rule of the King.

The stone circles and menhirs were of great importance to the people who lived here. Often the circles enclosed a cairn or burial mound. The stone rows often lead up to a cairn. Some of these seem to have been more important than others. We have only found on so far but I'm sure we shall soon discover other hidden secrets further from the road!
Nowadays, the sites are often used by Druid and pagan groups who meet up in these magical places to celebrate the festivals of the turning year! I hope to join them for my first celebration back in England this Imbolc! (Imbolc is the first of the spring festivals, the last one being the winter solstice)
Before then, we are going to be off 'wassailing' the cider apple orchards....another very old and traditional West Country custom......more on this soon and 'Waes Hael' to all! xx