A very good friend of mine is partially sighted and recognises only shapes. She grew up in Tavistock and enjoyed frequent, accompanied, visits to Dartmoor. With such little sight, I wondered how she could appreciate the beauty of it. Speaking with her one day as we sat looking out over Dartmoor through my lounge window, I relaxed my eyes over the quilted greenery and squinted just hard enough to see the shocks of purples and yellows of flowering heather and gorse. Knowing she could only make out shapes, I asked her how she connected with Dartmoor and enjoyed the landscape. With a broad smile, she told me to think about it. I did. For a good while. And I realised that sight is only one of our five senses awoken by being on Dartmoor, and that, in fact, every one of them is activated.
Here are some suggestions for enjoying Dartmoor using your other four senses.
Sound
Shut your eyes and listen. Dartmoor’s wide, open spaces allow for listening, really listening to nature: the varied songs of pied flycatchers, wrens, willow warblers and even cuckoos in the summer; the wind blowing across the moors; neighing horses, mooing cows in late summer and bleating sheep through the winter; not to mention the trickling water of tributaries of the West Dart and East Dart rivers in areas such as Hexworthy, or the West Okement River near Okehampton.
Touch
Close your eyes and get down on your hands and knees. Feel the grass, the soil or the cold, smooth boulders of tors such as my children’s favourite clambering spot, Crockern Tor. In the ancient woodland areas of Black-a-Tor Copse and Piles Copse, the damp moss and lichen covering oak trees feels soft and spongy, even slippery when wet. The softness of heather in Haytor near Bovey Tracey or the Natural England National Nature Reserve of East Dartmoor Woods and Heaths is a treat, though mind your fingers if you touch nearby thorny gorse!
Smell
Cows in late summer and sheep in winter provide true rural smells. In contrast, the musky scent of summer-flowering heather, unmistakable smell of pine and sweet smell of gorse contrast with the earthy, grassy smells of Dartmoor’s wetlands and bogs along walks including the circular bog walks of Lydhead and Rattlebrook and Combestone Tor to Aune Head Mire, the latter being more challenging. Between roughly September and February, your nostrils will be noticeably tickled – or offended – by the aroma of manure as it is spread.
Taste
While I wouldn’t recommend consuming the flora and fauna, Dartmoor is scattered with local cafés serving cream teas, cakes and local cheeses when you want a pick-me-up or a rest from walking.
I hope that after reading this, you approach your next Dartmoor walk a little differently. Happy walking!
Images: Mark AC Photos
If you have been affected by sight loss and want to enjoy Dartmoor, then Dartmoor National Park’s Miles Without Stiles routes are listed in the Accessible Dartmoor area of their website. These stile-free routes have been created specifically to accommodate visitors with mobility issues, wheelchairs, pushchairs and those with limited sight.