‘They erupt from the moor like castles, monsters and giants’: exploring Dartmoor’s tors | Devon holidays

R.It was the first Bluels along the arrows corridor, creating a faded purple fog under the twisted oak trees. I am on my way to Loki TourOne of the most hidden rock chimneys in Dartor, which is located next to the river, shrouded in plants like Sleeping Beauty. It is not the easiest manner. The road comes out when I go deep into the suffocating, and the final approach in Tor involves wiping and moving over large ground rocks and moving in huge shelves of rocks that border the river.

The first look of it is unforgettable. A small stream extends, which is a brook row, in front of it, like the trench. Tor waved directly from the valley floor, where it dwarfs everything around it, timing in the herbal clearing, which is a common place for Bivouac. His position is unusual. Most campaigns are at the top of a hill, dominating the views of miles around it, standing greatly in the landscape, free of trees. Luckey Tor was isolated in the folds of Wadi Dart, and in the summer it is mostly steeped with foliage; When you find it, you feel as if you entered a secret kingdom.

Tor is one of the hundreds on Dartor (the actual number is disputed). The name comes from the word Celtic Twr The meaning of the tower is that it indicates a rocky bumper that rises sharply from the surrounding land. This natural stalemate is about 280 million years. It explodes from the swamp, such as stone organisms, in a variety of strange shapes and sizes, look like castles, creatures, monsters and giants. Their extraordinary appearance led to the appearance of many myths and myths: Vixen Tor is home to Vixiana charming; Satan resides in Dioreston (and many other places, of course); And the old Crockern, “The Gert Old Spirit of the Moor”, lives by Crockern Tor.

The authors of the first guides called Dartor the name “Tors Rock” because they believed they were worshiped by Druids. In the historical views of Devonachire in 1793, Richard Bolovel wrote: “In the academic ages, the stones of the various forms of religion were devoted to them … They prostrated themselves before the importance … and where we found stones, which were at the same time a mop and a commission, there we are looking for circular deities.

The idea of ​​rock worship is not exclusive to Dartor. Cultures all over the world, including the Sami people and the indigenous Australians, River Rox. It is full of natural majesty and tends to be in high places, and perhaps we have the sky and even the underworld. It seems likely that our ancestors on Dartor, who were more harmonious in landscape features than we are today, consider experts holy. We know, one of the effects they left behind – especially stone circles and stone rows, which have Dartor some of the best examples in Western Europe – that they practiced a kind of faith.

There is no doubt that Dartor appears to be a sacred scene, and that its majestic rocky chimneys are part of that. They, and the Moorland they were sitting, have been part of my life over the past 25 years; We moved for the first time here in 2000. I walked between them, played my children among them, and witnessed many great moments in my life, all joyful and shock.

I first had the idea of ​​a photo book about this place that I love a lot when visiting the lake area. We used the WainWright Evidence of the hand, which we found convincing because of its self -feeling and intimate; They really reflected Alfred WeinrettPersonal relationship deeply with Fells. I thought it would be great to produce a book like this for Dartmoor – with graphics for my husband, Alex, artist. We ended up in granite Hajj, choosing 28 Tors, and very different experiences in each of them. They all have distinctive characters: Blackingstone, with its surreal metal stairs that rise to the side, with mini -iron handrails, is a Victory stairs to the sky. On the contrary, Hen Tor stands in complete isolation, miles from anywhere, in the vicinity of the rocks, such as a shipping ship related to sailing in the sailor. Watern Tor is an unusual masterpiece carved of ice from vortex granite, standing high over the Scorhill Stone circuit in the pelvis below.

Our passion for this place has also created a new festival, the Darmur Tours Festival (which runs from 23 to 25 May), to share the magic of the swamp, and think about why we made us feel the way we do. We have artists, writers, activists, archaeologists and musicians who meet to explore our human and emotional relationship with land landscape. There will be conversations and conversations, in addition to a variety of walking, with artists, archaeologists and storytelling narrators, to the sacred sites including stone rows, Kirn’s circles, and of course, garbage.

For us, it seems that the answer to the reason for our love for this place is always due to the stone, a stone that connects us with our ancestors, this stone that they probably worship, which added a spiritual element in their lives. Ironically, the stone is traditionally seen as constant and is almost dead. But it is certain that it is alive, on a time differently different from us, in deep time, over millions of years, unlike our transit small lives.

Sophie Pierce, with Alex Mourdin, author of the book ” Rock idols: Directory of Dartor in 28 plays (Wild Things Publishing, 14.99 pounds). To support the guardian Order your Copy Guardianbookshop.com. Opening Tors Dartmoor festival, It extends from May 23-25, 2025