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Devon is looking strangely green for the
time of year. Usually, in August, the red soil and the gold of
ripening harvests predominate but because of the heavy rainfall
at the start of the season, lush trees and
hedges add greatly to the natural beauty all around. After the
stillness of the countryside during last year's
foot-and-mouth crisis, it's great to see such a huge influx of
visitors - the best summer for Devon's holiday industry for many
seasons.
It's
great too, to leave the crowds behind sometimes and visit the
lonely places of Devon. We took this photo of Sheepstor while
picnicking on Dartmoor the other day - a tiny hamlet which long ago
had associations for all of the various Stentiford and Stuttaford families. Not
that our ancestors would have recognised this view. Their church is
still there and to the left of it, the ancient vicarage, enlarged
over the years to form the present house but the background is
dominated now by Burrator Reservoir - Plymouth's water supply - which
today covers over 150 acres of moor land. The flooding of the
valleys to create the reservoir destroyed many farms, together
with the old stone cottages belonging to them where our
ancestors would have lived. Part of our family history lies
beneath this water.
Still
a remote place, Sheepstor was even more isolated in days gone by.
The Rev. Sabine Gould, the Devonshire historian, wrote in 1912 of
his astonishment at meeting a man in the village who could
remember the arrival of the first horse-drawn cart ever to be seen
there. Right through to the latter part of the 19th century, when
the reservoir was constructed, this
place was accessed only on foot or by strings of pack horses - and
then, only in good weather. Eventually, the old pack horse tracks were
covered with tarmac and widened just enough to allow a single
vehicle through.
It's
wonderful to see so many visitors in the County but, thank
goodness, these tiny roads (where reverse gear is man's best
friend) seem to fill them with terror, leaving the locals free to
enjoy these beautiful and quiet corners.
Keep in touch.
Richard and Muriel
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