A Week in England's Southwest - Day 2: The Folly and Dartmoor National Park

Late the previous evening, we had arrived at The Folly, the homestead of our old friend Lucy and her family. In the countryside between Dartington and Totnes, this idyllic spot is in the southern portion of Devonshire, surrounded by green hills, forests, and fast-flowing rivers. On the morning of our second day, we had the chance to see where we had arrived by night. The boys could spend the rest of the week just playing in the yard and with the guinea pigs but there is so much around to discover so I had to get out for a few hours to go walking in the moors of Dartmoor National Park. Beyond the beautiful, boggy hills, the park protects ancient villages and bronze age relics. My goal was to find the Scorhill Circle, a more than 2000 year old stone circle near the banks of the Teign River. I had to carry a good topographic map and crossed several clapper (stone) bridges to find the site but, when I did, my soggy feet and the cold drizzle were quickly forgotten. The long history of this land could be felt, potently, while standing within the stone circle. Places such as this are rare -- I could feel a connection with generations, centuries of people who had walked these hills.