Britain is rich in legends and folklores: stories passed on by word of mouth from generation to generation. Dartmoor too is rich in such legends, many of which have some basis in truth. From the thick mists that suddenly appear and roll across the moor to the dark, bottomless mires and the craggy granite tors, each lends an air of mystery and magic, all ripe for associated legends and tales. So when visiting Dartmoor why not take some time to journey into the past and witness for yourself the many mysterious places of the moor?
This round tour starts from the Hog and Hedge restaurant at the service station just off of the A30 making it easily accessible.

Spinsters' Rock:
Spinsters' Rock. This is the only recognisable Neolithic Dolmen left in Devon and consists of three upright stones, with one large capstone. It was supposed to have been erected by three maidens one morning before breakfast. There are many tales about the stone circles and structures on Dartmoor, with the most common telling of maidens being turned into stone for dancing on the Sabbath.

Blackaton Brook:
The Blackaton Bridge spans the Blackaton Brook and it is here that the ghost of a woman who once drowned herself in its waters haunts on dark nights, It is also said that some nights the sounds of a bloody battle can be heard wafting up from the brook.

Gidleigh Castle:
Gidleigh Castle. No ghostly tales but too close not to pay a visit.
Although the structure has been known as a castle since at least the 17th century, when William Pole referred to it as such, it is now considered to have been a fortified manor house rather than a true castle. Its position on a slope would have been hard to defend and the only features that indicate strength are the six-foot-thick buttressed walls and the slots in the doorways intended for draw bars.

The Three Crowns Hotel - Chagford Cavalier:
The English Civil War, a series of armed conflicts between the Parliamentarians (“Roundheads”) and Royalists (“Cavaliers”), touched almost every settlement in England as brothers, friends and neighbours fought against each other over the principle of how England should be governed.
Sidney Godolphin was a poet, Member of Parliament for Helston and a staunch Royalist.
In February 1643 there was a battle at Bloody Meadow near the head of Fingle Gorge. Sidney was shot in a skirmish following the battle. He was taken to the Three Crowns and laid on a stone bench before being taken to the Tower Room where he tragically died of his wounds. He was buried in the chancel of Okehampton Church.
The ghost of Sydney Godolphin, or the Chagford Cavalier, as he is called, is said to appear in the porch, but his visitations not limited to his appearance in the porch. He has been seen walking the halls of the hotel. And he occasionally and unintentionally startles guests when they enter their rooms.

St Michael’s Church - Mary Whiddon:
The Laughing Cavalier is not the only person that was shot in Chagford. Just 2 years earlier on 11 October 1641 the young and beautiful Mary Whiddon, who was the descendent of Sir John Whiddon, left Whiddon Park where she lived to be married in St Michael’s Church in Chagford. She and her beau, whose name time has forgotten, but who may have been her cousin, were married in the Church. This was no fairytale though and they did not live happily ever after. Tradition says that after the ceremony there was a loud bank and a plume of smoke! Mary’s jilted and jealous lover had shot her dead on the steps of the church! Since that fateful day Mary’s ghost, still dressed in her wedding gown has been seen on many occasions.

Kitty Jay's grave:
Kitty Jay is said to have been a young unmarried housemaid who was betrayed by her lover. In desperation she hanged herself in the outbuilding of a nearby farm and the body was disposed of in the usual barbarous manner of that time. The body was later dug up by a Mr James Bryan who re-interred it and set up the stones which now mark the spot. What is unusual about the grave is that there are always fresh flowers on it.

Hound Tor:
If you wanted a place on Dartmoor that is surrounded by history and mystery then look no further than Hound tor. The whole area in and around the tor is famed for its ghosts and nearby are the ancient dwellings and graves of their time. Hound Tor is a cluster of granite rocks and while they might not look much like dogs the legend of their origin is that they were hounds turned to stone by vengeful witch, and it was this legend that is said to have inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Widecombe Church:
No explanation has ever been found for this terrible event that struck on Sunday Oct 21 1638 when hell, fire and brimstone literally rained down on this Dartmoor church at Widecombe. A great ball of fire fell through the roof killing four people & injuring 62. The phenomenon occurred during a thunderstorm with gruesome contemporary accounts telling how 'an extraordinary flame passed right through the church, filling it with a loathsome smell, like brimstone and a great ball of fire fell through the roof'.

Squire Richard Cabell's tomb:
Visit the grave of the 'monstrously evil squire' feared even in death!
The hounds were unleashed after the death of 'monstrously evil' Squire Richard Cabell, a hunter from Buckfastleigh, who was said to have murdered his wife and sold his soul to the Devil.
To this day you can see where he was buried in Buckfastleigh Church and his coffin was secured with a giant slab to ensure his hounds wouldn’t ride on the moor again.
When he died on July 5, 1677, the phantom pack of black hounds raced across the moor and took to howling at his tomb.
According to legend, the demon hounds have roamed the moor ever since, often seen pawing at the grave in a bid to reach the promised soul.
People have reported a strange red glow emanating through the iron bars of the creepy sepulchre in the Buckfastleigh graveyard. Other folk have reported seeing a whole host of demonic creatures gathered around the grave trying to get the promised soul for their master.
Villagers built a large building around the tomb and to be doubly sure a huge slab was placed on top of the grave to stop the ghost of the squire escaping.

Soussons Cairn Circle:
The most accessible Bronze Age relic on Dartmoor, it is literally 20 yards from the road. In the summer the small stone circle becomes a favourite picnic spot but in winter it is a magical and mythical place to visit.

Merripit Pigs:
At certain times of the year an old sow and her litter of young pigs can be seen walking across the moor on Merripit Hill, on a dark and foggy night. The young pigs are very hungry, and the old sow is taking them to Cator Gate, where there is a dead horse. The pigs are saying to their mother:
Starvin, starvin.
The old pig replies:
Cator gate, Cator Gate.
Dead Hoss, Dead Hoss, Dead Hoss.
They travel on through Runnage Bottom, Cator Moor, and at last arrive at Cator Gate. On arrival they find they are too late; only the skin and bones of the dead horse are left.
The little pigs all cry:
Skin an Bones, Skin an Bones.
The Old Sow replies:
Let ‘em lie, let ‘em LIE.
And all return again across the moor to Merripit Hill and vanish in the darkness and fog.


East Dart Hotel:
The East Dart Hotel, once called Webb’s Hotel after its owner Captain Webb. He died & left the hotel to his son John who married a strict teetotaller. One fateful Sunday they attended a sermon about the evils of drink. The preacher must have done a good job because when the couple got back, John took all the alcohol & tipped it in the ditch opposite the hotel. Since that day, at 3am a huge ghostly bloodhound runs out from Moretonhampstead and slobbers in the ditch searching for the dregs of the alcohol.

Dartmoor Hairy Hands:
Hairy Hands Bridge across Cherry Brook. The bridge between Postbridge and Two Bridges is the location for some malevolent hauntings. The legend is that a pair of hairy hands appear on your steering wheel/handlebars and try to force you off the road. There have been many incidents on this stretch of road which is notorious for fatal accidents, including in 1921 when a medical officer from Dartmoor Prison died after his motorbike went out of control. This area was avoided long before motor vehicles.

Wistman's Woods:
Mystical Wistman's Wood is one of only three remote high-altitude oakwoods on Dartmoor. Since 1964 it's been a site of Special Scientific Interest and protecting the ancient woodlands was one of the reasons Dartmoor was selected as a Special Area of Conservation. This magical place has been mentioned in writing for hundreds of years. With tales involving druids, ghosts and the devil himself, the parkland has to be one of the most mysterious and magical places in Britain.

Vixen Tor:
Another Dartmoor legend is Vixiana, a witch who would hollow out a cave on Vixen Tor, which is also known as 'The Sphinx of Dartmoor'. Legend has it that she would sit on top of the tor at dawn and dusk, searching for lone travellers.
And when she saw one, she would call down a mist to confuse them, which would lead them to a bog in the base of the tor.
The wicked watch would then watch over as they were sucked down into the mud and an inevitable death.

St Michael de Rupe:
The first church built on Brent Tor in around 1130 was commissioned by Robert Giffard, a wealthy landowner.
Legend tells that Robert had been caught up in a storm at sea and had vowed to St Michael that he would build a church in his honour if his life was spared. Another rather more dramatic legend is that, while the church was being built, the devil would come each night to destroy the building work and hurl stones from the top of the hill onto the unfortunate parishioners below. This antisocial behaviour continued until Michael himself intervened and after a great battle, the devil was defeated and the church was named after St Michael as the victor. In fact, many churches built in high places across Britain and Europe are dedicated to Michael as chief of angels.

Lydford Gorge and White Lady Falls:
A magnificent 100ft cascade of water with a mythical tale. Locally, it has been said that the spirit of a woman haunts the base of the falls, those that have seen her report that she was dressed in a long white gown.
In 1896 a namesake of mine fell to his death. A farm labourer named Charles Carthew and his son had driven some of their masters’ cattle to Lydford from Coryton. On the way back they decided to take a shortcut through Lydford Woods which took them along the top of the White Lady Falls. Somehow Charles Carthew’s foot slipped and he fell the hundred odd feet head first over the falls.

Lydford Castle:
Lydford’s ancient Norman Castle built in 1195. The Castle’s ghostly inhabitant is said to be Judge Jeffreys who, in the aftermath of the Monmouth rebellion of 1685, meted out savage retribution on behalf of the, soon to be exiled, King, James II at the notorious "Bloody Assizes." He held court in many Devonshire towns, and legend holds that he was at his savage and judicial best at Lydford. He is said to haunt Lydford and its castle in the guise of huge black pig!

Okehampton Castle:
Apparently the ghost of Lady Howard haunts Okehampton Castle and according to residents, she spends her nights travelling from Okehampton to Tavistock in the guise of a big black dog after taking grass from the castle grounds. The dog is said to run alongside a coach made from the bones of her dead husband and that Lady Howard will not find peace until she has removed every single blade of grass from the castle grounds.