It’s said that moving home is one of the most stressful life events and I can definitely agree with that. In between unpacking boxes and painting walls I stole a little quiet time on Dartmoor for some fresh air and mental rebalancing.
I went to the edge of Bellever forest, near Postbridge and wandered around by the East Dart river. The river was fast flowing due to the recent downpours and it felt quite therapeutic to watch the turbulent water rushing past.
Bellever is a fascinating place. It started out as a hamlet with a farm and various outbuildings and was owned by the Duchy of Cornwall. After the First World War conifers were planted in the public forests on Dartmoor to help with the national shortage of timber, and Bellever was among these.
Sitka spruce
The Forestry Commission (now Forestry England) bought Bellever farm in 1931 and started a large planting scheme which became the Bellever forest we know today. The woods are mostly Sitka spruce with a small percentage of broadleaf trees.
The area also is also rich in antiquities and the Bellever complex has many Bronze age hut circles and cairns. These were discovered after the forestation so steps were taken to slowly uncover these historic gems, and you can now discover them in among the tree-lined paths.
I’ve enjoyed many walks in this area and it’s always had a slightly mystical quality for me. And visiting on a bleak winter’s day when misty drizzle hangs in the air gives it an almost ethereal quality.
The tall spruce trees, boulders and tree stumps are all covered in a carpet of green moss. It looked like an enchanted path out of a fairytale and who can resist one of those?
Spruce has its own folklore as well. In Greek mythology the tree was linked to Artemis, the goddess of the moon, hunting and nature. Its evergreen needles are associated with resilience and strength.
Christmas trees
We’re more familiar with it in modern times as a Christmas tree. Spruce, as well a fir and pine are top choices to bring into our homes to decorate during the festive season. Prince Albert is often linked to introducing this tradition in 1840, but it was Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III, who put up the first indoor tree at Queen’s Lodge, Windsor in December 1800.
The tree remains a powerful symbol today. Trafalgar Square enjoys a large Norwegian Spruce every year which has been an annual gift from Oslo since 1947, as a token of gratitude for Britain’s support of Norway during the Second World War.
Sitka spruce is used more commercially as it’s so versatile and can be found in a variety of things from boats to packing boxes. In a forest it provides shelter for small birds and mammals.
I spotted a noisy magpie in one of the spruce trees, and another smaller bird flitted away into the distance before I could identify it. Nothing else stirred in the skies so perhaps, sensibly on a wet morning, they were all hunkering down until the weather cleared.
On the ground were lots of fallen spruce cones. They were long and cylindrical, instead of the more familiar egg-shaped pine cones.
Winter fungi
There were also some fungi dotted around the forest floor. It’s the end of the season for them and I saw a few that were past their best, but there were still some in prime condition.
I spotted various bracket fungi on logs and Yellow Stagshorn, with its orange fingers tentatively poking up from the ground. It likes to grow in coniferous woods and is quite small, but very pretty. I also saw a small patch of White Stagshorn which is not a common find.
There were a handful of wood mushrooms clustered around the base of a tree as well. These were off white and looked very slimy, so I didn’t venture in for a closer look.
Dartmoor ponies
One animal I usually spot on my walks, but this time was absent, was the Dartmoor pony. There are usually a number of them at Bellever, as the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust (DPHT) runs a herd on the site.
The DPHT works to ensure a future for the traditional native breed and also offers free guided walks throughout the year, which will hopefully be running again next year.
On my final meander by the river before heading back for more unpacking I saw a plant with unusual looking seed pods which were a black crescent shape. We’re used to seeing the yellow flowers of Broom in the summer months, and the black seed pods in winter are quite distinctive.
They also make an audible cracking noise in the summer and explode, spreading their seeds. A return visit is planned for the summer visit to watch that happen!
© Gillian Adams 2020