Rare mosses and lichens festoon the trees and granite boulders in this ancient oak wood. With its eerie, gnarled, moss-covered trees, it's easy to see why local legend has it that Druids once performed Pagan rituals here. Today, Devon's oldest woodland is a National Nature Reserve and a hotspot for moorland birds in the summer months. Reach it on foot from the nearby village of Two Bridges at the crossroads of the B3357 and B3212.
Dartmoor
May 2012
To those like myself and my better half who are not pagan but follow those traditional Arte's of our Isle, Wismans wood is a realm certain to leave an impression not just for its familiarity but for it's pure presence. Haunting, ethereal, eerie, disquieting and much more, this is somewhere that beckons you to enter but doesn't wish you to leave.
The moss-covered rocks can be slippery to traverse and there were a few trips and falls, also there are adders present (I nearly stood on one as it darted beneath a rock but got caught and sadly lost part of its tail) so people taking canines or young children should be mindful.
Apr 2012
Mar 2009
Feb 2009
Oct 2008
This is also a popular place for letterboxing (an outdoor hobby that combines orienteering and problem-solving and involves finding boxes hidden in various outdoor locations to collect special stamps). Many boxes have been sited around the wood over the years, and it is thought that Dartmoor is where letterboxing first originated.