Help Fight for Dartmoor

I spent nine most interesting years (1996-2005) as chief executive of the Dartmoor Preservation Association at a time when Dartmoor was Britain’s most threatened National Park. I had previously served on its committee in the 1970s and 1980s. We had our share of victories and defeats. Some of those threats are still there and the

Devon – Walking the River Webburn

 The Webburn might not be the first river that comes to mind when you think of Dartmoor rivers, but I think of it as one of the best. The Webburn is surely Dartmoor’s most secret river, even if one of its branches does flow through Widecombe in the Moor – the Moor’s most popular tourist village. It

The Teignmouth and Dawlish Way

One of the best ways to keep rights of way open is to devise and publicise local walking routes for people to follow. You don’t need to invent a Pennine Way or a Coast to Coast route. Just link some paths together to provide a circular or linear trail, publish a guide and encourage people

Footloose in Devon

My new Devon book  is now out in paperback and on Kindle…      Here’s the blurb… “The novelist John Bainbridge has walked in the Devon countryside for over fifty years, and is well known as a writer and broadcaster on the county. In this miscellany of country essays, he explores many of the quiet

Jay’s Grave – Burial at the Crossroads

Kitty Jay was buried at the crossroads because, legend tells us, she was a suicide. Her little grave is a much-visited place on Dartmoor, marking the crossroad of two highways – one a present-day modern road, the other a green track leading from the Widecombe valley towards the high ground around Manaton. Four Cross Lane,