The rugged granite outcrops and undulated moorland of Dartmoor has attracted many legends in its time, from tales of witches and wolves, to dragons and demons. Arthur Conan Doyle even used the foreboding national park as the setting for his famous novel, ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’. If an English walking break in this area interests you, then here are two characters that you might want to avoid on your UK hiking holiday.
The Hairy Hands
When travelling to and from your UK hiking holiday you may want to avoid the B3212 heading out through Postbridge. This road has seen an unusual level of instances since 1910, with many drivers or cyclists reporting that their vehicle had swerved or jolted violently and steered off the side of the road. Many drivers, who were unlucky enough to suffer this trauma, reported to the police how it felt as if an invisible pair of hands had grabbed hold of their car steering wheel. But these reports aren’t the most unusual. A number of people, including an army captain, reported how a pair of disembodied hairy hands suddenly appeared and grabbed hold of their steering wheel. If you’re not driving the B3212, then you may be tempted to think that you’ll be perfectly safe on your English walking break, but be warned. A woman camping out on the moor with her husband awoke to see the same mutilated hairy hands attempting to gain access to her caravan at night; these hands reportedly disappeared once she made a religious sign at them.
Vixiana, The Witch
Vixen Tor is one of the most well known sites associated with Dartmoor and the towering granite mass is thought to have held significance since the Bronze Age, when ancient tombs were built in the shadow of its towering mass. If you want to explore Vixen Tor, whilst on your UK hiking holiday, then you will find it between the towns of Princeton and Tavistock. The granite tor may look like a spectacular place to explore on an English walking break, but yet it hides a dark and sinister past. Many people believe that a witch named Vixiana once lived at the foot of the cave. Vixiana was a scary sight, at six foot tall, she is reported as being as thin as a Devon shovel, with two rotten front teeth and a distinguishable smell of sheep’s urine about her. She may sound terrifying but Vixiana had a special talent. When she spotted walkers going about their UK hiking holidays on the moor she would summon up a thick fog, that would disorientate them so much so, that they would fall into a deep peat bog on the other side of the tor and instantly drown. However, good always defeats evil and Vixiana came to an untimely death after a hapless moorman, taking an English walking break in Dartmoor, decided to play Vixiana at her own game and pushed her off Vixen Tor into the thick peat bog below.
If you want to explore the area surrounding Vixen Tor, whilst on your UK hiking holiday, then we recommend starting from the small village of Merrivale. On an English walking break from this quaint Devonshire village you will encounter a standing stone and ancient stone circle. Vixen Tor is a short walk to the south of the circle and, although there are over 160 tors in Dartmoor, this is easily the most spectacular of them all. Although Vixiana may be long gone, it’s always best to avoid the area of Vixen Tor during times of thick fog when some believe it is still possible to fall under her spell.
Author Resource:-
Tony Maniscalco is the Sales and Marketing Manager for Ramblers Countrywide Holidays. Part of Ramblers Worldwide Holidays, who have been operating since 1946, they are dedicated to providing the very finest English walking breaks (http://www.ramblerscountrywide.co.uk/) at the best value prices.
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