T

wo blue-dark deer stood in the road, alerted.

This was just one of the sights that stirred the former poet laureate, Ted Hughes, into action when he lived here in the Sixties – and there’s plenty more where that came from.

Perched on the edge of Dartmoor, the sleepy village of North Tawton is surrounded by open heathland, rolling fields and the meandering River Taw – enough to inspire anyone to put pen to paper.

While Hughes spent his time working on his father-in-law’s farm, you can enjoy a relaxing stroll instead. Why not head out along the scenic Tarka Trail, which passes through North Tawton and takes you through the pretty village of Sticklepath and out onto the moor?

After following the River Taw for a short way, you could stop off at Sticklepath for a pint of Jail Ale in The Taw River – or call in at Finch’s Foundry and see how they used to forge tools out of metal using power from the big waterwheel nearby (there are live demos every hour).

From here you could head out onto the moor (keep an eye out for those deer that Hughes loved so much) and over to Oakhampton – or simply re-trace your steps back to North Tawton.