Holne Ridge facts for kids

Holne Ridge is a special place on Dartmoor, a large area of moorland in Devon, England. It's known for having some of the highest land in the southern part of Dartmoor. Imagine standing on top of a big hill and looking out – that's what it's like on Holne Ridge! From here, you can see wide open spaces, including wet, marshy areas called mires and bogs to the southwest. To the northeast, you can look down into the beautiful Dart Gorge, which has many rocky hills called tors, like Sharp Tor.

Holne Ridge is home to many interesting natural and historical features. It's a great spot for exploring and learning about the history and nature of Dartmoor.

Exploring Holne Ridge

Holne Ridge offers a variety of sights, from ancient stone markers to important water sources. Let's take a closer look at some of its most notable features.

Ryder's Hill: The Highest Point

Ryder's Hill is the highest point in southern Dartmoor. Standing at the top, you can feel like you're on top of the world! On this hill, you'll find a few important markers.

Petre's Bound Stone

One of these is Petre's Bound Stone. This is an old stone marker that was used to show the boundary, or edge, of different areas of land. These stones are like ancient signposts, helping people know where one property ended and another began.

Trig Point

You'll also see a trig point on Ryder's Hill. This is a small concrete pillar that surveyors used to measure distances and heights across the landscape. It's usually found on high ground and helps create accurate maps. The trig point on Ryder's Hill sits on a small pile of stones called a cairn.

Ancient Crosses and Cairns

Holne Ridge is rich in ancient history, with several old structures that tell stories of the past.

Horn's Cross

Horn's Cross is an ancient stone cross found on the ridge. These crosses were often used as waymarkers for travellers, showing them the right path across the moor. They also sometimes marked important places or boundaries.

Puper's Hill and Snowdon

Both Puper's Hill and Snowdon (which is a hill on Dartmoor, not the famous mountain in Wales) are home to cairns. Cairns are piles of stones that people have built over many years. Some cairns are very old, dating back thousands of years, and were used as burial sites or ceremonial places. Others might have been built more recently as simple markers.

Water Features

Water plays a big role on Holne Ridge, from reservoirs that supply homes to small streams and old water channels.

Venford Reservoir

The Venford Reservoir is an important body of water on Holne Ridge. This reservoir collects and stores water, which is then sent to homes and businesses in the Paignton area of south Devon. It's a key part of the local water supply system.

O Brook

The O Brook is a short stream that flows through the area. It's a tributary of the River Dart, meaning it's a smaller stream that flows into the larger river. Brooks like this are important for the local wildlife and the overall water cycle of the moor.

Historic Tracks and Leats

The landscape of Holne Ridge also shows signs of human activity from long ago, including old tracks and water channels.

Sandy Way

The Sandy Way is an ancient track that crosses Holne Ridge. Imagine people walking or riding horses along this path hundreds or even thousands of years ago! These old tracks were vital for travel and trade across the moor.

Holne Lee

Holne Lee is another spot on the ridge where you can find cairns, similar to those on Puper's Hill and Snowdon. These stone piles add to the mystery and history of the area.

Wheal Emma Leat

The Wheal Emma Leat is a dry leat. A leat is a man-made channel or ditch built to carry water from one place to another. This particular leat used to supply water to copper mines located near Buckfastleigh. It shows how people in the past used engineering to help with mining.

Holne Moor Leat

Also known as Hamlyn's Leat, the Holne Moor Leat is another example of an old water channel. This leat was built to supply water to a woollen mill near Buckfastleigh. Woollen mills needed a lot of water to clean and process wool, so these leats were essential for their operation.