![\""Old\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2019\/12\/Wistmans-Wood-Dartmoor-b06a3db.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"Wistman's\\"")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Wistman\u2019s Wood walk<\/h2>\n
2.8 miles\/4.5km | 1.5 hours | easy<\/em><\/p>\n 1. Haunted wood<\/strong><\/p>\n Wistman\u2019s Wood is an easy \u00bc-mile walk on a waymarked path from the Two Bridges Hotel<\/a>. It sits like a dark, tangled mound on the slopes of the West Dart River. The oaks grow barely taller than 5.5m (18ft) high, and their tangled branches and the uneven rocky floor make it impossible for Dartmoor ponies<\/a> and cattle<\/a> to enter. This is the main reason why the wood still exists on the moor \u2013 its inaccessibility keeps it protected from destructive grazing.<\/p>\n There are more than 100 different species of lichen<\/a> in Wistman\u2019s Wood. On a single bough, Simon Dell, a local ranger and my guide for the day, identified 12. The most eye-catching of them was bearded lichen, which can grow up to half a metre long. It droops from the branches, making the trees look like writhing arms grabbing fistfuls of passing witches\u2019 hair.<\/p>\n More walks:<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> \u00a0<\/p>\n 2. Hairy hands<\/strong><\/p>\n We climbed the valley of Wistman\u2019s Wood to the summit of Longaford Tor, where we enjoyed a windy panoramic view of Dartmoor. We could see Princetown and its famous prison, Cut Hill \u2013 the furthest place on Dartmoor from any roads \u2013 and the ruins of the Powder Mills factory, which produced gunpowder.<\/p>\n Simon told me about nearby Cherrybrook Bridge, known as Hairy Hands Bridge. It\u2019s said to be haunted by the ape-like hands of an immigrant worker who was killed in an explosion at the factory.<\/p>\n Dartmoor is a landscape ringing with legends and myths. People say that Wistman\u2019s Wood was planted by the druids (its name is said to derive from the words \u2018wise man\u2019, another name for a druid), and as Simon said to me that morning: \u201cSurely there must be an element of truth in these embellished stories?\u201d Maybe, but I wouldn\u2019t like to think that there is any truth in the legend that hounds live in trees and come out at night, seeking the souls of those who dare to enter their domain.<\/p>\n 3. Crime and punishment<\/strong><\/p>\n South from Longaford Tor, on the way back to Two Bridges Hotel, we came to Crockern Tor \u2013 the centre of the Stannary Parliament \u2013 where the local tin miners came to meet between the 15th and 18th centuries. The miners were exempt from Westminster laws, and were governed by their own strict regulations. Severe punishments were handed out to errant tin miners \u2013 those caught using impurities in their tin would be forced to swallow a tablespoon of the molten stuff.<\/p>\n Despite being a sunny spring morning, I couldn\u2019t help but shudder at these chilling tales during our stroll back to the hotel. I hoped I\u2019d sleep soundly that night.<\/p>\n Wistman\u2019s Wood walking route and map<\/a><\/p>\n How to get there<\/b><\/p>\n The start of the walk to Wistman\u2019s Wood is situated in the car park across the road from the Two Bridges Hotel on the B3357.<\/p>\n Find out more<\/b><\/p>\n HIGH MOORLAND VISITOR CENTRE Eat<\/b><\/p>\n Badgers Holt, Dartmeet Eat\/Stay<\/b><\/p>\n![\""UK,\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2018\/09\/GettyImages-941133044-2813997.jpg?quality=45&resize=556,556"\" "\\"\"Hound\\"\/")
<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section>![\""Yellow\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2018\/10\/GettyImages-158048697-fe04e66.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Yellow\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Wistman\u2019s Wood map<\/h2>\n
![\""Screen20Shot202018-04-2320at2015.12.17-5887c9f"\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2018\/09\/Screen20Shot202018-04-2320at2015.12.17-5887c9f.png?quality=90&resize=411%2C413"\" "\\"\"Screen20Shot202018-04-2320at2015.12.17-5887c9f\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div><\/a><\/p>\nUseful Information<\/h3>\n