H. J. Lowe — Sketch of a hit of Dartmoor. 397 



IV. — A Fragment op Physical Geography: The Past and 

 Present of a bit op Dartmoor. 



By Harford J. Lowe, F.G.S. 



INSTANCES of alteration of the courses of streams are common, 

 hut these changes are met with for the most part in the 

 aUuvial plains and flood areas at low elevations where the 

 streams are approaching their termination in sea or lake. The 

 instance here noticed is of a rarer kind, where a small Devonshire 

 stream, the Bovey River, has accomplished, with the help of 

 contributory forces, earth sculpture apparently enormously out 

 of proportion to its present insignificant dimensions, and managed 

 to shorten its journey to join the Teign by altering the direction 

 of the middle part of its course at a point where its elevation is 

 considerable. 



The village of Lustleigh is well known to most visitors to 

 South Devon as a resort frequented for its beautiful situation and 

 surroundings. It lies on the eastern edge of Dartmoor where 

 three narrow and precipitous valleys join the broader one which 

 runs from Bovey to Moretonhampstead. Lustleigh is particularly 

 distinguished to visitors by what is called the Cleave. The name, 

 instead of being used for the valley or cleft, is in popular parlance 

 applied to a ridge of granite of wedge shape about two miles and 

 a half in length, upon the slopes of the narrow end of which most 

 of the village of Lustleigh lies. This end of the ' Cleave ' is crowned 

 by a noble disorder of granite masses which is named from a rocking- 

 stone, much used for the purpose indicated, ' The Nut Crackers.' 

 From here in a north-west direction the crest of the ridge gently 

 rises to another Tor or assemblage of bare granite masses called 

 Eaven Rocks, beyond which the ridge widens and rises to 1,068 

 feet, and near some ancient earthworks is given the very appropriate 

 name of Hunters' Tor, in that it is a most excellent view point in 

 all directions. This ridge, which for convenience sake I will call 

 as a whole the Cleave, is in some respects unique amidst Dartmoor 

 scenery, in that it more than any other portion of Dartmoor is 

 cut away from the main elevated moorland by valleys and depressions 

 on all sides. In consequence, from several points of view it commands 

 particular notice by standing out in apparent independence, while 

 all other prominences are seen to be connected, by only slight 

 depressions in the skyline, to the central area of Dartmoor. 



As shown in the accompanying sketch-map, the north-east and 

 south-west boundaries of the ' Cleave ' are formed by narrow deep 

 valleys, which meet at the wedge point where the confluent streams 

 have an elevation of less than 200 feet above the sea-level. Tlie 

 Bovey River flows along the gorge on the south-west, while on the 

 north-east a tiny stream has cut a valley from the northern part 

 of the Cleave parallel to the Wray, which half a mile to the east 

 over an intervening elevation of only 700 feet occupies the Moreton- 

 hampstead valley. 



