Bellever Conservation Project

DPHT leases 82 hectares of moorland from the Forestry Commission at Bellever, near Postbridge. As well as a large forestry plantation and prominent tor, the site is home to Bronze age and medieval archaeological features and some of the best heather heathland on Dartmoor. The Trust has a 10-year Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreement, which includes a Native Breeds at Risk Supplement, which provides funding for grazing by Heritage Dartmoor ponies.

A herd of up to 26 Dartmoor Heritage ponies graze the site. They are owned by local farmers but managed by DPHT and they graze the site while they mature to a more saleable age at around 4 years old. The ponies graze for up to 18 hours a day, trampling the rank grasses and creating space for more sensitive plants to become established.

Free! Guided Walks

Enjoy a 2 to 3 hour walk around this wonderful moorland site, learning about the ponies, the environment and the ancient people who lived here. For families, groups, schools; minimum of 6 people per walk.

Ideal for schools!

During your morning or afternoon visit you will learn how these tough ponies are integral to the management of the Dartmoor landscape. Pupils will also discover how Dartmoor was formed and how Bellever, which sits in the heart of the Dartmoor National Park, has changed over the past 3 million years, through the influence of weathering and man. So we tick lots of National Curriculum boxes and offer a really DIFFERENT day out! Sessions are led by an experienced and qualified guide leader, who can tailor the material to suit children aged 8 to 16 yrs.

FREE! Conservation days

The idea of creating a project to involve people and ponies became even more important following meetings with Dartmoor National Park Archaeologists and our Natural England HLS advisor, who agreed that the scheduled monuments should be seen and not hidden under a duvet of thick tussocky grass. 

DPHT has created a multi faceted project using ponies to motivate and inspire local communities to get involved in constructive destruction! From autumn through to the end of February we run a series of volunteer events enticing families and local groups to help remove Christmas trees up to December and, from the end of January through to February, remove the molinia (tussock grass) from around hut circles and ancient pounds. Natural England are funding the capital costs and have paid for a new set of harness and tools.

We provide volunteers with a highly unusual outdoor experience.  As the groups work, they learn about the archaeology on the site, the history of the pony and how to work a pair of Dartmoor ponies pulling trees off the site and pulling a chain harrow to remove the molinia. It is a perfect opportunity for participants to get fit and learn about Dartmoor's archaeology, flora and fauna, whilst carrying out important work to manage this very special site. 

But most importantly for the DPHT, we have an environmentally friendly project using a green alternative to a quad bike or tractor. The ponies are more than capable of the workload required and will be much kinder to the sensitive site, avoiding poaching and wheel tracks in soft muddy areas, reducing the risk of erosion. The Dartmoor Pony has always been a working animal, whether as a pack animal or a riding pony; here we have the opportunity to use the pony as a part of our future heritage whilst we engage with its past.

BOOKINGS BEING TAKEN NOW!

Call 01626 833234 or email Emma@dpht.co.uk

Bellever News August 2011

We have our full quota of Dartmoor Ponies on site, they are all growing well and are looking fit and strong. We recently brought the herd in for a mid summer health check and foot trim. The ponies are running within a 1,000 acre holding so we had quite a job to find them, they had split up into several pods, so we ended up covering the entire site to find them all. But when we finally got them all rounded up, Ian Whatley our bare foot trimmer did an outstanding job in keeping our ponies hooves in tip top condition. Several of the older geldings will be ready for new homes this autumn as they are now fully grown and will make ideal riding ponies. We will bring them off late September. All the youngsters are growing well and have put on a lot of condition. Please remember if you visit the ponies on Bellever please keep all gates shut and don't feed the ponies. Many thanks for your support in these areas.

This year we have provided 75 walks and conservation events. Introducing hundreds of new people to this truly amazing area of Dartmoor. Bellever offers such a diverse experience from archaeological remains to our own Dartmoor Pony Herd and no visit to Bellever is complete without climbing to the top of the Tor for one of the best views of Dartmoor on offer. Our fantastic team of guides are highly experienced and provide inspirational and exciting walks.