Unrivalled open-air museum of human endeavour; enduring wide-open landscape for rest and recreation; source of myth and legend; scene of worrying wildlife decline – Dartmoor is all those things and more. It has given me enormous personal satisfaction and benefit since I arrived here in the 1970s.

So, as I neared retirement it was time to start giving something back, and the National Park was the obvious means to do that but how?

I asked Ella Briens, my local Ranger, if I could spend a week-end helping with her daily tasks and we set off for two enjoyable days clearing vegetation from footpaths, checking stiles and gates and all that below-the-radar stuff that keeps Dartmoor accessible to locals and visitors alike. But, most important of all, we talked.

I came away knowing that here was something worthwhile to do with my new freedom from paid work and Ella must have seen enough in me to put me forward as a Voluntary Warden; I was officially appointed in early 2016.

Over time this opened up for me a wide variety opportunities to contribute, any or all of which could be the subject of future blogs if I’m invited again.

In working life I was in sales and marketing, so talking about Dartmoor comes as second nature.  My wife will tell you that it’s almost impossible to stop me. I’m never happier than when staffing the National Park stand at Widecombe Fair or standing at Two Bridges accosting the stream of visitors to Wistman’s Wood.  I’m not averse to giving my own 'spin' to official messaging, but I haven’t been sacked for it yet.

Archaeology has always fascinated me and over recent years I’ve helped National Park Archaeologists Lee Bray and Andy Crabb clear gorse from key sites, check the condition of monuments on the Historic Environment Register and even once excavate a Bronze Age roundhouse.

Dartmoor is no less affected by the biodiversity crisis than the rest of the country and I’m quite passionate about helping to put that right, especially in the Hawns and Dendles Waste nature recovery project ably led by Assistant Ranger Stuart Hooppell and directed by the Park’s ecologists.

And I continue to help Ella in my local area, keeping footpaths walkable, putting up dogs-on-leads signs for the lambing and nesting season, clearing up the damage made by illegal campfires and getting known as the National Park’s 'rep' in my local village.

As age gradually slows me down the physical stuff is steadily giving way to the communication.  I’ve already given a couple of talks to South Devon groups and another is lined up for the autumn, a double-hander with my mate and fellow Voluntary Warden, Ian.

Fundamentally the satisfaction comes from being a National Park 'insider', a member of a diverse team working towards a common goal.

Article by Tim Ferry

3 July 2024