Round Belstone - Beacon Villages Journal

Out and about in April Good weather brought the visitors to Belstone at Easter with over 50 cars in the car park. New activities not previously seen around here included llama riding and 'mountain boarding' (sliding down Belstone Tor on a board with chunky tyres).

The Devon In-touch Roadshow was a success at Belstone on 15 April. Live broadcasts went out from the village throughout the afternoon including interviews with locals talking about the cricket club, wildlife, the Ladies Club, the Belstone Players theatrical group and 'The Book of Belstone'. The following week a lady from Plymouth who heard the broadcast was inspired to come to the village and buy a copy of the book - the first time she'd been back since 1941.

Belstone Cricket Club has come back to life - outfield rolled and cut, pitch prepared, boundary marked, hedges trimmed, pavilion tidied. Friday evening nets have begun and the first home game is on Sunday 2 May. New players are always welcome.

Diary Dates

1 May 5.30am, car park opposite Belstone Village Hall. Dawn Chorus bird walk followed by breakfast in the Hall. On last year's successful inaugural walk we saw 36 species - the challenge this year is to beat that figure.

2 May Andrews Corner garden open from 2.30pm . Admission £2

4 May Belstone Annual Parish Meeting, Village Hall, 7.30pm

23 May Andrews Corner garden open from 2.30pm . Admission £2

30 May Andrews Corner garden open from 2.30pm . Admission £2

6 June Andrews Corner garden open from 2.30pm . Admission £2

12 June Car Boot sale, Belstone cricket ground. Sellers from 9am , public from 10am . Pitches cost £4 for a car and £5 for a van. Refreshments and raffle.

13 June Andrews Corner garden open from 2.30pm . Admission £2

27 June Cream teas in Belstone Village Hall from 2.30pm .

The Book of Belstone

In this fascinating and richly detailed account, authors Chris and Marion Walpole bring the history of their village of Belstone to life. Many people will know the village, as a starting point for walks into the heart of Dartmoor. Armed with this text, they can also explore the hidden corners and forgotten industries of a beautiful corner of the moor. From Beating the Bounds to Letterboxing, from Cricket Clubs to the Women's Institute, the authors cover every facet of the village life through the centuries, introducing the reader to a host of colourful characters, incidents and stories. The text concludes with a section describing every house in the parish.

This A5 soft-back book was first published in October 2002 and has now been reprinted, due to popular demand. It contains 194 pages, including 19 pages of black and white photographs and three pages of maps, graphs and tables.
Also available is a video showing Belstone events (Beating the Bounds, fetes, pantomimes, Jubilee celebrations etc) and day-to-day farming life between 1965 and 2002 (running time 2 hours 40 minutes).

Reviews of The Book of Belstone:
"Truly a mine of information about Belstone past and present ....... each time I have dipped into it I have found a new gem." The Beacon
"I consider it to be the best of all Dartmoor 'village' books of recent years." Dr Tom Greeves, Dartmoor Magazine
"Just about everything you want to know about Belstone can be found in this book." ***** Best Buy, Dartmoor News

The book costs £12.50 (12 pounds 50 pence) plus £1.50 (1 pound 50 pence) post and packing (UK).
The video also costs £12.50 (12 pounds 50 pence) plus £1.50 (1 pound 50 pence) post and packing (UK).
The book and video together cost £25.00 (25 pounds) plus £2.00 (2 pounds) post and packing (UK).

Overseas visitors can obtain the current conversion costs by clicking here - http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert.cgi

To order or make enquiries (and for overseas p&p) please e-mail :

chris@beacon-villages.co.uk

e-mail me when page changes

page top