Wistman’s is the easily the most famous parcel of Temperate Rainforest (sometimes called Celtic Rainforest) in England, after having featured on the telly. But it is by no means the only rainforest in England, there’s loads of surviving bits.
You are just one hard-to-spot lane away from paradise You shouldn’t expect AA signs to these little parcels of paradise, here are five Devon beaches that only the locals know about. They often lack what you’ve come to think of as “basic facilities”, but they are rarely crowded and usually cost you a lot less … Read more
The nicest thing about the Westcountry is Dartmoor, obviously. I once overheard a couple of older ladies chatting together on the local community bus, as you do. One said… “I’ve just been to Dartmoor, it was lovely” She paused for a beat before adding “still, you don’t like Dartmoor, do you”. It wasn’t a question … Read more
We started Dartmoor Sheepskins with a strong sense that it was the right thing to do; Axminster Carpets had just closed locally and the tannery had nowhere in Buckfastleigh to sell sheepskins – which was strange after so many generations had traded their wares in these Stannery towns at the edges of Dartmoor. It felt … Read more
Mushrooms: are they the LEAST understood life form? I was raised with the idea that fungi is neither plant nor animal, and somehow therefore less significant than lifeforms that can lord it up with their very own kingdom. I was also told not to pick them, but the ones from shops taste great when fried … Read more
You can buy Logwood Trap Dye online from Dartmoor Sheepskins in the UK. Logwood chemically converts rust (iron oxide) into a more stable compound (ferric tannate). The tannic acid in the ground logwood bark can convert any surface rust it comes into contact with, but it won’t ‘soak in’.Start your rust conversion by removing any … Read more
The tannic acid in logwood bark reacts with the iron within the rust, and this produces iron tannate – which is much more stable than rust. American trappers use logwood bark in a hot dye bath to chemically convert the rust on their traps. The logwood is loaded with tannin – tannic acid, which reacts … Read more
Cross breeds seem to be the order of the day and we have a whole bunch of rare breed ruminants to choose from. All our sheepskin rugs come from animals that have already entered the food chain, and as such we receive the skins of animals that have been slaughtered. We don’t get to choose … Read more
Why are Brixham trawler sails red? People often wonder why the Brixham trawlers had red sails? Few of these boats are still water tight – and very few, if any, skippers will still be using the old methods of sail maintenance. But why where the sails painted red, is the red colour a preservative of … Read more
An excited dog barks, tail wagging, as it runs out from behind a snowy ATV – the Reindeer have arrived! Life won’t return to ‘normal’ for months. “What is good for the Reindeer is good for the Sami” Where do the Reindeer come from? It’s thought that after the last Ice Age reindeer began pushing … Read more