OUR AREA
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We are located a few minutes from the A30 trunk road between Exeter and Okehampton. The A30 links to the M5 at Exeter. This means that access to the home of Romantica Tonkinese is quite straight forward since much of the motorway system joins the M5 at Bristol, We should like to introduce you to some features of our area. |
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Okehampton is a busy market town (population 7000) which sits in the very centre of Devon. The location of the town, easy access to the moor and the adjacent A30 trunk road linking to the M5 at Exeter, have contributed to establishing Okehampton as a visitor and walking centre for the northern area of the Dartmoor National Park.
Although it is known that Iron Age people lived here and the Romans built a fort nearby, the first documentary evidence shows the existence of a Saxon settlement in AD 980. Following the Norman invasion in 1066, the Saxon rulers were replaced by a Norman Serif. The first of these, Baldwin de Brion, built the castle just outside the town on top of a wooded hill overlooking the River Okement valley.
Situated in a courtyard next to the Tourist Information Office, the museum traces the development of the town and the moor over the centuries. The museum which is housed in a former mill, with a restored water wheel, has a large collection of local photographs and documents, acting as a centre for local research.
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The Museum Of Dartmoor Life.
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DARTMOOR NATIONAL PARK. Dartmoor is an outstandingly beautiful area of moorland with wooded valleys and wind swept Tors ( the old Celtic word for "tower" ). A wide- open area covering 369 square miles (953 sq. km.), the moor features some of the wildest and bleakest country in England. Dartmoor was designated as one of the National Parks of England and Wales in 1951. The National Park is named after the River Dart whose source rises on the moor. The two tallest peaks of Dartmoor, Yes Tor and High Wilhays, each more than 600 metres in height, are not far south of Okehampton.
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