I’m really excited to tell you all about my new post-Covid business venture…offering bespoke intimate tours of Dartmoor with your own driver and guide/storyteller.
Dartmoor has been my passion for many years now, ever since I first climbed Sharpitor during my first visit back in the Summer of 1987 whilst I was performing in my first Summer season at the Palace Avenue Theatre in Paignton fresh out of drama school! My parents honeymooned in the South West, staying in Plymouth and visiting Dartmoor during their stay and nine months later I was born…so I feel that the moors is in my blood!
Originally from Bristol…now resident in Paignton and Exeter (don’t ask!)…as a child we spent many happy Halloween half term holidays at the Dartmoor Lodge in Ashburton when I would have had my first glimpse of the moors and a taste of the spookiness it had to offer. In those days it was my ritual to firstly buy the local ghost book and then spend the holiday telling mum and dad where to take us, visiting all the haunted hotspots!
Over the past 30 odd years I’ve immersed myself in those myths & legends and ghost stories…even setting up my own paranormal investigation group…Torbay Investigators of the Paranormal (TIP for short!)…where we hold regular meetings and encourage people to come and join us to share unexplained experiences in a quest for answers. Most of my free time is spent walking the moors and letterboxing…
During lockdown and furloughed from my normal job as Box Office Manager of the Princess Theatre in Torquay I came up with the idea of Moors & More Tours…an opportunity to combine my passion for the history and mystery of Dartmoor with my love of storytelling whilst earning a living…and so my new venture was born…a dream come true you might say!
I have dabbled in Moors Tours before, after the foot & mouth lockdown I helped set up and guide minibus trips to raise money for the CHICKS charity and for a while acted as a guide on Grey Cars coaches…now I am doing it for myself…
After the Covid-19 lockdown we are excited to be able to offer bespoke tours of the moors built around two routes…one is The Devil’s Quest based around the locations mentioned in the tale of Jan Reynold’s illfated pact with the Devil that takes in The Tavistock Inn, Widecombe in the Moor and The Warren House Inn whilst passing Jay’s Grave and other places of folkloric interest. The other is The Dartmoor Quest which traverses the moor south to north from Buckfastleigh church to Lydford village telling tales and pointing out places of importance along the way.
The basic cost of these tours are £300 for the Devil’s Quest and £330 for Dartmoor Quest. You can add to these routes if there is somewhere else you would like to see that you may have heard of but don’t know how to get to. Or take in a sunset or a moonrise…sunrises are too early for us night owls!!!
For your money you get car hire with insurance and your own driver and experienced guide/storyteller for the duration of your day out. We will also take you to some special places for lunch or evening meal if you wish to make a full day of it. Whilst additions to the basic route can be discussed and charged at a mutually acceptable rate, food stops and admission to any places of interest are not included.
Both Paul and myself have a thing for Steampunk attire, taking any opportunity we can to dress up. Once a year at Halloween we attend the Dark Gathering in Boscastle which is a day of Morris Dancing and seasonal celebrations which gives us an opportunity to Steampunk up!
I chose this as our “uniform” for our tours as back in olden times jesters, minstrels and storytellers would dress up in striking ways to draw attention to themselves and draw a crowd…I feel we are following in a time honoured tradition! Feel free to dress up too if you like when you make use of our services…which hopefully many of you will after reading this!
For further details feel free to give me a ring on 07748730214
or email me at davidtiptrips@gmail.com
Why not check out our brand new website www.moorstoursdartmoor.co.uk and make a booking that way
or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MoorsandMoreToursDevon/
Hope to see you soon…remember we are here to help you explore!