European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 8, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The West co Uii try dartmoor enjoy life at a leisurely Pace in this a time Warp a a Quot Xiv v 1 f a v Quot Quot i o to a a. A a ii it v it re. / a a / Vit. V $ i or a a a j i it r it 1 Tot Quot a , a a a a a -. A a it it a a a a i a a a a a j a v Vuk a Quot Vav x sgt it it Gay. A a a f r x met a a a a or a Lowr a a / it it j it a a a i. A it it % t it a a a Quot of i Quot a \ x s. Vamp a Ltd by it a s v a Evv Quot to Quot Ltd a i a v a a a x v it it Ltd v x a o amp a i a a a a Quot i a \ it j is it a it 4. A a it is it a a a  st.v.--.i<f1i. A v t a 9gch r Quot r a Quot a 1 ? it i Kyd. I nyl it a Quot. A i re. A  a a a a i. A. A it a to Quot if a p k 4 v a a a a is a it a t v it 1 a Fig of x 1 a a a it itt t a  or a a t ? a a a -1 a v 4 a f x a it i a 1 Iuo. If  a a.  a v. A a a  a it 4 i Ter makes his Way across a Field near dartmoor. By Dave Didio staff photographer on the West Edge of the tiny Devonshire Hamlet of Moretonhampstead snuggled right up alongside Highway b3212, a weather beaten hand painted sign reaches out from the tiny Wood framed Gas station nearby. Quot last Gas before the Moor Quot barely visible after years of pummelling by the v elements the words evoke images of the handful of warning signs that once populated roads on the Edge of America s great Mojave desert in the 1930s and 40s. Beyond the sign a thin ribbon of narrow Highway snakes its Way up the slope and disappears Over a treeless horizon. What lies behind that first Hill is so different from the rest of Devon it might As Well be on the Moon. A Here carved out of the normally Lush vegetation of Southwest England lies dartmoor a 200-Square-mile Patch of nothingness that does t quite fit the pict rebook image of English Countryside. The landscape appears to go on forever England s own Quot big sky country Quot with not so much As a Bush to break its flow. It s almost As though a giant hand had once come out of nowhere and yanked out All the Trees by their roots leaving nothing but Bald Hills and rugged valleys. A Highway b3212, running from Moretonhampstead to Yelverton cuts straight through the heart of this vast Region connecting a handful of Small settlements that sprout Oasis like on Barren patches of land populated mostly by blackface sheep Ana a few dartmoor ponies. Occasional clusters of Granite boulders Are the Only splotches on what a looks like a rippled Green velvet carpet. In the United states when someone really yearns to Quot get away from it All Quot there s no shortage of Back roads Mountain retreats desert or forests to escape to. Sometimes it s Only a matter of hopping on interstate 80 and heading West. By the time you hit the Rockies there la be times when yours is the Only car on the Road for As far As the Eye can  s not quite the same in England with a population density of More than 600 people per Square mile almost 10 times that of the United states travellers Are a bit hard pressed to find a place to be alone with their thoughts. Most of the time Solitude is out of the question. While England s dartmoor National Park May not be As hot and Dusty As the Mojave or As reclusive As the american Pacific Northwest it nevertheless holds its own As a place where you can be just about As alone As you want to be a few of the Moor s villages like Postbridge Are jumping off Points for hikers intent upon exploring the hundreds of paths that wind their Way across the Moor passing huge outcroppings of Granite Rock piles reaching As High As 100 feet. The pathways Are a Challenge for hikers As they try to avoid the peat bogs and notorious Quot featherbeds Quot a Small patches of Green Moss that cover deep holes. Some bogs Nave holes As deep As 16 feet covered by a web of vegetation that shrouds their potential for treachery. Any slip Here could produce unpleasant results. A favorite tradition of hikers is to find dartmoor Quot letter boxes Quot a bottles or boxes first sprinkled across the Moor in the 19th Century where visitors once deposited postcards addressed to themselves which the next visitors would collect and mail in their hometowns. Over the years the number of letter boxes scattered throughout the Moor has grown to at least 450, and people still leave and collect postcards. Postbridge itself seems strikingly out of place in dartmoor. The settlement nestles in a shallow Valley crossed by the East Dart River attracting artists hikers and bikers to its picturesque Stone Bridges and a collection of Trees dependent upon the River for life. Situated in the Center of dartmoor the Hamlet has become the Ideal Quot Roadside break Quot for Drivers and walkers alike. After driving atone for Miles on the b3212, you go Over a Hill and suddenly it s As though the whole world is sitting right there sunning itself on the Banks of the East Dart. It s fitting that dartmoor often called the last great wilderness in Southern England is also Home to dartmoor prison at Princetown. Built in 1809 As a settlement to 6 stripes Magazine september 8, 1994 i