It's centenary, my dear Watson . . .

Dymphna Byrne11 April 2012
The Weekender

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DARTMOOR is celebrating its 50th birthday as a National Park this year. But the flags have really gone up for the news everyone has been waiting for. After months of closure because of foot-and-mouth, more than 90 per cent of the park has now been declared open.

And other anniversaries abound on southern England's last great wilderness; from the 100th of Conan Doyle's The Hound Of The Baskervilles to the 100th of a reborn institution.

Let's deal with Sherlock Holmes first. Don't be disturbed if you see Holmes, Dr Watson, the sinister Mr Stapleton and his striking 'sister', the terrifying convict or other characters from The Hound Of The Baskervilles lurking on Dartmoor during August. It's just a celebration.

In 1901, the first instalment of Conan Doyle's famous novel, set on mist-shrouded autumnal Dartmoor, was published. Since then, enthusiastic fans have searched the moor hoping to pinpoint the sites of the sinister happenings.

But ingenious Conan Doyle was a match for his readers. He mixed real with fictitious places, called his aristocratic hero after a coach driver and probably based his background on an infamous local family.

To mark the book's centenary, a group of deeply serious and committed fans, the crème de la crème of devotees, plans an August celebration. Dressed in costume, they will visit significant sites.

So, your eyes will not deceive you if you see Watson lurking round the ruined church of Buckfastleigh or Holmes walking into what is now the High Moorland Visitor Centre.

Built as a royal hunting lodge in Victoria's reign, then used as a prison officers' mess, it eventually became the privately owned Duchy Hotel where Conan Doyle stayed.

The second centenary has no public recognition but, by a curious twist of timing, a Benedictine monk, abbot Anscav, was also working on a project in 1901, one that would eventually attract thousands of people to Dartmoor every year. Buckfast Abbey, built in the 11th Century and destroyed by Henry VIII in the 16th, was about to be rebuilt. It took four remarkable monks 30 years to complete the work. The abbey, consecrated in August 1932, has gone from strength to strength as more of the original site, including a vast medieval guest hall, has been reclaimed. Buckfast has become the most visited religious site in the country. The winning formula is simple. The monks follow the rule of St Benedict - daily prayer, work and study.

Where to stay guide - self-catering to hotels and B&Bs from The Dartmoor Tourist Association (01822

890567) www.dartmoor-guide.co.uk.

The High Moorland Visitor Centre is open all year (01822 890414).

The latest on Dartmoor is on www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk

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