Dank, mysterious Wistman's Wood- part 2. Of the entries in my diary so far the one about this atmospheric and otherworldly place on Dartmoor has been particularly remarked upon (posted 8th. February). So I've dug out a few more photos from my visit back in August 2012.
 It is thought that the Wood (mainly pendiculate oak) is a surviving relic of ancient forest circa 7000BC. Various explanations are put forward for the name Wistman. It may have been a dialect word meaning eerie or uncanny. Then again it might have meant Welshman or wise man and referred to druidic practises. Or it might be associated with the archetypal myth of the Wild Hunt whose hell hounds were called Wisht Hounds in Devonshire folklore.
 Researching the history of the Wood after my visit I found out that it is home to a large number of adders- fortunately (or unfortunately?) I didn't encounter any!
 As mentioned in my earlier entry it is included in Clifton Bain's excellent book "The Rainforests of Britain and Ireland". He cites it as one of the remaining pockets of temperate Atlantic rainforest, sometimes called Celtic rainforests due to their distribution down the westerly side of Scotland, Wales, Ireland and England.
 One of the definitions of coastal temperate rainforest is that it receives at least 1500mm of rainfall annually. Dartmoor receives around 2000mm. I can vouch for the amount of precipitation. The day I took these photos the field I was camping in had flooded overnight. I had pitched my tent on a bit of raised ground so I was spared being woken by the rising of the nearby stream; others were not so lucky...