Vixen Tor from the south
Credit Creative Commons

The following email, received by Heritage Action, is a plea for support in getting public access to the Vixen Tor which has been denied by the owner of the land for several years.

 I am writing to ask for your assistance in the campaign to have access rights restored to Vixen Tor on Dartmoor. There is a public enquiry beginning on 23rd November at Princetown Village Centre on Dartmoor itself.

According to legend, Vixen Tor is the home of Vixiana, one of the ‘witches of Dartmoor’, and as such is (and ought to be) of interest to us Pagans everywhere. It also houses a kistvaen – a Bronze Age burial site.  Seen here on The Modern Antiquarian.

The Tor has been the subject of a long-running access dispute between parties such as the Ramblers Associates and the British Mountaineering Council and the owner, a Mrs Alford.  In March 2009 Devon County Council, at a previous enquiry, found in favour of public access, but the owner objected (as they have done over a number of years to successive decisions in favour of access) and so the matter has now to be determined by inspectors appointed by the Secretary of State.

There is only one opportunity for the evidence to be heard and sifted, and for interested parties’ voices to be heard – and this is it.

We have posted links to the relevant information pages at our website –

www.dumnoniiwitchcraft.co.uk 

 but for ease of access the pages concerned are –

http://www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk/vixen_tor.htm

http://www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk/For_bidden.htm

http://www.ramblers.org.uk/freedom/impr … s/vixentor

http://www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2010/0 … s-campaign

Happily, although ongoing attendance at the public enquiry will clearly be impractical for almost everyone, we are trying to make sure that the RA and BMC are contesting (we are sure they will be), but as you will see from the RA link above, it is possible for individuals to obtain freepost postcards addressed to the Chief Executive of the Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) by emailing –

freedom@ramblers.org.uk

 The Ramblers Association  are also asking people to communicate with them regarding this, so that they can assemble as much evidence as possible in favour of access rights being restored.

If you could take action on this, and if possible circulate this email through your networks and moots, we really would be most grateful.