This new book, recently published by Blackingstone Publishing, tells the story, in his own words, of Jeremy (Jez) Wilkinson’s childhood on a traditional Dartmoor hill farm. A farm that Jez describes as, ‘filled with dogs, ponies and larger than life characters’. The story moves on through Jez’s schooldays and the move to Babeny, the onset of mechanization on the farm, his hunting and horse racing endeavours, the creation of the National Park and a great deal more.
The Well-Watered Land is a book about changing times on Dartmoor, seen through the eyes of a man who is truly immersed in the traditions of moorland life, and who has spent all but a very short spell, living and working within a few miles of his birthplace.
An extract from the book:
I suppose at about the double-figure stage of life I was starting to feel my feet, as they say, or at least feel the need of company nearer my own age. The family unit was all very well, but perhaps the next valley might just be a little greener than ours and I was never good at taking Father’s word for it. But of course to spread my wings, so to speak, and widen my horizons I needed transport. For a while, I hunted around thinking I could cobble together an old bicycle that Father had abandoned in the stinging nettles, but after discovering that the moving parts were all rusted together and the wheels were different shapes, my eventual salvation came in the form of a pig called Alice.
Published by Blackingstone Publishing, 2 Steward Cottages, Moretonhampstead, TQ13 8SD - Tel: 01647 441174