Written by contributor Emily Stewart of BASEDtraveler Books & Media

To most, Dartmoor is a seemingly impenetrable labyrinth of plant, animal, and centuries of human life. Yet it is a relatively small space, 20 miles across (at 368 square miles). So at the beginning of our tour, when Inga Page mentioned that even she hadn’t visited all parts of “the Moor”, I was incredulous. After all, she is the founder of Dartmoor Walks & Rides This Way. Later, after a day of trekking by electric bike and foot for nearly six hours I understood how even Inga has Moor left to explore.

Like so many Devonians and visitors, the App for Devon team realized we really didn’t know much about Dartmoor. We knew it was a nice place to visit with family, but what was actually up there? Where were the paths, and how could someone tell the difference between a rock and a Bronze-Age outcrop? How could one see it all in the most fun and effective way? To fill the gaps, App for Devon assigned me a press trip with Inga.

Inga is a well-travelled German-speaking lady who calls Ashburton home. Always a lover of the outdoors and walking, she started Dartmoor Walks & Rides This Way three seasons ago when she left her interesting, albeit sedentary, post at a local college. Originally only a walking guide, Inga found electric bikes offered additional exploratory benefits. First, it meant that people of varied levels of fitness are able to access Dartmoor’s far reaches. Inga tells me one touching story about a 70+-year-old Japanese woman whose life changed after a tour. “The woman was suffering the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s,” Inga explains. “She was so small she looked like she was riding a Harley! She was incredible; she didn’t slow down all day. After the tour finished her daughter wrote me an email. Apparently, the woman hadn’t been doing well physically before the tour. When she returned to Japan she bought her own electric bike and showed signs of mental improvement. She goes everywhere on that bike now.” Inga tells me this story in the same reserved way that she discusses seemingly every topic under the wide blue sky during our tour.

We meet each other and two American visitors at a parking lot around 4 miles northeast of Ashburton. They are a physically fit mother-daughter duo who found Dartmoor Walks This Way via TripAdvisor (it is one of the highest-ranked activities in the region). Inga sets up our bikes, loading her own with packed lunches and offering a brief demonstration. I had never ridden an e-bike before but it is largely self-explanatory. A little disarming at first, e-bikes use a battery-powered mechanism that naturally adjusts to provide the rider with extra assistance when pedalling becomes laborious.

The second reason why Inga claims walking/ e-biking tours are the best way to explore the Moor is because the additional impetus provided by e-bikes allows a wide expanse of ground to be covered in a less physically-draining and time-consuming way. Inga’s route brings us to the tops of “tors,” the rocky outcrops capping Dartmoor’s hilly peaks. There she tells us folk stories of eons past. After learning that one of the Americans is a geologist, she points out rock quarries and discusses the merits of mica. At the top of a scenic overview she tells us about the socio-economic situation behind the development of the television mast in Princetown. And over home-made frittata and the tinkling noise of a “lake” (apparently, rivers on Dartmoor are actually called lakes) we chat about local grocers and eat tomatoes from her own garden. Inga knows a little about a lot, never overwhelming in conversation but always with an interesting tidbit to add.

Toward the end of our tour Inga asks if we’d like to visit the prim village of Widecombe. We are delighted to find an open-air town market nestled across the street from Widecombe’s “cathedral”. As she waves toward the towering church steeple, Inga notes, “While it is not actually large enough to be a cathedral, you can see why people call it that!” As I pick through BBC documentary DVD’s for £.5 and the others explore the interior of the cathedral, Inga takes shade on a rock. However, she isn’t alone for long: A local B&B owner approaches to inquire about the e-bikes. Inga tells the B&B owner the information to share with guests. It seems to be a conversation she’s had before; the bikes attract considerable attention!

By the time we return to the parking lot at 4PM I am physically and mentally fatigued, but in a most pleasant way. “We travelled 19 miles today on the bikes,” Inga says. “And we hiked, too!” Later, reflecting on the walk over a glass of wine at No. 14 café in Ashburton, I marvel at just how much land, information, and laughter we experienced that day. Walking and e-biking Dartmoor was, most definitely, the right way!

Visit Ingas’ App for Devon page here: http://www.appfordevon.com/entries/dartmoor-walks-this-way