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PAUL RENDELL, also known as ’Dartmoor Paul’, was born in Plymouth and
became enthusiastic about Dartmoor from an early age
after being taken on numerous outings by his parents. Burrator and Sheepstor
were two of the favourite places they went as a family.
Very early he found he was fascinated by the moor’s industrial archaeology
and its wildlife. Because he was dyslexic his schooldays
were not very easy for him but he struggled on until school leaving age.
After leaving school, Paul trained as a chef and worked in a number of
establishments within the Plymouth area, as well as some on Dartmoor.
Later on he became the Head Gardener at Devonport Dockyard and for stayed
there several years but his love for Dartmoor led
him to look for work away from the city. His boyhood explorations had
already provided him with a knowledge of the moor that
only a few possess and his interest led to a second job: leading guided
walks and giving talks. Through sheer grit and
determination he became a full-time professional guide; this in turn has
enabled him to introduce countless people to the delights
of walking on Dartmoor and throughout the West Country.
As a keen local historian, Paul has written many articles for newspapers and
magazines and wrote his first book, called
‘Exploring the Lower Walkham Valley’. In 1991 he founded the ‘Dartmoor
News’, a bi monthly magazine which he still edits today.
Paul is frequently out and about gathering information on matters relating
to Dartmoor. For a number of years he was the
Conservation Officer for the Dartmoor Preservation Association. In 2011 he
started working for the Dartmoor Pony Heritage
Trust leading walks and doing conservation work Bellever near Postbridge and
Paul is Committee member for the Okehampton
& District Branch of the Devonshire Association.
Paul has now been a Dartmoor National Park Guide for over 21 years
He loves taking photographs and many of his pictures can be found on
Christmas cards, postcards, calendars and in
magazines. In his spare time he collects old picture postcards, listens to
music and exploring the countryside.
Paul has written
three books: Exploring the Lower Walkham Valley, Exploring the Burrator Area
and Okehampton Through Time
was published in May 2011. He has published a number of books for other
authors.
Today he lives
in Okehampton with his partner Pauline Greenwood. They are working their
first book together,
Dartmoor Pubs Through Time.
Paul Rendell publisher of the Dartmoor
News see :-
www.dartmoornewsmagazine.co.uk
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