Trail Trivia

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The Tarka Trail is named after the title character in the book 'Tarka the Otter' by Henry Williamson, first published in 1927.  The book tells the story of a young otter growing up in the area of the two rivers, the Taw and the Torridge.

The book was made into a film in 1979.  The film was shot on location in North Devon and used many of the locations mentioned in the book.  The film was narrated by Peter Ustinov.

The trail isn't the only thing named after the little furry varmint, a quick look in the local Yellow Pages reveals the following list:

Tarka Books, Tarka Clinic, Tarka Country Trust, Tarka Electronics, Tarka Garden Art, Tarka Home Trust, Tarka Mill, Tarka Outdoor Toys, Tarka Radio, Tarka Springs, Tarka Tennis Centre, Tarka Tiles, Tarka Tots Nursery, Tarka Trade Frames and, of course, the Exeter-Barnstaple branch line is called the Tarka Line.

Tarka wasn't the only literary animal to grace the North Devon line.  In the denouement of The Hound of the Baskervilles Holmes explains that the bad guy (I'm not going to tell you who it is in case you haven't read it!) bought the strongest and most savage dog he could find and brought it down 'by the North Devon line and walked a great distance over the moor' so as not to excite remarks.

What's the best animal to be in the winter?  A little otter!  (Sorry!)

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