About John and Pauline Earle
John
Earle
John Earle came to live here at Rowden 1n 1970
having lived near Dartmoor since the 1940s. he established the
Dartmoor Expedition Centre while he was still working for B.B.C.
television.
He had been presenting “Tom Tom” a
children's programme “though you would have to be over 40 to
have seen it!!” says John. He was the presenter of two
television series of ten programmes about learning to climb
(called Rockface) and canoe. Local west country people will
remember his “Walks on Dartmoor” as well as “Earle's
Islands” and “West Country Rivers” which were shown on
Spotlight and his voyages around the coast in his old gaffer
“Helen”, with Tony Soper as well as many other documentaries.
As an expedition cameraman John travelled to many of the
great mountain ranges of the world such as the Himalayas, Baffin
Island and Tierra del Fuego where he was on two expeditions with
the great mountaineer and explorer Eric Shipton. For the past 25
years John has been leading treks in the Himalayas.
Running
the centre for over 30 years has given John the opportunity to
introduce a great many children and adults to his own love of
climbing, walking and the great outdoors. He has thoroughly
enjoyed being able to pass on his enthusiasm for these activities
both here on Dartmoor and all over the world. He has written
several walking guide books for the South West including Dartmoor
published by Cicerone Press and Halsgrove Press.
Pauline
Earle
Pauline has really enjoyed having the chance to
work from home, and to bring up a family in such a lovely place.
So many interesting people have come to the Centre, and so many of
them have become good friends. 'Actually, it could be the animals
that bring people back.' says Pauline. 'The dogs and cats have
been great at making connections with children and adults alike.'
Although most groups are self catering, John and Pauline share the
cooking now if groups do want meals, and the smell of baking
flapjack is often on the air.
Pauline now works as a
counsellor with the NHS in Plymouth, this fits well with work at
the Centre. For relaxation she prefers painting the tors to
climbing them, and she has a wonderful collection of prints of her
pictures for sale at the centre, click here
for some examples . She enjoys walking too, and has been with John
to Nepal and skiing in France, but sometimes she wonders why they
go away, 'It's so beautiful living here. We're very lucky'.
