h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Bovey Heathfield SSSI, Devon, UK - A5974310
Author: Skankyrich - I'll see you in the sky above, in the tall grass, in the ones I love... - U931109

First one in a while!

Very good entry. I don't know the heath at all, though I know the area reasonably well (and Drumbridges roundabout more than I'd like). I remember when the ant colony was moved to Paignton Zoo - their press office claimed a million new animals at one go!

I couldn't help thinking that there are a few too many footnotes. Maybe some of them could be worked back into the text?

Thanks Parferris!

I've worked a few footnotes back in but some should stay, I think - explaining statutory designations, however briefly, doesn't make great reading!

That's what I meant - I certainly didn't mean to suggest that you should work them all back in. Too many footnotes tend to be a distraction, though.

Maybe you should either spell out what SSSI stands for in the title, or leave out the acronym all together. It's a bit confusing to have something that people might not necessarily understand in the title. Then you can go on to explain what an SSSI is in the intro of the entry, like you do.

Hi, Skankyrich!

Another great entry--a well-balanced mix of natural history and history, with a good sense of the local individuality of the site.

Some points I noticed:
I'd agree with the comment about the footnotes: there's an extra problem there in that (in the hated Internet Explorer) if you read the footnotes as I do, by hovering the mouse pointer on the number, the links in the footnote don't work, which makes the 'look here' bit very disconcerting. I would suggest fusing all three footnotes in the first section into one footnote at the end of the paragraph.

One thing that isn't very clear is why this area was distinctively different--why was the soil poor or acidic enough here to give rise to heathland? (I vaguely associate lowland Devon with rich soils and dairy farming) Later on you mention the Bovey Basin, and both tin and china clay, so I think it would be a good idea to throw in a sentence or two nearer the beginning about the geology and underlying rock. The impression I get is that the Bovey Basin is a bowl-shaped depression with thin soils over underlying rocks which include ores of tin, but I may have misunderstood.

How to find it: "From the A38, turn off for Bovey Tracey..." I had a look at my GB road atlas and these directions are not very helpful unless you include a mention of starting from Exeter or from the end of the M5 .

Once again, I really like this, and I think it will make an excellent addition to the Edited Guide.


Azara

EMR - the name of the site is 'Bovey Heathfield SSSI' - I've explained it as soon as humanly possible in the text.

Azara - I've kept the footnotes seperate - if I was subbing, I'd explain each as I go - but have revised them and made the links more descriptive - anyone who's really really interested in EN designations can still follow them at the foot of the page, a sure cure for insomnia . Added line on local geology; in terms of directions, if you've even had the vaguest thought that you might plan to come, you'll have found the A38 - trust me

Oh, and by the way, entry, Kat says she's too busy to comment on you and sends her apologies

I understand, but here I am wondering what an SSSI is before I've read the entry. I just don't think people should be confused by the title.

An alternative is to re-title it "Bovey Heathfield Site of Special Scientific Interest", but that's horribly wordy and probably no more illuminating

Yes, that did occur to me.

How about just taking out the SSSI bit in the title. Would you lose a lot just by saying that it's 'Bovey Heathfield, Devon, UK'? Then you could explain that it's a Site of Special Scientific Interest as soon as you start the entry.

Well, not really, because SSSI is actually part of the name.

At the end of the day, having SSSI in the title is accurate. And would it deter anybody from reading the entry? And Skanks has explained the term early on in the piece.

Is this all getting a bit pedantic?

Yeah, probably. Sorry for the big deal about it.

S'okay... we all do it

Links added to local BBC News site today

Since you use SSSI in the title, you should explain it in the text rather than in a footnote.

pleisticence --> pleistocene

1000 acres --> 1,000 acres

traing grounds --> training grounds

The 'Downtrodden Ants Return Home. -- there's a missing quotation mark in this.

Thank you uowou6!

You content with this one 'rich?

Yes, absolutely

I forgot to mention that the Reserve Officer looked it over on Wednesday and says it's ok - thought I'd better get him to check the facts were straight.

Good idea