Even today, Dartmoor Forest (to give it the ancient name) is a wild and awesome place. Trees don't feature in this forest; instead the rugged terrain is bleak and unforgiving, and the wild ponies which charm summer visitors have a hard time when winter sets in. In lowland areas "commoners' rights" allow farmers and cottagers to graze sheep and cattle on the lower slopes of the moor where most of the habitation is to be found.