Dartmoor Way: Okehampton to Mary Tavy

Thursday 4th and Friday 5th April 2024

I was still not feeling great at the start of this day, partly due to not eating much over the last couple of days, but also because I hadn’t slept well in the youth hostel and the weather seemed to agree with me as rain was forecast for most of the day, so with a deep sense of foreboding I made my way into the centre of Okehampton and resumed my course along the Dartmoor Way. It was already raining, though the sun was futilely trying to break through the clouds, but initially the trail was good as I walked beside the West Okement River and through the Old Town Park Nature Reserve where wood anemones decorated the woodland floor. On reaching a road the walk deteriorated as it took me through a golf course and farmer’s fields where I was exposed to the wind and rain before entering a bluebell wood whose flowers were only just beginning to come out. It is a pity that I was too early to see this wood at its best, but I was already beginning to doubt the wisdom of continuing on the walk. When I reached Meldon Viaduct I had views towards Meldon Reservoir where vast quantities of water was rushing over the dam while the high moors behind sat under dark clouds, but I was feeling very weak and again I was questioning whether to continue. With an easing of the rain I crossed the wrought iron viaduct and proceeded along the old railway line but I didn’t get very far until lack of energy stopped me.

I spent a while debating with myself on whether to continue, but when I realised that most of the morning had already past and I had made hardly any progress along the trail I decided I should turn back and abandon the walk. My body was clearly telling me that I was not in a state to keep going so I finally obeyed and returned to Okehampton along the Granite Way, a cyclepath that runs alongside the old railway which still exists from the disused Meldon Quarry. Heritage trains used to run along the tracks between Okehampton and the quarry but they have clearly not done so for many years. With the weather slowly improving I made my way along the cycle track with the noisy dual carriageway alongside and eventually returned to the youth hostel next to Okehampton railway station with my plans to walk along the Dartmoor Way in ruins. I would not be able to complete the trail on this holiday, but with everything that had been put against me it was inevitable. The bad weather had already forced me to stay at the Okehampton Youth Hostel for the rest of the week as it would be unwise to wild camp in high winds. After resting for the rest of the day I felt much better in the morning so I set off along the Granite Way back to Meldon Viaduct to resume my walk along the Dartmoor Way as far as I could go.

The weather was exactly as it had been the day before and possibly even windier, as the approaching Storm Kathleen made its presence felt. Eventually I came off the cyclepath to follow the Dartmoor Way onto a road that soon became a track and climbed onto the moor where I was exposed to strong headwinds. Despite blue skies behind me, the moors resolutely clung to the cloud while the wind made walking very challenging. Ahead of me were the crags of Sourton Tors, which I had visited in 2020, but on this occasion I passed beneath them, off the moor and into the village of Sourton. Beyond, after initially traversing a very muddy path I crossed countless grassy fields that left little impression on me and after a brief road walk I turned onto a byway that provided me with relatively easy walking, though little of interest except for at Fernworthy Down and a ford in a tree-lined valley beyond. Just outside the village of Lydford I reached a road that took me through the village where the star attraction is the National Trust property of Lydford Gorge, which was closed due to high winds. A relatively busy road took me around the gorge and onto the lower slopes of Gibbet Hill where soft, wet ground with a strong headwind took me around the hill for several miles into the village of Mary Tavy.

I was now wondering how much more of the Dartmoor Way I was going to have to endure before I decided to stop and wait for a bus, but with the village of Peter Tavy not far away and the bus an hour away I decided to keep going, but not far out of Mary Tavy my way was blocked by a closed road with seemingly no way around. I took this as a hint to finally stop and return to Mary Tavy where I waited for the bus. I had reached the point where there was thirty one miles left on the Dartmoor Way, out of one hundred and eight. It is disappointing, but this final obstacle was one of many that seemed determined to prevent me from completing the Dartmoor Way. The ground was horribly wet and muddy, strong winds developed during the week while I fell ill and had difficulty sleeping, so a blocked road seemed appropriate. I actually quite enjoyed this day’s walk despite the poor weather, mainly because I had fully recovered from my ill health and was able to accept everything with humour. The next day I didn’t attempt to do any walking in Dartmoor and instead I started my journey home, stopping off in Bristol for a walk around the city and to visit the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Dartmoor Way: Cranbrook Down to Okehampton

Tuesday 2nd and Wednesday 3rd April 2024

I hardly got any sleep during the night before this walk and in the morning I was feeling so rough and tired I didn’t think I’d be able to do the walk ahead of me even though the weather was fantastic with the sun shining on Cranbrook Down where I had camped in the middle of an Iron Age hillfort. Very slowly, I packed up my tent and carefully made my way down the hill onto the track that carries the Dartmoor Way and this descended increasingly steeply into the Teign Valley until eventually I reached Fingle Bridge. From there, the Dartmoor Way climbs the northern bank, but with hindsight I wish I had stayed at the bottom of the valley and walked beside the river as I didn’t have the energy to climb up the bank, even though that is exactly what I did. I was trying to keep to the course of the Dartmoor Way which relentlessly climbs the side of the hill and in my weakened state this was a severe trial. I stopped many times during the ascent and soon came to the realisation that I wouldn’t be able to walk all the way to Okehampton this day. Eventually the path levelled off and afforded me with views across the tree-clad valley for a great walk along the terrace above Sharp Tor and around Castle Drogo before finally descending into a side valley that led me down to the mouth of the Teign Gorge.

A short walk beside the river brought me to the main road at Dogmarsh Bridge where I hoped I would be able to catch a bus, but that was not possible so I kept beside the river soon passing through lovely woodland decorated with wood anemones, but plagued with muddy paths. Grassy fields beyond led me to a road where I climbed wearyingly into the market town of Chagford just as it started to rain. The good weather at the start of the day had not lasted long and I didn’t have the energy to continue so I found shelter in the market house in the centre of the town and waited several hours for a bus that eventually brought me into Okehampton where I was booked to stay at the youth hostel. The following morning I still didn’t feel very well, so the wisest thing to do would be to rest in the youth hostel and wait until I had recovered, but the bus back to Chagford only ran on a Wednesday so I caught it back to the market town and set off again on the Dartmoor Way. The weather was no better than it had been when I had arrived in Chagford the day before with light showers and no sign of the sun, which left me longing for the weather on Monday when the showers had been interspersed with sunshine. The first stage this day was a mixture of road walking and woodland paths, with the latter filled with green plants but nothing flowering and the most interest provided by Blackaton Brook.

The weather slowly began to improve with the rain easing and occasional breaks appearing in the clouds though strong winds kept things feeling cold. I had a terrible time while traversing the byway Deave Lane as it was horrendously muddy and prolonged so I was very thankful when I eventually reached a road and even more thankful when I saw a sign beside the church in Throwleigh that to a person in my condition felt heaven-sent: toilet. After using the facilities in the church I continued on a path that was heavily churned up by cattle, so I was thankful again when I reached a street that heralded the start of a prolonged section of road walking. Eventually I reached the village of South Zeal and after that the village of Sticklepath where I remember parking in 2007 for a walk that started through Belstone Cleave, the wooded valley of the River Taw, and now I followed in my footsteps. At the time the wood was filled with bluebells, but unfortunately they were not in flower at this early date, though the path was very good, mostly on rock, which made the walk immensely enjoyable, especially compared with the muddy conditions that I’d previously endured on this holiday. However, half way along the valley the good path seemed to climb out of the valley while the continuation of the Dartmoor Way was considerably muddier until eventually the good path seemed to come back down into valley to cross the River Taw and climb the hillside into the village of Belstone.

With stunning views down the valley I made my way into Belstone, where I had parked in 2020, and now I followed my footpaths again climbing wearyingly onto the open moor for what felt like the first time in many days, probably since Haytor Rocks on Sunday, so it was great to experience the moors of Dartmoor again and see the outcrops of Belstone Tor to my left and in the distance many more. Unfortunately I was not destined to reach them as I soon swung right into the valley of the East Okement River where a pleasant walk beside the rapidly flowing river eventually brought me underneath the A30 dual carriageway and the railway line, and finally led me into Okehampton. After a poor start the weather was quite good on this walk which helped me enjoy it despite not being in the best of health, so I was glad that I had not wasted the day and I particularly enjoyed the scenery towards the end of the walk which made up for the muddy conditions getting there.

Dartmoor Way: Trendlebere Down to Cranbrook Down

Monday 1st April 2024

The night before this walk I was camped on the edge of Trendlebere Down and woke to a cold morning with clear skies overhead and stunning views across the Bovey Valley, but with a saturated tent from the rain earlier in the night and condensation from the cold. After breakfast I made my way back down the hill and soon I was back on the Dartmoor Way and walking on a road, which seems to be normal. When I came off the road I entered the National Trust’s Parke Estate, initially beside a lovely bit of woodland, but all too soon I was dumped into a very muddy field. Eventually the ground hardened and I was able to make my way across the estate and into the town of Bovey Tracey, which is technically outside of the Dartmoor National Park. When Abbie Barnes of Spend More Time In The Wild did this walk in 2021, as shown on YouTube, the town was bypassed, which can all be done too easily, but instead of following my inspiration I decided to stick rigidly to the route. While in Bovey Tracey I bought something for lunch and filled my water bottles before setting off along the path through Mill Marsh Park and beside the River Bovey while ahead of me I could see dark clouds looming ahead that soon covered the skies, removing the sunshine that I had woken to and when I joined the route of a disused railway line it started to rain.

The rain was intermittent at first and I was reluctant, as always, to put on my waterproof trousers until eventually I relented which ultimately proved to be necessary, though not immediately. After a pleasant walk on the course of the old railway line largely through woodland lined with celandines and primroses, the Dartmoor Way veered off the railway onto a road and across the valley, and as the rain began to fall in earnest I turned into Pullbrook Wood following a forestry track past many log stacks. With the rain pouring down I ploughed on along the byway until I reached Becka Brook where the track crossed the stream by a ford, but the stream was now a raging torrent and could not be easily crossed. There must be a bridge at this point, but I didn’t see it though I didn’t really look for it and it may have been a short distance downstream. Instead I could see a slender path beside the stream so I took that, but it soon became obvious that this was not the Dartmoor Way as the path became increasingly sketchy and difficult to follow. As I made slow progress through the dense vegetation the rain stopped and astonishingly the clouds broke to reveal blue skies. When I finally lost all trace of the path I climbed up the bank to get out of the valley and when I reached an opening I was afforded me with views in the sunshine across the valley.

Eventually I reached a road and followed this through a meandering course past the tourist attraction of Becky Falls to a footpath that goes around the falls without providing me with a view, since you have to pay for that privilege, and instead I passed many signs that kept me away from the paying areas until eventually, beyond the falls, I finally returned to the Dartmoor Way after my long diversion around Becky Falls. A short spell of road walking brought me to the hamlet of Water where I turned into woodland, which initially I thought was a welcome change from the road walking that I had so often encountered on the Dartmoor Way, but soon I longed to be back on roads as the path through the wood was horrendously muddy, which made walking extremely difficult and left my feet and legs covered in mud. When the path entered Neadon Cleave it seemed to be descending all the way down to the River Bovey but eventually I turned left to pass through woodland that looked promising for flowers, but frustratingly at this early date in the season all I could see was green plants. If the path had been firmer underfoot and I was there a month later, then I’m sure this would have been a fabulous walk through gorgeous woodland, but instead I was relieved when I finally reached the end which heralded the start of a prolonged spell of road walking.

That ended on the approach to Dickford Bridge when the road became an exceptionally muddy track that got my boots covered in mud and then soon after I had to wade through deep water which washed all the mud off my boots and soaked my feet. Eventually I came into the pretty little village of North Bovey and beyond I crossed many fields, including one that was heavily ploughed and difficult to cross, until the final challenge on the path up into Moretonhampstead, which was stupendously muddy. The walking on this day was extremely difficult with many very muddy paths that were very quickly wearing me out. After passing through Moretonhampstead the path took me through pleasant woodland to reach the edge of Butterdon Down until eventually, and with low energy levels, I finally reached Cranbrook Down and climbed up into the remains of an Iron Age hillfort where I put up my tent. Several showers had passed through during the afternoon interspersed with some lovely sunshine and occasionally views towards moors in the west, but I was not in the mood to appreciate it. It started to rain soon after I reached Cranbrook Down, which did not help my mood as I tried to put up my tent and moaned that it was poorly designed and eventually I came to the realisation that I don’t actually like camping. I camp under sufferance. It was necessary during Covid and to get me to places I wouldn’t otherwise be able to get to, but I don’t actually enjoy it. With this realisation I began to change my plans for the year which had involved a lot of camping.

Dartmoor Way: Water Oak Corner to Trendlebere Down

Sunday 31st April 2024

After a cold and wet night I woke on the edge of Dean Moor in Dartmoor to overcast skies with the strong winds that had accompanied the rain earlier in the night now easing. Finally, I set off from Water Oak Corner onto grassy fields that reminded me of Easter Sunday last year when I had been in the Yorkshire Dales and the skies were similarly overcast, but I felt upbeat. The fatigue that I had felt the day before was now gone after a good night that saw me going to sleep when it got dark and waking up when it got light. It was great to be untroubled by alarm clocks and able to sleep for as many hours as my body needed while the clocks changing overnight passed by without me noticing, though my phone soon reminded me that it was an hour later than my watch indicated. The route of the Dartmoor Way took me across Lambs Down to the crossing of Dean Burn set in delightful woodland before a short climb brought me onto a road whose banks were lined with wildflowers, most notably primroses that were very encouraging for me as I walked along the road. When I finally turned off I passed through some fields and into Bilberryhill Copse, which was initially covered in wild garlic and then bluebells, though tragically it was too early in the year for me to see them in flower.

Beyond, an abominably muddy path took me past a farm and onto a road that led me into the market town of Buckfastleigh where I stopped at the Singing Kettle for a late breakfast. On this Sunday morning everywhere else was shut so this tearoom was a welcome place for me to rest and recharge. Onward, I crossed the River Mardle and turned up a long flight of steps lined with beautiful wildflowers to reach the ruins of Holy Trinity Church before a steep descent brought me back to the road after what seems like a complete waste of effort. With blue skies briefly appearing and the sun briefly breaking through I crossed the River Dart and headed towards the town of Ashburton, largely on roads, though not direct as I made several unnecessary diversions before finally descending into Ashburton where I stopped for lunch. When I resumed my walk along the Dartmoor Way I crossed a grassy bank above the waters of the River Ashburn, which I followed into the woodland of Whiddon Scrubbs where, beyond a fence, a brilliant display of woodland plants could be seen, all poised to come out in flower, just not at this time.

Once the path became drier underfoot, then it was a pleasure to walk through this wood beside the slender river, despite overcast skies and a lack of woodland flowers. Eventually the path moved away from the river and climbed on a wet, muddy track to reach Lower and Higher Whiddon which heralded the start of a prolonged section of road walking. From Owlacombe Cross a relatively busy road brought me to Halshanger Cross where I turned right for a quieter stretch of road walking that undulated along the foot of the moors until finally I reached Birchanger Cross. I had not been on the moors so far this day and instead there had been a lot of frustrating road walking, which was only enlivened by the primroses that lined the banks but this last stretch even lacked that so I was relieved when I finally reached Birchanger Cross, turned left and descended to cross the River Lemon. Another muddy path brought me up out of the valley and onto the open moor where I was overjoyed to be finally unfettered and able to see the widespread, though misty, views behind me and ahead past the gorse bushes onto the moor.

When Haytor Rocks came into view I was blown away by the enormity of them, so it was a shame it was so misty and windy and that a road passes just below so they were covered in people. The Dartmoor Way passes to the right, east, of these two granite outcrops, but I elected to pass between them before descending the slopes beyond to reach the Templer Way and the tracks of an old tramway, which is unusually formed of granite rails, shaped to guide the wheels of horse-driven wagons. At this point I was thinking it was too early to stop where I had intended, but it took me so long to follow the trail off the moor and around the edge of Yarner Wood, where the granite tramway continued, that by the time I reached Reddaford Water at the foot of Trendlebere Down it was about five o’clock, so I climbed up onto the moor and found a spot to camp with views looking over the Bovey Valley. Apart from a fleeting bit of sunshine, this day was very misty and overcast with a lot of tedious road walking, but there were many highlights including some great woodland and Haytor Rocks, which I’d never seen before, and overall this felt like a good day.

Dartmoor Way: Ivybridge to Water Oak Corner

Saturday 30th March 2024

After spending a few days walking through Dartmoor in 2020 I was keen to return and when I saw that Abbie Barnes of Spend More Time In The Wild had walked the Dartmoor Way in spring 2021 I thought that looked a good idea, which was strengthened when I saw the video on YouTube of Abbie’s walk. I actually planned to do the Dartmoor Way a year ago but then a High Court judge removed the right to wild camp on Dartmoor so I decided not to go. With that decision overruled on appeal I decided that this Easter I would do the Dartmoor Way, so I caught a train to Ivybridge on the southern edge of the National Park, where I had previously been in 2008 after traversing Dartmoor from north to south. With the sun shining I made my way beside the railway line to a road junction where I realised the Dartmoor Way passes, but the actual start was at the bottom of the hill. I considered ignoring the official starting point and proceeding along the Dartmoor Way from this point, but I wanted to do this properly so I headed done the steep road until I reached the medieval Ivy Bridge that lends its name to the town. Spring flowers greeted me and excited me for the prospect of my walk to come as I turned around and headed back up the same road that I’d just walked down. Soon I was hot in my fleece under the sunny skies as I climbed past the railway line, into Dartmoor National Park and eventually onto the open moor.

The ascent continued until I reached the trackbed of an old tramway where I turned right to follow it around the southern slopes of Western Beacon. I had planned to climb all the way up to the top of Butterdon Hill, but I was too tired so I kept to the Dartmoor Way gradually descending until I reached a small car park on the edge of the moor. A steep descent down a road brought me frustratingly back to the railway line and onto a busy road which I followed into the village of Bittaford where I turned left under an impressive viaduct and climbed back up the hill. Already, I was finding that the Dartmoor Way has a lot of seemingly futile and tiring ups and downs, but the good weather compensated with wild flowers, particularly celandines and primroses, decorating the banks. The agonising climb continued up the hill until I reached Wrangaton Golf Course on the edge of the moor where the walk continued beside the wall. The golf club was actually closed so no golf was taking place, which made me happy, though the boggy path was not so pleasing and I was glad when I reached the club house to start a prolonged spell of road walking. I knew there would be a lot of this on the Dartmoor Way so I was wearing my lightweight boots which I had worn on the Southern Upland Way last year. Celandines and primroses accompanied me beside the road, before crossing a number of wet fields to reach Lydia Bridge on the edge of South Brent.

The Dartmoor Way doesn’t go into the village so I diverted off to head into South Brent beside the delightful River Avon which was lined with wild garlic whose sweet fragrance filled the air. After buying some food I returned to Lydia Bridge to continue along the trail climbing steeply up the hill. Judging by the video, I’m sure Abbie missed out this next section by keeping to the road at the bottom of the valley, but I found it to the highlight of the day. A relentless climb eventually brought me onto Aish Ridge where I had views ahead of the high moorland while my track crossed a saddle and climbed over rocky ground to pass between the monumental stone gateposts of Corringdon Ball Gate. This led me into open moorland with little trace of a path so after a careful check of the directions I turned right to head across the moor, which provided me with some enjoyable, proper hill walking while the late afternoon sunshine illuminated the scenery around me across the Avon valley. The contrast between this stretch of moorland walking with the confines of road walking earlier was marked and added to the enjoyment of the former. Eventually I descended a steep, rocky path to the road at the bottom of the valley and soon I was at the popular car park beside Shipley Bridge where a tarmacked track up the valley passes spectacular rapids and small waterfalls.

This is a justifiably popular area and many people were coming down the valley as I made my way up until eventually I reached Avon Dam Reservoir, surrounded by open moorland that was very wet and with sketchy paths. Beyond the reservoir, at the crossing of the ancient Abbot’s Way I turned right to head over Dean Moor and as the light began to diminish I found a place to pitch up my tent. This walk was marred by being tired due to poor sleep, but I had been looking forward to this holiday for a long time. After the long wait through autumn and winter my walking season had finally begun and with great plans for the year I was eager to start. This walk was tedious while on roads, but great when I was on the open moorland and frustrating when I soon came back down, however I was thankful that the weather was good.

Sharpitor and Great Staple Tor

Tuesday 1st September 2020

After a lovely, cold night in the valley of the young River Plum I woke to another gorgeous day in Dartmoor. On my previous visits to Dartmoor, particularly the first in 2007, the weather was poor, but now I was being blessed with fabulous weather and I felt so fortunate. After breakfast I put my tent away and retraced my steps past Gutter Tor back to the car park near Sheepstor where I made a course across Yellowmead Down towards the hill that lends its name to the village. Faint paths through the moorland took me past stone circles and up to the top of Sheeps Tor where the views were extensive but dominating the view was Burrator Reservoir at the foot of the hill and was where I now headed descending the rocky, bracken-covered western slopes. Turning right along a bridle path I passed around the foot of Sheeps Tor skirting the edge of a plantation until I reached the road that goes around the reservoir.

After a short walk around the road to the northern side of Burrator Reservoir I set off up a delightful path that climbs through the wood to Devonport Leat, an artificial water channel that diverts water from the heart of Dartmoor into the reservoir. Although there is no path marked on my map on the ground I found a path that continues the climb up the hill, but soon became lost amongst bracken and boulders leaving me on my own to work out a route slowly scrambling up to the top of the hill. With great satisfaction I finally reached the top where there is a tall ridge of rocks, Leather Tor, that demanded to be climbed. Although requiring a bit of scrambling I reached the top of what had looked like a sharp peak from the south only to find that it is a ridge, and I couldn’t be more excited. I was reminded of mountain tops in the Highlands as I slowly made my way along this rocky ridge negotiating the undulations until triumphantly I reached the end of the ridge where a relatively easy, though steep, descent brought me back down to the bottom. In a year when I have been unable to go to Scotland this ridge was a little compensation. The actual summit of the hill is a short distance away up a grassy slope to the top of Sharpitor whose rocks were ridiculously easy to summit in comparison.

Coming back down the other side I crossed a road and climbed the hill opposite but ignored the two meagre sets of rocks at the top of Leeden Tor before descending once again. Ahead of me were some stunning views of my onward route, but the skies over Dartmoor were becoming overcast and I was now becoming rather weary as the strenuous walking of the last three days was beginning to take its toll on me, including blisters. On reaching the course of a disused railway I turned along it to contour around the disused Sharpitor Quarries and King’s Tor not having the energy or will to climb to the top. Stopping for lunch while looking out at the sunny, western views revived me a little, but I stayed on the old railway until I was the other side of King’s Tor where I descended to cross a stream and over a hill covered in the remains of ancient settlements. Descending from there brought me to a road and the small settlement of Merrivale where I crossed the bridge and passed the Merrivale Dartmoor Inn and then tried to find the path up the hill.

This was not easy to find and I suspected the faint path I climbed after the last house was not the correct one as it was nothing like the route marked on my map, however I now realise my map is out of date and quarrying has forced a redirection of the old path, which I came across half way up the hill where I could now continue up the much clearer path. Dark clouds were now covering the centre of Dartmoor, but on the western edge of the National Park I was enjoying lovely sunshine, which was the complete opposite to the situation I had the day before. The sun felt very hot and draining as I slowly climbed to the top and made me think I wouldn’t have the energy to visit the various tors in the area, however once the gradient eased, although I ignored Middle Staple Tor, I made my way to Great Staple Tor, climbing to the top. On the other side, a short distance away, was another rocky-topped hill and now I felt I couldn't ignore it as I made my way to the top of Roos Tor where a red flag was flying to designate that the nearby Merrivale Range was in active use.

Similar flags were flying at the top of the nearby hills of White Tor and Great Mis Tor that I had visited the day before. Then I had been able to enter the firing range because it wasn't active, but now it was so I turned around and headed back down skirting the northern slopes of Great Staple Tor to cross over to Cox Tor and my last hill on my holiday in Dartmoor. The weather, on this western edge of the park, was still sunny as I looked out at the extensive views west before dropping down the grassy slopes to cross the valley and return to the small car park where I had left my car the morning of the previous day. Although it was only mid-afternoon I had a long drive ahead of me so appreciated the early end. This was a good walk in good weather over some of the tors on the western edge of Dartmoor, but was marred by blisters and fatigue. I have not been able to do as much walking this year as I would normally do so these four days in Dartmoor were greatly appreciated, but they were very tiring. It had been a long time since I'd last been to Dartmoor so hopefully I won't leave it so long next time.

Great Mis Tor and the Jobber's Road

Monday 31st August 2020

At the end of my walk on the day before this I drove from the village of Belstone to a car park near the Dartmoor Inn and from there set off into the hills camping beside the young River Lyd. I had found a delightful valley in blissful surroundings full of gorse and heather and the following morning, after a cold night, the ground was saturated with dew, which was definitely not from rain as there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. After eating my breakfast I tried to shake off as much of the water from my tent as possible before packing it away and returning to the car park drove down the A386 road to a small car park near the tiny village of Peter Tavy. A track took me onto the moor, but I couldn’t resist soon branching off to reach the rocks of Boulters Tor before resuming my trek along the track onto the moor eventually veering north toward White Tor passing the remains of ancient settlements. Looking at the view west I thought this must have been an amazing place to live while I made my way up the rocky terrain to reach the army flag pole that sits at the top. The edge of Merrivale Range is a short distance away from the top of White Tor and a red flag flies from the top when the range is active, but not on this day so I kept going east to enter the firing range.

Soon I turned off the track at a standing stone to take a faint path through the grass across Petertavy Great Common until I reached a stream that is marked on my Ordnance Survey map as Dead Lake, where I turned south into the valley of the young River Walkham. This would make a wonderful spot for a wild camp, but it was the wrong time of day, so I crossed the river and climbed the steep slopes of Greena Ball contouring around to leave Merrivale Range and reach the top of Great Mis Tor. The top of this hill is littered with rocks and tors creating a fabulous landscape and in the good weather the views to the west were superb especially across the Tamar Estuary with the sea in the distance. As I sat near the summit looking out at the view while having my lunch I tried to decide what to do next. My walks on this holiday had not been planned in advance so I was making them up as I went and since I wanted to do another wild camp the last thing I wanted to do was head back towards my car, so I turned south. After a diversion to visit Little Mis Tor I joined a sometimes wet footpath that follows a fence to the B357 road at Rundlestone.

After my hike across the wild moor during the morning this was quite a rude intrusion of civilisation, but worse was to come as I climbed the hill past the scattered rocks of Rundlestone Tor and up to the top of North Hessary Tor where there is a transmission station with a 196 metre high mast. A trig point sits at the top of the tor, but I was unable to visit it because it was occupied by a family of small children so I continued along the path down the hill towards the village of Princetown, though its famous prison was not in sight. The village was packed with bank holiday visitors so I carefully made my way around them until I could take a heavily constructed footpath that seems to have suffered erosion from heavy rain, so perhaps it hasn’t been very well maintained, or simply wasn’t designed to cope with the enormous amounts of rain that we have had in the last twelve months. The good track is known as Jobber’s Road and is part of the Abbott’s Way that links abbeys on either side of Dartmoor. It continues for a considerable distance and provided me with easy walking across the moor past South Hessary Tor. Sadly the path was the most interesting feature in the landscape as all was bleak grassy moor with nothing to see.

Dark clouds began to cover the sky to match the bleakness of the terrain as I continued heading south passing Siward’s (or Nun’s) Cross to climb around Eylesbarrow on a deteriorating surface. As I gradually started descending I passed the remains of Eylesbarrow Tin Mine and with the terrain and path improving so did the weather until I reached a car park at the end of a road near Sheepstor. I still wasn’t sure where I was going but the excellence of the path had prompted me to keep following it as far as it went and this car park was where it had brought me. Near the car park is Gutter Tor so I climbed the steep bracken-covered slopes past the outcrops of Gutter Tor to the trig point at the highest point on the hill. Returning to the rocks of Gutter Tor I looked at my map to decide where to go next, but since it was now four o’clock I really needed to decide where I was going to camp. There are not any paths much further south to warrant continuing, though there is a good track that goes from the car park into the valley of the young River Plym so I descended the hill and took this track into the valley.

Turning east I headed up the Plym valley until I found a delightful spot beside a stream that comes out of Drizzle Combe and there I stopped to make camp. This was an interesting walk with lots of varied walking from the open moor around the River Walkham to Great Mis Tor before following an easy footpath from Princetown to Sheepstor. The weather was fantastic, except early afternoon when it clouded over, but I’ve never had such good weather in Dartmoor so I really appreciated the chance to experience the delights of a part of Dartmoor that I’d never visited before and in fabulous weather.

Cut Hill and Great links Tor

Sunday 30th August 2020

At the start of this day I got out of my tent to gorgeous blue skies and cold northerly winds. I had camped near the top of the East Dart River, right in the middle of nowhere and with no sign of civilisation anywhere. After having my breakfast I crossed the river and battled through long tussocky grass as I slowly climbed the slopes of Black Hill veering south to the col with Cut Hill with the aim of reaching the top. Cut Hill is the joint third highest hill in Dartmoor after Yes Tor and High Willhays and is the same height as Hangingstone Hill, all of which I had visited the day before. After a boggy traverse I found a neat pile of stones at the summit with an animal skull perched on top. There are no outcrops on Cut Hill, but a short distance west is Fur Tor, which is littered with rocks, so as if they were drawing me on I headed in that direction passing a line of red and white posts that mark the boundary between Merrivale Range and Okehampton Range. Fortunately the firing ranges were not active at this time so I was safely able to cross the hillside and reach these impressive rocks. I had seen them the day before as I descended into the valley and was keen to make a closer acquaintance.

The rocks at the top of Fur Tor are immense and it was really difficult to find a way up to the highest point, but despite this I circled around until I found a spot where I thought I could make an ascent and finally succeeded. Feeling pleased with myself I looked around at the tremendous views in the sunny weather and decided my next target would be the rather distant Hare Tor, which was the other side of the River Tavy. First, I needed to negotiate the complex array of rocks that defends Fur Tor before crossing boggy ground as I slowly descended into the valley to the meeting point of Amicombe Brook and Fur Tor Brook where the map indicates is Sandy Ford. However, I could not see an easy crossing of the river so it was only with difficult that I eventually managed to get across and followed the north shore passing through a mix of good, firm ground and more boggy ground to veer into the side valley of Rattle Brook.

Crossing the stream I found a trace of a path and some heather that was flowering delightfully, but it is a shame the plant is not more widespread across Dartmoor. Slowly I climbed up the hill to reach Hare Tor where I could see extensive views across the countryside to the west of Dartmoor and Sharp Tor followed soon after passing around some cattle and visiting an ancient cairn on the way. After having my lunch I ignored the large collection of rocks on Great Links Tor and instead followed almost non-existent paths over Rattlebrook Hill passing Chat Tor and across boggy ground to Higher and Lower Dunna Goat, which are also rock outcrops. Not far from there is Green Tor and the ruins of Bleak House, which must have been an amazing place with an awesome setting amongst the hills and tors. Turning my back on it I finally made my way across to Great Links Tor, which is the next highest hill in Dartmoor after Cut Hill and to celebrate I climbed to the top as I had done on all the previous hills on this walk, however once I had got to the top I saw there was another large rock tor across a gap and this was inaccessible. On the far side of that, perched on a low shelf, is a trig point, and if that is good enough for the Ordnance Survey it is good enough for me.

I visited this hill in 2007 in considerably worse weather, but despite a few clouds at lunch the good weather had continued so I made my way down to Little Links Tor, which I found to be easily accessible and soon climbed to the top. Turning around I crossed the slopes of Great Links Tor to reach a clear track that I had used in ascent in 2007 to take me gradually back down the hill. I assume this clear track was originally a tramway to serve the mine at the top of Rattle Brook and provided me with an easy descent before branching off to reach the trig point at the top of Sourton Tors. Returning to the track I started trying to find my way back to the village of Belstone where I had left my car, though this would require several hours of walking across the northern slopes of the Dartmoor upland, but initially I had to descend into the valley of the West Okement River. When I reached the bottom of the deep valley I found a delightful place with wooded surroundings such as are not found in the vast, open Dartmoor so was more appreciated than would usually be.

Unfortunately I then needed to climb steeply back out of the valley, though with good views across Meldon Reservoir below, and soon I had no path to follow as I passed over Homerton Hill and up Longstone Hill. With military tracks now appearing I was able to follow these over Black Down, which greatly eased my walking as I passed below Yes Tor and the other peaks I had climbed the day before until eventually I returned to Belstone. This was a great, epic walk around the hills in the north-west corner of Dartmoor and was really satisfying as I took in many of the rocky tors in the area. On my previous visits I hadn’t enjoyed good weather, particularly in 2007, but now I was benefiting from some awesome weather and the walk was consequently blessed.

Yes Tor and Hangingstone Hill

Saturday 29th August 2020

I plan my walks a long way in advance so in March this year I already had plans to go to the Cairngorms at the end of May and to spend two weeks in the Lake District at the end of August while all my accommodation and trains were booked for a week at Easter in Scotland walking from the Trossachs through Glasgow to the Falls of Clyde. However, these plans all fell apart as a result of the global pandemic that forced me to stay at home and once I was able to go for walks I was unable to go any further than day walks in the Peak District. Youth Hostels have opened only for private rooms which makes it prohibitively expensive for someone on their own. Eventually I realised my only realistic option was to camp and that was when the idea of going to Dartmoor came to my mind. Although wild camping is legal without permission throughout Scotland the only place in England where this is possible is in Dartmoor, but I had never taken advantage of this before and I had not even been to Dartmoor since 2008. After a frustrating delay, partly thanks to poor weather, I eventually left the East Midlands for the first time this year and drove to the West Country stopping in the village of Belstone near the northern edge of Dartmoor where I, luckily, managed to find a space in the packed car park.

The bank holiday weekend and good weather had drawn many people to the area, although a brisk, cold wind made the day’s walking more bracing than it could have been. Setting off through the village and up Watchett Hill I stayed on the track for some relatively easy walking rather heading through rocky ground towards Belstone Tor. Initially, I was walking through pleasant scenery beside heather and gorse, both in flower, but after crossing the East Oakmount River the terrain deteriorated into dreary grass, typical of Dartmoor, as I followed the maze of tracks eventually coming off to reach the top of Rowtor and, after that, West Mill Tor, which I had, hopefully, thought was Yes Tor, but once I was there it was obvious that Yes Tor was the next hill so I continued my slog along the northern edge of Dartmoor until, finally, I reached the prominent peak of Yes Tor. The views north throughout this traverse had been stunning thanks to the good weather which had also brought many other people out, including those who had driven their cars as far as they could go up onto the moor, which doesn’t seem right to me, though there was limited parking lower down and I had been lucky to have found a parking space in Belstone.

The top of Yes Tor was very windy, but it had been even worse when I first climbed Yes Tor in 2007, though the weather was better the following year when I climbed Yes Tor at the start of a traverse of Dartmoor. I have always climbed Yes Tor when in Dartmoor, partly because it is so prominent, but mainly because it is right next to the highest point, High Willhays, and used to be considered the highest point itself. High Willhays is a short walk across a wide ridge and the highest point is at the southern end of the ridge so I made my way along the ridge passing the fine cairn that marks the summit. There are no tracks south of High Willhays, but I could see a faint path through the grass heading towards the small Dinger Tor where I found a track that heads back north. As the weather deteriorated with overcast skies I followed this track until I reached a junction where I turned right as I resolutely followed these tracks rather than heading straight across the tussocky grass as I had done in 2008. Much of the northern part of Dartmoor is a live firing range and these tracks owe their existence to the army, who were not using the range in August so I was easily able to make my way to Okement Hill.

Continuing along the track I crossed the young River Taw and up to the top of Hangingstone Hill where the track finally reduced to a path. As I neared the top I realised I had been repeating my route of 2008 without deliberately doing so, probably because I didn’t really have a destination in mind and was just blindly heading south. The map indicates a path on Hangingstone Hill goes around the boggy top so I followed this rather than heading straight across as I had done in 2008 and this was better ending with a climb up a peat pass to a memorial stone on the southern top. I was so pleased at spotting this I tried to locate another one, marked on the map, further south on Whitehorse Hill, but despite repeated searching I was unable to find it. All I had achieved was losing the path and leaving me in the middle of a tussocky, boggy plain with no idea where I was going. As it was now late in the afternoon I drifted into the valley of the young East Dart River where I found a place to camp not far from the remains of the first tinner’s hut in the valley. With the weather clearing once more I had a lovely evening on my own, miles from anyone else surrounded by the vast open moor beside the stream.

The appeal of Dartmoor is the rocky tors that sit upon the peaks and the best walking involves exploring these tors if you can avoid the bogs. The main problem with this walk was that I had nothing really planned before I started, except a starting point, so I had wandered aimlessly around and went up Yes Tor simply because that is where I always go. However, it was enough for me to finally be able to get away and go on holiday with the actual walk being less important than the satisfaction of being out there.

A Dartmoor Traverse, part two

Monday 5th May 2008

This was the second half of my epic hike across the length of Dartmoor from the northern tip in Oakhampton to the southern tip in Ivybridge. I had never walked in the southern half of Dartmoor before so this was a bit of a voyage of discovery, and I must admit I was not impressed. I started the walk by hiking through the woodland south of Bellever until I reached stepping stones over the East Dart River. The weather at this point was wonderful, sunny and warm, but unfortunately it wasn't to last. Climbing away from the river I passed through the hamlet of Babeny and up a road to Yar Tor which was beside the road. From there I descended steeply down the hillside to the tourist spot of Dartmeet. Personally I couldn't see the attraction of the place, besides the fact that it is the point where the East and West Dart Rivers meet, but it's only a bridge over the river!

Once over the bridge I crossed the West Dart River by another set of stepping stones and started to climb up onto the high moorland. On the way I passed Combestone Tor which featured a large collection of rocks that were great fun to climb and also a bit of a challenge, but unfortunately they were to be my last bit of excitement on this walk. From there I ventured out onto the moorland on a clear path past ancient settlements, which show that people once actually lived out here. Eventually the path disappeared and I had to use my GPS to locate the top of Rider’s Hill as the landscape was bleak and deserted with no visible landmarks, not even Tors. There may once have been people living here but no one would want to now, and certainly not me as this is not my sort of place at all. From there I accelerated my pace as I had a train to catch in Ivybridge so I quickly passed over Snowdon (it’s changed a bit since I was last there!) and Pupers Hill before descending to an eerily deserted valley, the head of the River Avon, miles from civilization.

Even the birds which can usually be heard on moorland were silent here as I hurriedly made my way beside the stream, over a bridge and climbed once more onto the moorland. Rushing past the top of ‘Petre’s Cross on Western White Barrow’ (as marked on the map) I noticed my objective: a deserted tramway. This wide track would take me almost all the way to Ivybridge with no steep gradients to negotiate and an easy surface to walk on, so I set my GPS to tell me how long it would take me to get to Ivybridge at my current speed and paced myself to ensure my e.t.a. stayed around the 15.00 mark, stopping for my lunch or for anything else only if I had built up enough time. This way I was able to get to the station with ten minutes to spare for the train at 15.26. Unfortunately it did mean I was unable to explore the landscape on the way and I didn't visit any Tors that may have been around. I have rather a negative memory of that mad rush on the second half of the day and the landscape may have benefited more from a relaxed walk across it, which is a pity. The weather had turned grey and overcast so I had no enticement to linger and, besides, generally the landscape seemed just too bleak and flat for a mountain lover like me. From Ivybridge I travelled to Cheddar in preparation for another day's walk on this holiday.

A Dartmoor Traverse, part one

Sunday 4th May 2008

After the cold, wet weather we have had for the last couple of months it was a relief for spring to finally arrive with this wonderful day's walk from Oakhampton to Bellever. Dartmoor is an eerily atmospheric place with rocks on top of the many hills that are dotted around the moorland, which add a spooky air to the surroundings, but it can be a very inhospitable place especially in bad weather such as I had last year when I was there. I had been looking forward to seeing the moor in better weather, and fortunately I got my wish, but the weather wasn't great to start and I was feeling rather gloomy about my prospects as I passed Oakhampton camp and climbed up onto the moor. Soon I reached my first hill or tor of the day: West Mill Tor and after a scramble to the top and back down again I crossed over to the highest points in Dartmoor: Yes Tor and High Willhays. I went up these two hills last year, but it was almost obligatory for me to include them again on this traverse. There seems to be some difference of opinion on which of these is the actual highest point, as I have heard some say one and some the other. As they are right next to each other with very little drop between I don’t think it makes much of a difference, but Yes Tor is the more prominent as it stands on the edge of the escarpment, clearly visible for miles around.

From there I ventured off-path across rough, tussocky ground that was basically dead grass that hadn’t started growing again since the winter. Last year I came to the conclusion that the best thing to do in this part of Dartmoor was to stick to the Army tracks and other paths along the ridge tops as much as possible (and I had a great walk doing this despite terrible weather), but here I was not doing that and I paid the consequences. Eventually, I managed to reach Okement Hill where I met a track and the hard work, for now, was over as I followed the track over the infant River Taw and onto Hangingstone Hill, where the path abandoned me and I had to fend for myself, bog-hopping over to Whitehorse Hill. Looking at the map it would appear that there is a path to the east that by-passes the bogs, but of course I never took it, I just went straight across. The ground improved once I passed the top of Whitehorse Hill and this took me across to Quintin's Man, a cairn, where I had lunch in a shelter. This marks the edge of Okehampton Range, the Army training ground that I had been walking in since passing the Okehampton camp. Fortunately the Army wasn’t using the range this month so I had free access, but the other two (smaller) ranges were restricted (but were actually open on the day I was walking because it was a Sunday).

With now excellent weather I crossed the young North Teign River and climbed up to Sittaford Tor, which provided the name for Agatha Christie's “The Sittaford Mystery”. For this reason, and for a long time, I have wanted to go up there, even though it is really just a hill. My original plan had been to go from Sittaford Tor down to the East Dart River and walk along the eastern bank all the way to Bellever, however, since it was only lunch time I had plenty of time left to enjoy myself further in the lovely weather. So I descended gradually down Sittaford Tor’s southern ridge to the East Dart River and crossing the river I climbed up over Broad Down and walked alongside a wall until eventually I reached Lower White Tor. There was a family of Dartmoor Ponies on this hill that didn’t seem too bothered by my appearance though I seem to have rather startled the stallion at first for he neighed loudly when he first saw me, though soon he calmed down enough for me to take a picture of his family. I hadn’t actually been taking many pictures during the day, possibly for two reasons: firstly the distant views were rather hazy which obscured anything near the horizon, and secondly because I was simply finding the moorland views rather dull. The landscape was never-ending and it didn’t vary much whatever direction I was looking and so didn’t seem to me worthy of a picture.

Subsequently I crossed over to Higher White Tor, which proved to be a popular place, perhaps due to the proximity of a road. Not far from there was the enormous Longford Tor which provided me with great scrambling opportunities so I was really disappointed to soon leave even though it was rather popular. I really noticed the large number of people on the moor that day as it was in sharp contrast to the almost empty moors that I had to myself last year when the weather was much worse; it’s amazing what a little sun will do. From there I followed a bridlepath down to a disused mine, complete with chimney, and across to a road. Crossing the road I entered a wood and followed the paths to Bellever Tor on the other side. This was my final tor of the day and provided me with more scrambling work and made me long for more of the same, but I doubted the southern half of Dartmoor would have such grand rocks. Last year I didn't go far south but now I had gone much further and I went even further the next day, all the way to Ivybridge.

Oke Tor & Cosdon Hill

Tuesday 8th May 2007

The walk that I had planned to do, starting from Postbridge, had been quickly abandoned the night before as the idea for this walk materialized and I had come up with a very good walk that was well planned and much more pleasing than my walk the day before, even if the weather was worse. I started from the village of Sticklepath, not far from Okehampton, parking at the Water Forge Museum (which is shut on Tuesdays). The early part of the walk was a delightful stroll to Belstone along the wooded valley of the River Taw that was awash with bluebells producing a spell-bounding effect that almost made me forget the blisters on the back of my heels. These new shoes may have been great in many ways but I guess they are not particularly broken in yet, which they will need to be before I visit the Lake District at the end of the month (or maybe even get a new pair of boots).

After putting a Compeed on my right heel I ventured out onto the moor climbing up the ridge to Belstone Tors, an impressive collection of rock structures that were made only slightly less desirable by the strong cross wind. As soon as I started to leave the tors it started raining with the wind making it feel especially harsh. Braving the conditions I walked along the ridge to Oke Tor, where I sheltered behind the large rock beside sheep who were also sheltering behind the tor. When the rain temporarily abated I continued along the ridge joining an army road as it plunged down into Steeperton Gorge where, after crossing the stream, I left the road and climbed up to Steeperton Tor. Once there I looked out onto the stunning views down the Taw valley, and all around the northern part of Dartmoor.

Sheltered from the strong winds behind a rock I had my lunch and then set off back into the winds across the Steeperton valley and straight up to Wind Tor before turning to the north and setting a course along the ridge all the way back to Sticklepath passing over Hound Tor, Little Hound Tor and Cosdon Hill on the way. With the rain returning but the wind easing I walked up to Cosdon Beacon on top of the hill and sat right on top of the cairn while gazing out over Dartmoor. This was my last tor before going home and I was sad. Although the weather had been poor and I'd had a bad experience the day before, I had enjoyed this walk so much I was beginning to like Dartmoor. I think that so long as I stayed away from the area around Cranmere Pool and kept to recognized paths and tracks (as I did on this walk) then a very enjoyable walk can always be had in Dartmoor.

 I was already contemplating a return to Dartmoor as I descended the northern slopes down to the north-eastern corner of the moor going through a gate that led me back into the valley where I had started the walk. Another bluebell decorated path brought me down to the river and back to my car with the rain gradually getting heavier as I got to my car. This was a surprisingly enjoyable walk, despite the weather, and made me wonder when a return trip would be made.

Great Links Tor & Yes Tor

Monday 7th May 2007

I was in Dartmoor and it was pouring with rain. The day actually started with a long drive from Exford down to Tiverton, onto the M5, around Exeter and across to Okehampton, parking at the Meldon Reservoir. Still raining I set off from the western side of the reservoir onto open moorland and up to Sourton Tors, which I could hardly see through the mist. After visiting my first Tor I headed south across the murky moorland and picked up a track that went towards Great Links Tor. When the track veered away I carried straight on crossing a slightly boggy bit, though still with dry feet - my new shoes were holding up well even if they were giving me blisters on my heels, and up to the large outcrops of Great Links Tor.

After lunch sheltering behind the huge rocks I set off to Amicombe Hill and soon found that the rain had stopped as the clouds began to lift above the tops. What had been an horrendous day was turning out to be quite pleasant. Rejoining the track I passed an old mining building and climbed the gentle, though wet, slope to the summit and the nearby Kitty Tor. In view of the brightening weather I decided to head south down the hill and across to Great Kneeset. This was a nice walk, but I was now rather stuck as there were no Tors in the vicinity, and instead I was not far from Cranmere Pool, the largest marsh in Dartmoor.

At this point I went a bit of a cropper as I didn't really know what to do. I eventually went to Dinger Tor, but not before going around Jackman's Bottom and Vergyland Combe possibly with the intention of gaining the top of Okement Hill and the track on top of the hill. With hindsight I wish I had reached the track because when I abandoned Okement Hill I headed straight for Dinger Tor across the wet marsh of Brin Brook. My new shoes up to this point had proved to be wonderfully waterproof, but now they totally failed as I stood in water that went well over the top of my shoes. It seems boots do have their advantages after all: you can stand in deeper water!

With squelchy feet I climbed up the grassy slope to Dinger Tor and on to Fordsland Ledge (whatever that means!). There was now only a short walk to lead me up to the highest point in southern England, but the wind was very strong and cold, which made the experience very unpleasant. There seems some doubt as to which of the outcrops is actually the highest. The OS makes the southerly top of High Willhays the highest, but it certainly doesn't look like it. Yes Tor is by some the highest and it looks as if it deserves to be the highest, probably because it is the most prominent, even if it isn't actually the highest. After visiting the southernmost Tor of High Willhays (being very careful in the strong wind) I proceeded to the others, including the one that has a large pile of stones atop it. Finally I crossed over to Yes Tor and bravely climbed up to the trig point, desperately holding onto the column to stop myself from being blown away. 

With the end of the day approaching I crossed the steep rock strewn slope and down the grassy hillside back to my car. The next day I had intended on doing a walk from Postbridge around the East and West Dart Rivers, but my experiences on this walk had put me off Dartmoor. However, while writing the first draft of this report the evening of the walk, I had an idea to do walk that sticks to recognized paths and tracks all the way and hopefully with many interesting things to see along the way. On my first walk in Dartmoor I had experienced some of the worst conditions that the area has to offer, so now I wanted to do a walk that wasn't so boggy.