Tuesday 25th September Vixen Tor

Back to Dartmoor after a break and whilst the weather has been good while I have been away it was back to typical Dartmoor weather.  Glorious autumn sunshine with heavy showers and we had the waterproofs on and off all through the walk.

Starting on the side of Pew Tor and over the leat on the new bridge.

Next stop the little quarry to see...

 ...a rainbow

Then to Sampford Spiney where the Alpacas live.

Down to the steep hill Ward Bridge and Roger realised he had left his walking stick behind and went back up again.

Along the path towards Davey Town...

...with Vixen Tor on our left

 Then on to the main road before picking up the leat to take us back to the cars.

 

The Tuesday pensioners lunch in The Whitchurh Inn was excellent and very good value.

With Rosemary, Terry, Charlie, Brian, Roger, Chris and Linda

Monday 10th September Peter Tavy

We met at Godsworthy and it wasn't meant to be like this.  It was wet.  The forecasters had got it wrong but we were prepared.  We always are.  We have a full set of waterproofs.  If only we could have been bothered to put them on we wouldn't have got really wet trousers.  Of course, one of us was properly dressed.  And so we set off , around and up to Stephen's Grave.

We took this track down towards Cudlipptown....

...and then like the Duke of York,  just before we got there, we went back up again but by a different route.

Just as we thought the sun was going to come out and dry our trousers we arrived at the Peter Tavy Inn for lunch and good it was too.  Its just that when we came out...

 ...we had another long hill to go up to get back to the cars.  But, this is Dartmoor, where you have to expect this.  Up and down a lot.  And the rain.

There can be no doubt however, that we all felt much better for the whole experience, but thats what it is all about a good walk and good company and the world feels a better place.  With Chris, Roger, Rosemary, Terry and Charlie.

Sunday 9th September - reflections on visiting all the Dartmoor Tors

So that's it! I have visited 307 of the tors listed this excellent book 'The A to Z of Dartmoor Tors' which I have been using to find and visit all the tors on Dartmoor.  Written by Terry Bound and first published in 1991.  It provides the grid reference and a description of all the tors.  

Inside the front cover is this quotation by Brian Carter..

"Tors are scattered all over the moors.  Many are landmarks which can be seen for miles.  They have a magnetism I can't resist...The smaller, less shapely tors which don't get in the guidebooks have lured me to some fine wilderness country.  These little outcrops maintain an exclusive, rather remote air of privacy"

I think that sums it up exactly.

The book cost £5.95 and has given me hours and hours of pleasure. Starting on the 2nd January - the task of completing them all became a bit of an obsession - but then you will never be successful at anything unless you are passionate and obsessive  about it! 

Doing this has got me to parts of the moor I wouldn't otherwise have visited but there were four tors I couldn't get to:-

Chagford Combe Tor - on private land.

Scatter Rock - on private land.

Gibby Combe Tor - too steep and too many ferns! - I will go back in the winter.

Hockingstone Rock - on the side of steep valley.

Saturday 8th September Nine Tors to Finish

Starting from Belstone for another long walk.  Down to the East Okement River...

...and up the other side with a view across to Belstone Tors.

On to  Ottery Tor (299) - with Steeperton Tor in the distance.

The view back to Belstone.

Then across some difficult ground to the top of Cosdon Hill (300) and...

...to the East of Dartmoor and the spectacular temperature inversions - with the mists bubbling out of the tops of the valleys.

Along the ridge line to Little Hound Tor (301) - not so much of a tor as a few rocks on the surface.

Nearby is the White Moor Stone Circle.

The ridge ahead of us - Hound Tor, Wild Tor and Hangingstone Hill.

Hound Tor (302)

Wild Tor (303)

Then east to Watern Tor (304)

The very weathered granite stacks of Watern Tor.

Further east again to Magna Rock (305) - shaped like a giant Jelly Bean.  A stop here for lunch overlooking the North Teign River.

Then a bit of a slog around to get to the top of Hangingstone Hill (306) with the range hut next to it.

Down towards the final tor - Steeperton Tor...

...and then up again to the top.

Steeperton Tor (307) and that's it!!!

Terry produced a small bottle of bubly to celebrate!

 The Ford at the bottom of Steeperton

Looking back to Steeperton Tor.

A walk of thirteen and half miles and  lasting seven and half hours - with thanks to Terry again for making it just that bit easier - just by being there.

Thursday 6th September around Dartmoor

To sweep up some tors in different places.

First to Hingston Rock.  This is a footpath which leads off the main road and only goes to the top of the hill.  It isn't used very  much and...






...this is what I was confronted with - 7 foot high ferns and there is no way I was going to attempt to get through that...

...which just leaves me with this long distance view of the hill where Hingston Rock (296) is.

A drive to Widecombe in the Moor in search of the Rugglestone Rock.  The pub about half a kilometre away takes it name from this rock.  You can't get at it from the pub side so have to come in from the moor.  Now this is one of the worst places I have been to on Dartmoor. A horrible bog and thick vegetation.  Looks innocuous enough in the photo but if not very careful you could be knee deep in bog.

But it was here the Rugglestone Rock (297).

Another drive through Holne and Scorriton to Cross Furzes and up this lane...

...before coming to the open moor.  Pupers Hill is in the distance.

Pupers Rock on Pupers Hill (298).  From here I walked across....

... to Snowdon with views to....

 

...the waste pile next to Red Lake..

...Huntingdon Warren.

That just leaves 9 to do and they all link up so one big walk or two smaller ones?