Tuesday 5th January - Around Headon China Clay Works

We started from Tolchmoor Gate. A fine morning but very wet underfoot. The first stop was at Crownhill Tor.

Then around the edge of one of the huge china clay quarries.  This is looking directly into the Headon China Clay quarry and.....

...this is a zoomed in view.

It was then a short walk to very recently re-opened (September 2015) Hermadon Tungsten and  Tin quarry which is expected to operational for at least 10 years.

The giant trucks wait for their turn to go up the hill to collect their load. Behind is the new processing plant.

A wider view.  The quarry is operated by Wolf Minerals and there is a video of the project here
http://www.wolfminerals.com.au/IRM/content/default.aspx

We continued around the china clay quarry to the mica dams and one of the small reservoirs used in extracting the clay.

Jon spotted this - Orange Peel Fungus.






















Near this is another part of the quarry.  Now operated by Tarmac to extract sand and aggregate from quarry waste.

Another view with a huge pile of sand at the end.






















 A short walk to Broomage Farm which dates from the 13th Century.

Lunch was at the Farmyard Café Wotter. Very different. Basic but excellent value for money.

With Jon, Stella, Brenda, Charlie, Terry, Phil, Jane, Amber and Collin

Wednesday 6th June

FIRST WALK  'Drive-by' Tors

Rain early on and showers in the afternoon so I decided to do a couple of relatively close 'drive by' tors in between the showers.  The first being Blackalder Tor (215) which is in the trees immediately behind this bus stop.

A little further along the road and about 15 minutes walk from the road is Crownhill Tor (216)

SECOND WALK - The Wednesday evening walk

Four of us set out from Postbridge and into Bellever Forest. We followed the track which runs parallel to the main road before going down to and crossing the main road.

Over the Bank Holiday the forest had been the scene of an illegal rave - see here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-18321284

So no surprise when we saw this sign warning walkers to take care.  I have to say if you are going to have an illegal rave then this is probably a good place to do it!!

We crossed the road and on to the footpath which leads up to the moor.  Ahead of us were about six small calves and behind us on rougher ground were their mothers.  The calves stayed on the path ahead of us getting further away from their mums and their mums got more and more distressed eventually getting on the same path as us.  Fortunately the calves evetually went left off the path and we went right getting out of the way of the ever increasing anxious mums!

Arch Tor (217) is about half a mile from the road and visible from the road. It has an impressive logan stone on top.

 

We continued over the hill and towards one of the tributaries to the Cherry Brook which drains out of Archerton bog - a place I remember from many years ago and a place you don't ever want to go into!

 Past this Cairn and Cist towards...














Hollowcombe Bottom...

...Jon took an alternative route

Then around the wall to Row Tor (218).

We returned by Braddon Lake.  We had seen the forecast rain in the distance for the last hour and just as we got to the car park it started to come down but it was too late - we were off to the pub.

With Jon, Pete and Irving

That leaves 92 tors to visit after my holiday - so I should easily be finished by the end of August.