Tuesday 30th May 2017 - White Horse Hill

A dull morning and a much longer picnic walk from Stats bridge.

Up to the edge of Fernworthy and the up and down route around the edge of the forest past the Cube Stone.

Over the clapper bridge and....

....on to Teignhead Farm for a coffee break.

Up again over the steeper bit and more difficult ground...

To the ridge and the Memorial stone to Frank Philpotts which marks a path through the peat.

Nearby is the reconstructed cairn. This was opened up in 2011 to reveal the first organic remains found on Dartmoor which were approximately 4000 years old. More here

We headed off towards Quintin's Man but...

...stopped first at a suitable spot for our picnic lunch. Spits and spots of rain and everyone was feeling cold and keen to get going again.

The flag pole at Quintin's Man

 

Down to the ford at Little Varracombe and up towards Sittaford Tor....

...where we diverted across to the very recently discovered stone circle. All the stones are lying down and were covered by vegetation. It is the first to have been discovered on the High Moor for over 100 years and is believed to have been built during the late Bronze Age approximately 4000-5000 years ago. The stone circle is approx. 250 south west of Sittaford Tor at grid reference  SX 63055 82801. From Sittaford Tor follow the old stone wall until you come to an upright stone.

Over the stile at Sittaford

Down the other side to Grey Wethers stone circles

Back up White Ridge and over the corn ditch.

 

With Terry, Mike, Stella, Jon, Tyler, Brenda, Jane, Colin, Dianne and Amber

Wednesay 22nd July Stone Circle near Sittaford Tor

A longer drive to the end of the road in Fernworthy Forest and then up through the forest to the gate just below Sittaford Tor.

The exit gate with the style to the right and.....

....the view to the left.

Up to the restored stone circles of Grey Wethers 

 Tom


















About 250m to the south-west of Sittaford Tor is a recently discovered stone circle. It is the first stone circle to be discovered on the high moor for over 100 years and is believed to have been built during the late Bronze Age 4000-5000 years ago. Some preliminary testing taken from soil samples beneath two of the stones indicates that the stones have been in this fallen position for approximately 4000 years. The appearance of the stone circle when the stones were up bright would have been very similar to those at Grey Wethers.

It can be seen from this photograph that many of the stones were well below the surface had been overgrown by vegetation prior to their recent discovery.


















Next we  headed over to Quentins Man.

The view down the Great Varracombe valley.

We turned back through Teign Head Farm and over the clapper bridge to follow the forest boundary...

... and find the memorial stone to WO S.LPerry who died at this spot in 1992.

On around the edge of the forest before returning to the cars.

With thanks to Paul Fox and Andrew Livingston for providing information regarding the exact location of the new stone circle.

Tuesday 1st May Fernworthy Forest

Yesterday the weather forecast for today was very heavy rain.  So it was decided to postpone the usual Tuesday walk to Thursday.  In the event the heavy rain came and went overnight leaving bright sunshine in its wake.  So what to do, easy, go for a walk on Dartmoor anyhow.

To Fernworthy forest in fact, stopping at the car park to check on the level of the reservoir. Well in the middle of a drought after, apparently, the wettest April on record it was very pleasing to see that it is full to overflowing!

On to the end of the road and then up through the forest on one of the better tracks..

 ...past a clearing with a stone row and ponies.

A typical view through the ever changing forest.  A recently cleared area in the foreground, younger trees behind and more mature trees behind them - a sequence repeated all through the forest.  

I was looking for Hemstone Rocks which is in here somewhere.  On the map the area is shown as a clearing (well it might have been a few years ago). So in and up through this -  not my favourite place to go walking...

...to a little clearing and Hemstone Rocks (134) - not a proper tor.

Upwards to this track - no one comes along this one very often.

To the open moor....

 ...and on to Sittaford Tor (135), with the stone circles of Grey Wethers in the middle distance.

 

On Sittaford Tor with a single pony who has lost all his mates.

Towards  Cosdon Hill.

Sittaford Tor.

Across to the East Dart river and on....

...to Stannon Tor (136)

 

From here back to the forest and Assycombe Hill - a bit up and down.

Across to Hamel Down.

Around the edge of the forest for a while before going back in to find Lowton Tor (137)...

 ...surrounded by lots of small trees which, in a few years time will make it impossible to get here...

...so just as well I came when I did!