Total miles: 16.7
Elevation gain: 2,532 ft
Time walking: 12pm – 8pm
Miles walked to date: 161.8
Oh, oh, oh, today was a FANTASTIC day! I think it was my favourite so far. Dartmoor. DARTMOOR!!
You know when you’re in a place and it just feels right, you feel like you belong? That’s Dartmoor for me. There’s something about the moors that just does it for me, and having felt cheated out of Bodmin Moor I was especially excited to get out on to Dartmoor, and what a beautiful day! Sunshine and a light breeze, the perfect weather. As I stepped through the gate onto the edge of the moor proper I felt the tiredness and aches lift and my heart soar. Today was going to be a great day!
Dartmoor doesn’t really ease you in gently and right away it was uphill on a pleasant track from Nodden Gate up towards Great Nodden. The track curves around the hill, avoiding the summit, but you can’t come to Dartmoor and not bag as many tors as possible….ok so Great Nodden isn’t actually classed as a tor, but it’s still a big hill with stunning views. Climbing big hills always seems like a good idea when you start, a silly idea when you’re halfway up, and a brilliant idea when you reach the top. This one was no exception. After huffing and puffing up its slope the resultant view made me want to whoop for joy. In front of me was a high ridge crowned with ‘proper’ tors and behind me Devon stretched out way below, with Cornwall making an appearance with Bodmin Moor still on the horizon.
The next tor to be bagged was Sourton Tor, with some satisfyingly chunky granite slabs and further fine 180 degree views of Devon in one direction and the highest bits of Dartmoor in the other, dropping down into the pretty Meldon Reservoir.
Briefly picking up the West Devon Way I quickly left it again and dropped down to the southern end of the reservoir, crossed the West Okemont River which feeds it (pausing to watch a statue-like heron doing his thing), then traced a good path along the eastern edge of the reservoir towards the dam to the north. Partway along I meet a group of volunteers working with the park rangers to improve the path. It looks like hard work, and they had to carry all the tools in by foot! I stop and chat with them for a while and they are such a friendly and interesting bunch! I love outdoorsy people! I was glad to bump into them as Ged, who I am staying with tonight (a last minute offer of a bed whoop!), had said he’d be working with them today, but sadly I’d just missed him. That’ll be down to starting a couple of hours later than planned…combination of feeling very tired today and the big breakfast at the pub…!
After passing the dam, a very impressive structure, I followed a bridleway under the Meldon viaduct (also very impressive), picking up the Two Castles Trail again for my least favourite bit of the day, a long uninteresting stretch along a gravel track near the A30 and over a golf course, then down through a pretty wood with glimpses of Okehampton Castle through the trees – in a far worse state of repair than a Launceston at the other end of the trail!
I decided to head into Okehampton to break for a bite to eat and to rest my feet but sadly the cafe I found had stopped serving food 5 minutes earlier. Typical! Still, I had a coffee and a flapjack type thing and rested my feet for a bit and used the loos etc, but completely forgot to refill my water bottle which was one of the main reasons for stopping!
Heading out of Okehampton I picked up the Tarka Trail which follows the East Okemont River back up onto the moors and oh, what a pretty trail! The river is small but beautiful, and due to the elevation change it is constantly babbling as it works its way down the hill. With the sun shining down through the trees creating a perfect dappled shade, it was one of my favourite spots of the day. It was mostly an easy trail, with the exception of a couple of short scrambles which I imagine wouldn’t be so much fun in the rain. I thanked the weather gods again for my good fortune!
Eventually the trees thin out and the trail crosses the river and heads up onto the moor again, before dropping down to Belstone. At this point I decide to leave the trail and keep going up the hill, to add Belstone Tor to my trophies for the day. It was such a beautiful evening and I couldn’t resist the prospect of more good views and a stretch of wilder walking. There are no obvious paths heading up to Belstone Tor, at least not from my direction, so I followed sheep paths which worked out pretty well, if a little wiggly. I came across some ridiculously cute fluffy lambs too! As I got nearer the top the sheep tracks became increasingly sporadic, presumably because sheep have neither the need nor the desire to actually climb to the top of a tor…! And the rocks that looked like scree from below were actually rather large rocks and slabs, so it was a bit of a scramble to get to the top, but once I was there I knew exactly why I had made the effort. Dartmoor, stretching out in all directions in the golden early evening sun. I could have cried with happiness! To the west were the highest points in Dartmoor, High Willhays and Yes Tor, a wild and rugged section of the moor, and to the east was Cosdon Hill, the third highest point of the moor.
I could have sat up there for a very long time! Conscious of the time however (6:30pm already!) I made my descent into the shallow valley between Belstone Tor and Cosdon, picking my way down very carefully. The bottom was very peaceful. No sound other than skylarks warbling and sheep calling their lambs. No people, no buildings, just moor. I had to walk in the wrong direction for a little way to reach a ford over the river, and it was a beautiful spot which I imagine would be perfect for wild camping. I made a mental note to come back next year!
I could start to feel the tiredness creep in during the climb up to the bridleway which hugs Cosdon about halfway up its slopes, and whilst I was sad at the prospect of leaving the moor I could feel that it had been another long day and I was getting hungry! I was still ridiculously happy though, and I reflected on the fact that I felt a lot stronger walking over the moors than I did walking the same distance through ‘regular’ countryside, even with increased ascents, and I put it down to the joy I feel when I’m walking in moorland. It gives me an energy like no other place! It was the second hardest day in terms of ascent and yet my bag felt light, my legs felt strong and my feet felt sure. It was only when I dropped down into the woods to the River Taw to walk the last half a mile into Sticklepath when my feet and legs really started to ache, and suddenly I was somewhat nervous about tomorrow which is 15 miles, a lot of which is back on country roads. Oh it was so nice to be walking on peaty ground and springy grass today!
I had a beautiful welcome into Sticklepath with my hosts for the night, Ged and Janet who are friends of a friend, making me a cup of tea and showing me around their beautiful garden which backs onto the river, then feeding me a delicious three course meal and tea and cake. Beats a boil in the bag meal any day!!
It’s rather late now (oops!) and my legs and feet are aching the most they have so far. I have four days before my next rest day and two of them are the longest mileage of the entire trip, so I’m a little nervous about how my legs and feet will hold up over the coming days… I’m hoping that a good night’s sleep will sort them out! The most exciting thing about tomorrow is that I have someone joining me for the day! My first guest walker! Whilst I love walking on my own it will make a lovely change to have someone along with me 🙂 I just hope she doesn’t think I’m too strange when I thank inanimate objects like signposts, perfect bag-resting-height fences and gates that open and close without a fight… Such things become very important!
Watch this space!
Much love xx
