Just five of us from Two Bridges - not quite dark and soon we will be walking in daylight again.  We took the usual route out to Crockern Tor and along the ridge past Littaford Tors to Longaford Tor. A very cool breeze on the higher ridge.  The planets were bright and Mars turned out to be something else.  Then down to the weir for the coffee break.  Next up the steeper bit to Beardown Tors and back through the woods and  past Beardown Farm. 
With Anne, Jon, Pete and Ian

Tuesday 20th March Belstone

A gloomy day on Dartmoor.  We walked through the picturesque village of Belstone and out on to the moor.

Our first stop was the Nine Maidens - the remains of a Bronze Age burial site.

A short distance then to Scarey Tor (87) - it's not and no idea why it got the name.

Down to  Gullivers Steps and the paved ford.  Paved in the eighteenth century by the army so that horses could draw gun carriages through the water.  Without these the cobbles the carriages would have gouged deep ruts in the river bed.

 Nearby is this boundary stone with the initials OPB marking the spot where Okehampton and Belstone parishes meet on the line of the old "Forest of Dartmoor" boundary.
 We followed the very old military road alongside the Black-a-ven Brook.













Along the military road with Oke Tor and Steeperton Tor in the distance...

...and up to Oke Tor (88)

It now being the start of the picnic season we stopped on the side of Oke Tor for an early lunch...

..but by the time we had finished it was feeling colder and with the wind on the ridge extra clothing and gloves were necessary.  In the middle distance Knattborough Tor (89)....

..not much of a tor at all really

A short distance to Winter Tor (90)....

...Higher Tor (91) was just up the hill


With to Belstone Tor (92) along the ridge past Irishman's Wall in the foreground.

 Finally down to the appropriately named Tors End (93)


Then back into the village of Belstone past a tractor which has seen much better days!
A seat where the wooden boards have been  removed - they have been neatly sawed through so probably the result of the health and safety police - vandals would just have smashed it up!

A memorial to Winston Churchill.
And the village stocks!














On today's walk Charlie, Roger, Carol, Colin, Amber, Terry and Rosemary.

Sunday 11th March High Dartmoor and Eleven Tors

 A foogy start.  Parking at Sourton and following the track up over the cycle path...

 ...to the wall corner and the first tor in view East Tor (76)


Over to the track and up to the 'Points' where one of the many Ten Tors teams on the moor today were having a discussion about where they were.

Further along the track Gren Tor (77) came into view...

...as the fog started to lift to let the sunshine through.

Across to Great Links Tor - but not going there today.

On to Hunt Tor (78)

With Green Tor and Higher Dunna Goat in the distance.


And on to Green Tor (79) with Fur Tor in the distance...

...and the view across to Lower and Higher Dunnagoat.
 
Down to the remains of Bleak House - difficult to believe that people once lived here

Up to Lower Dunna Goat (80)...

....and just across to Higher Dunna Goat (81) looking back to the Lower DG.

Back across the Rattle brook..

...and up to Kitty Tor (82) - with the broken flagpole and range huts.
 
The view over to Lints Tor....

...and the view to Steng-a-Tor

Steng-a-Tor (83) -  the immediate area all round this is very wet.

Dramatically sculptured by the wind.


Next along to Corn Ridge and Branscombe's Loaf  (84) - very, very wet along here too.



The view down to  Shelstone Tor

The hang gliders were out on the steep slope down to Shelstone Tor - trying to get a thermal to take them upto the clouds.  Apparently one person  got as far as Penzance from here once!


The logan stone on Shelstone Tor (85)
 

Sourton Tors (86) were the final tors for the day...

 ...looking down to Sourton...

 ...and across to Meldon Reservoir

A final look back to the hang gliders - looks like a thermal of sorts had arrived.