Tuesday 29th December - Pork Hill Car Park

A lovely morning for a walk - no rain, lots of sunshine and cooler. Starting from Pork Hill car park and up to Cox Tor.

Looking back

On Cox tor with Great Mis Tor in the distance.

Across to Tavistock

 Tom with his new hat.....


















Over to Great Staple Tor with Brent Tor in the distance

One of the stacks with Great Mis Tor in the distance

Down towards Merrivale

On the way up to Heckwood Tor

Vixen Tor

On to Feather Tor....

....and back over Barn Hill to the now very busy car park.

With Bill, Jane, Tom, Charlie, Terry, Rosemary and Harry.

Tuesday 22nd December - Long Ash

A very wet morning as we set off from Long Ash.

Down the slippery path to.....

Gem Bridge.


The plan had been to follow the river to Magpie Bridge but there was too much water where we were meant to walk so we went up to a higher path.

On to my house for mulled wine and mince pies and then out towards Yelverton through more slippery mud.

Back along the top.

Lunch was in the café at Long Ash as the London Inn had too many for Christmas lunches.

With Bill, Jane, Colin, Amber, Charlie, Terry and Rosemary

Tuesday 15th December - Mary Tavy

On a dull grey day we started from the church in Mary Tavy.

It is here that William Crossing is buried. His famous Guide to Dartmoor was published in 1909. He is considered to be one of the best known authors on Dartmoor and it's antiquities. It is believed that he was responsible for the modern activity of letterboxing. There is a memorial to him on Dartmoor at Cranmere Pool and also at Duck's Pool.












We followed the footpath through a couple of fields and then came to this listed building known as Miners Dry, Wheal Friendship Mine. This was used by miners to dry their clothes and apparently is the only surviving example of this type of building on Dartmoor.

























Through another field where there was a huge pile of timber next to this log splitting machine.

On the other side of the field a variety of free range chickens.

We continued past the first of two small reservoirs which are used to power the Hydro Electric power station in Mary Tavy.

Out through the very wet green lane and on to Horndon where we followed the road before cutting up across the moor to........

Wheal Jewell Reservoir. This is the other larger reservoir which provides water for the power station in Mary Tavy. Originally the leat bringing water to this reservoir was used to service the mine at..............

.......Wheal Betsy. This is the site of an ancient silver and tin mine. In 1806 the site was reopened and mined for lead, copper arsenic and silver. The shaft here was 900 feet deep. The chimney on the mine is famous for the fact that it curves out slightly at the top.




















The mine is just below the A386. We headed up across the road and up to....

....Gibbet Hill. Very heavy rain at this point and the wind was so strong that the raindrops felt as if they were hailstones as they hit.


From here e it was down to Mary Tavy and we followed the relatively new permissive path which took us to the Mary Tavy Inn where we had lunch.

On the walk today Ian, Jon, Bill, Charlie, Brenda and Stella.
It was dull but it didn't rain and very wet under foot! The Gutter Tor car park was full with the military. 

We headed out up the track and the military group ahead of us turned to the right as we turned off to the left.

Towards Combeshead Tor. There are lots of old mine workings in this area. Jon found an adit.

The view towards Sheeps Tor

A very boggy patch below the stream.


To the stone row....

...where Jon demonstrated the magical nature of the reversal stone.

Then up to Combeshead Tor for the coffee break and Brenda pulled out a very old letterbox from under the rock.

Down to the magnificent Cuckoo Rock...

...and off across the stream to find two potato caves.

Down through Deancombe and up the steeper slope past the Roughtor Plantations which had been thinned out a bit and a short walk back to the start.

Lunch in the very busy Royal Oak. With Brenda, Ann, Jane, Jon and Bill