Wheal Betsy and the Willsworthy Firing Ranges

A few days after getting back from The Lakes and I still had a couple of extra days holiday. The weather had broken down south as well and the temperature were back to a normal 18-20degrees. A simple walk on the western side of Dartmoor seemed like a good idea, as long as the cloud stayed high enough not to envelope me. Both these hills are easy to link together and there are plenty of paths to explore to take you further should you fancy it. I always like to stop near to Wheal Betsy and have a coffee looking along the valley, a lovely spot. No firing today obviously, they tend not to do any in the summer holidays so it will be September now before the red flags fly again.

Start – Willsworthy Firing Range parking

Route – Gibbet Hill – Wheal Betsy – Willsworthy Firing Range – White Hill – Willsworthy Range parking

Distance – 5.5 miles Start time – 11.20am Time taken – 2hrs 15mins Highest Point – White Hill 390metres

Weather – Mainly cloudy but dry

Gibbet Hill ahead and Brent Tor over on the right in the distance. There’s not too much up and down on this walk, its all fairly straight forward

Looking back to Great Nodden and the tors around Great Links Tor. The cloud was dropping all through the walk and then clearing again. A total change to the last 2 months or so

Gibbet Hill summit is soon reached. Cox Tor to the right of the trig point and White Tor to the left

The trig again with Brent Tor above it and Kit Hill in Cornwall to the left in the distance

Wheal Betsy

Inside Wheal Betsy engine house, it was famed for tin, lead and silver and the chimney leans at quite an angle. It has been standing here since the 1740s.