A walk of two halves this one, the first on Dartmoor proper, tors, hills and boggy ground (which is prevalent in this area). The second half is around the lanes of north eastern Dartmoor, picking off the Dartmoor 365 squares. The weather was lovely all the way through, sunshine and a chilling breeze, which made for good walking. The summit of Cosdon Hill is always a lovely place, especially in good weather, the views are 360 and different in every direction, to the south is rolling moorland and hills, west is high tors, north the fields running to the ocean and east has a mix of hills and green fields. Cosdon is one of the best spots on the moor for me (here). The lane walking was very good, progress was quick and the villages of Providence Place and Throwleigh were excellent, but it was the weather that made the walk, lots of sunshine, some lovely clouds but cool enough to make walking pleasant. The only down to the walk was the pub at Wonson which I had pencilled in for a pint but was shut when I got there, and the opening hours seem very specific and aimed at the locals. As the Dartmoor 365 book says the pub itself would probably do better in Throwleigh or Gidleigh as the hamlet of Wonson is a bit small, still it was a shame not to support this local business. Next time maybe

Start – Shilstone parking

Route – Shilstone Tor – Kennon Hill – Whit Moor Stone Circle – Little Hound Tor – Cosdon Hill – Foxes Holt – Nine Stones –East Week – East Ash – Torhill – Waye Cross – Providence Place – Wonson – Throwleigh – Higher Shilstone

Distance – 12.5 miles    Start time – 10am   Time taken – 5hrs 45mins  Highest Point – Cosdon Hill 550 metres

Weather – Lovely and sunny, warm in the sun, chilly in the breeze