The second walk of 2024 and not our fastest of starts for our year of walking, but then again we have plans for more evening walks which may help with the totals, especially when the nights draw out. This was walk 44 of my second round picking up squares G14, H13, H14 and H15. I’ve been around this route once before (here) and this time I had a plan to add on Birch Tor at the end. As it was, that didn’t come to fruition due to the time, but Birch Tor fits in nicely with Hookney Tor and Grimspound so we will look forward to that. For this walk we headed out first across the Hurston Ridge and Chagford Common, passing the stone row and dropping down to the lovely Hurston Castle Tor. Then it was a series of hamlets as we passed through Hurston, Jurston, Lettaford and finally West Coombe, with some lovely houses in each. We then headed steeply uphill to Coombe Down to the tor of the same name before carrying on up to Shapley Tor. After a section where the sun had peeped through and the skies had gone blue in places, the cloud came across from the north west and made it feel a little darker. So we headed for the car with a ribbon of orange glowing in the distance beyond Princetown, making for some nice photos. All in all this a superb walk, a very quiet corner of the moor sitting around, but never in, a busy area. You are walking away from any people on this walk, except at the end as you head towards the popular Warren House Inn. We didn’t frequent that pub on this occasion, instead we drove to Postbridge and popped into the East Dart Inn again, the 3rd time we’ve been in here recently.
Some nice sun to start the walk, the Warren House Inn is the white building to the right there and the road is the B3212, which runs across the middle of the moor from Tavistock to Moreton.The pimple is Birch Tor, on the agenda at this point in the walk. Back right is Hameldown.This valley holds the North Walla Brook, the Hurston Stone Row is on the left and Hurston Castle Tor is at the endThis was Dartmoor’s version of the icy blast that hit the north of England and Scotland. We had a sprinkle of snow in the middle of the week but all that was left for us at the weekend was the odd patch of ice. East Dartmoor hills and tors in the distanceHurston Stone Row the first of our Dartmoor squares today. Meldon Hill in the distance.Hurston Castle Tor, some good outcrops in this tor, there are rocks on the left and some bigger bits of there. The North Walla Brook is in between the two.More of Hurston Castle TorLooking over the wall as we search for the gate which takes us to Hurston. We walked past it before dropping back down to finally find it.Into the hamlet of HurstonThe Hurston double clapper bridge, both are titchy but because there are two of them it is mentioned on mapsThe start of Jurston, they have moved on with the rebuilding of the barns here and turning lots of them into housing.Blue skies overhead and Mardon Down in the distance. There was a field of bullocks between us and the lane here, so we headed into the next field to avoid themInto the second part of Jurston and a buzzard sat on a telegraph poleJurston ford and clapper bridge, there are some stepping stones on the left as well to make all three, a lovely lane heading away as well. Another D365 square.Lettaford, I remember on my last visit here that I took the lane out of this village which runs infront of the white houses over there, the correct way (and the Two Moors Way) is through a gate to the left of that car over there. We took the correct option this time.After stopping for lunch we headed across fields towards Moor Gate and West Coombe, passing this boat which couldn’t have been any further from the sea in Devon.On the way to West CoombeA large gatepost, marker stone as we head into West CoombeWest Coombe and another D365, many years ago sailors would dock at either Bideford (north coast) or Dartmouth (south coast) and be paid for their work in that port. If they could not quickly find another boat to sail on they would walk to the other port to seek work. This became known as the Mariners Way, and passed through here (mainly on the eastern side of Dartmoor). The track appears to pass through the building or at least through the yard (which it still does) with the shippon (barn) made up of some large angular granite blocks and the main living property to the right, which may have housed the sailors on their travels.We had huffed and puffed up the steep hill to Coombe Down with a fine view back to Easdon Tor and some lovely sun overheadLooking down the valley past Easdon Tor to Hayne Down, King Tor rising to the rightCoombe Down Tor looking to Meldon Hill in the distanceAnd the other way to Easdon Tor left, Hayne Down back middle and King Tor to the rightWe’ve plodded uphill to Shapley Tor with views across to HameldownShapley Tor is made up of a few small outcrops and doesn’t seem to warrant a mention on the OS maps, but here it is with a hint of the orange glow in the distance beyond Challacombe DownEast Bovey Head and our final D365 square, as we walk back towards the car, the clouds had darkened over head and some spits and spots of rain had fallen. I’d binned the idea of heading up to Birch Tor to save it for a better day and light.Orange glow is building to the left and Linda walks along the Two Moors Way. Birch Tor is ahead but we will skirt the right hand edge of that hill and tor.Spinning around to look back at Hameldown (back right) and Hookney Tor (the outcrop you can pick out). Between those two sits Grimspound.The white building of the Warren House Inn comes into view to the right and the edge of the cloud line is clear, with setting sunshine beyond. The forest to the left is SoussonsOut along the valley with Ryders Hill the high point at the back beyond Soussons ForestBennet’s Cross and Birch Tor up to the leftNearly back at the car, no Warren house Inn for us this time (although we need to revisit as its a Dartmoor square along another around the Vitifer Mines). Instead we headed back to Postbridge and the East Dart Inn.
Its a lovely quiet corner of the moor, and I really enjoy those walks that allow me to go up to the moors and tors, see those views and then drop down a bit to the fields and lanes
treksandtors 
These sweeping vistas and endless moors get me every time! I was just a step behind you.
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Its a lovely quiet corner of the moor, and I really enjoy those walks that allow me to go up to the moors and tors, see those views and then drop down a bit to the fields and lanes
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seem to recall that the first TV film (for Westward) was done on that bit of the Mariners’ Way/
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Fascinating bit of the path and the non moor bit of the Two Moors Way as well
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Looks a good day for your walk. Beautiful countryside and well done on your buzzard shot. 👍
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Thank you I took about 4 or 5 of the buzzard and that one was the best one
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Great walk with amazing views. The moors are lovely 😍.
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Another of my favourite type of walks, with some lanes, fields and a bit of the moor.
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Some great light in those photos. Fascinating, all the stone rows, circles and crosses around Dartmoor
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Yeah this is a nice little corner of the moor, not too far away from busier spots but quiet enough to feel some isolation
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