A walk before we headed to the Lake District and I’m not quite so sure why I picked this area. When you head to the Lakes you will need your fell walking legs, this area around the centre of Dartmoor is reasonably flat and involves a bit of road walking. So perhaps not the best preparation for that week, but saying that, it is a lovely area with lots to see. There are bridges, old farms, some tors, a mine, a church and a pub, so plenty to pack into the 9 miles. We started out in Hexworthy, parking by the pub and heading off to pick up the Dartmoor 365 square of Jolly Lane Cottage, before heading down the road, across the bridge and up to the chapel of St Raphael’s. We then headed to Huccaby Tor and out on to the moor proper, looping around to Dunnabridge Pound. Next, we had a bit of road walking to get us to Prince Hall and the lovely bridge, which leads out on to some classic Dartmoor terrain around Royal Hill. The two abandoned farms around Swincombe Bridge come after that, where we then crossed the River Swincombe. We were near to the Dartmoor square of Swincombe reservoir and the rocks of the same name, so we took a quick detour for an out and back to pick those up. All that was left was to walk the lane back to Hexworthy, watching all the practicing ten tors groups as we went. This was the weekend before the event, which involves 400 groups of 6 teenagers, tramping for 35, 45 or 55 miles across the northern moor. It is organised by the forces and involves around 20 manned posts across the moor, of which 10 need to be visited by the teams on their route. My youngest son was involved in the 35 mile version, and the following week involved ensuring his kit was all ready and a nervous wait for the off. I’ll post about how things went in my next walk, which will be our first walk in the Lake District.

Start – Hexworthy

Route – Jolly Lane Cottage – Hexworthy Bridge – St Raphael’s Chapel – Huccaby Tor – Dunnabridge Pound – Dunnabridge – Lower Cherrybrook Bridge – Prince Hall – Prince Hall Bridge – Lower Swincombe Farm – John Bishops House – Swincombe Bridge – Swincombe Reservoir – Higher Swincombe Rocks – Gobbet Mine – Hexworthy – Forest Inn

Distance – 9 miles  Start time – 11.45am  Time taken – 4hrs 30mins  Highest Point – Above Dunnabridge Pound 370 metres

Weather – Rain to start, then sunshine and white fluffy clouds