Bank Holiday Monday at the end of August and time to get out for a walk. We’d done house stuff on Saturday with a family get together on the Sunday, so we were ready for a bimble somewhere. Avoiding the obvious spots on a bank holiday is a normal tactic however on this day we decided to park somewhere reasonably busy, before walking through quiet and busy areas and back via very quiet and busy bits. A nice mix on a gorgeous bank holiday. We’ve had a superb spring and summer of weather, lots of sunshine, very little rain and some decent temperatures. The weather has changed into September as I type this, to a mix of heavy showers and sunshine in between, but we can’t complain with such a good summer behind us. This walk started at Combestone Tor, one of the easiest to bag on the moor as it is 50 metres from the car park, before descending to Beara House and Week Ford. There would be two river crossings on this walk, by stepping stone, hence my want to get this walk in before the autumn rains arrived and covered the stones. We then made our way to Dartmeet, quickly passing the crowds around the bridge and heading out beyond Badger’s Holt to the banks of the East Dart. After a stop for lunch we walked past 3 tors in quick succession before climbing to Babeny Farm and then dropping down to Winford Steps, our second river crossing. Climbing away from the stepping stones we smelt something pretty horrid, and quickly spotted a dead cow rotting in the nearby field. We moved on at pace to avoid being downwind of it, and crossed to the field above Blackadon Rocks, we passed the higher small boulders, rather than descending to the main outcrop this time and walked alongside the Newtake Forest around Brimpts Farm. All that was left was to drop to Huccaby and rejoin our outward route, over Week Ford to Combestone Tor.
We’ve done pretty well this year for butterflies and moths at home, with Tortoiseshell, Painted Lady, Red Admiral and lots of small and large White. This is a Jersey Tiger moth on our front window.On to the walk now, we’ve walked all of 30 metres to this view from Combestone Tor down into the Dart ValleyAnd along the Dart Valley towards Dartmeet, Vag Hill is on the rightLooking west over Hexworthy to the tors north of Two Bridges, including Longaford Tor and Higher White TorDropping down after the last photo, through head high bracken to the West Dart river, we see Beara House, the Mill is up to the left a bit in more head high bracken. This was a tinning spot and there is plenty of evidence of mortar stones, wheel houses and furnacesWeek Ford and time for a brew, we sat and watched dragonflies scooting around the river and swimmers off to the right in a waist deep section of the river. However it was obvious from this photo how little rain we’d had.Heading towards DartmeetAcross fields with Yar Tor in the distanceLooking down at the East Dart (Dartmeet is behind me where east and west meet), there is a clapper bridge down there amongst the boulders. There were lots and lots of people here and the large car park was full so we sped up to get through it all.Badger’s Holt, a pretty big rocky outcrop when you strip away all the greeneryA bit more of it aboveDartmoor pony and foal. Clearly a bit warm for the foal so its time for a lie down in the shadeThe low lying Clay Tor is in all that bracken, we decided not to go and stand on it, this was close enoughLunch time by the East Dart, time for feet in the water to cool off a bitThere’s a few tors here, this is Spitchwick Common Tor, normally its a wade through boggy ground to this one, not todayMore of Spitchwick Common TorYar Tor again in view, next we hopped the Walla Brook to get to our next torStone Park Tor, not the most exciting outcrop but its on the listBack over the Walla Brook, on the clapper bridge this time as we head for BabenyTwo happy walkers trying to stay coolBabeny Farm was next and a bit of a climb before dropping to Winford StepsWinford Steps is down there, Laughter Hole House can be seen across the river. Bellever Forest is behindThere were a lot of people at Winford Steps for some reason so I didn’t take a photo, here we have climbed away, avoided a rotting cow carcass and are looking back along the East Dart Valley Yar Tor with Corndon Tor back and left of that, as we traverse across to Blackator RocksStanding by some small boulders above Blackator Rocks, the main bit is that banked grassy bit down there, which is by the riverTortoiseshell butterfly on some heather as we walked beside the Newtake ForestInto the plantation now and a good wood store going on in hereWe popped out of the plantation, crossed the main road out of Dartmeet and headed down to towards Hexworthy Bridge, before turning left on to the path which leads down to Week Ford. Here we are looking across the West Dart Valley towards the tors north of Two BridgesClimbing away from Week Ford we get another view of Yar Tor, which seemed to be always watching us on this walk!Bracken covered landscapes across to the moorland around Longaford TorNearing Combestone Tor, Yar Tor to the right and the Dart Valley belowAnd to finish is Combestone Tor and a herd of cows which have accumulated around the tor, I’m stood by the car which shows the short distance to the tor from here. A very good walk and one I’ve not stitched together before as I normally head south (the opposite way) to Ryders Hill or Down Ridge from here, still plenty of ways for me to see the moor in different ways.
treksandtors 
That looks like the perfect Dartmoor walk and I love the Jersey Tiger moth at home.
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Had to look up what the Jersey Tiger was, definitely my first one of those
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You should go and look at the Pixies Holt Cave sometime.
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Absolute cracker of a day. Blue skies, tors, river crossings, clapper bridges, Dartmoor in a microcosm!
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Beautiful day for a summer walk. Nice to see these little ponies.
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