November weather has been, well, awful. Week after week of rainy days, even when they forecast a dry day, it would have heavy showers in it. Confidence on the reporting was low, as the weather companies only seemed to accurately report when it would rain all day. Photos online of cold frosty blue sky days…
I always enjoy walking in Shaptor Woods, and when looking at the tors I have left to complete my 500 list for a second time, I realised that a few were in or around this gorgeous woodland. It wasn’t just the changing colours on the leaves that I enjoy in here, but the size of…
I’m enjoying our walks on this side of the moor recently and no doubt over the winter period we will look for others in this South West corner of Dartmoor. Setting out from Peter Tavy gives a few options for a walk, you could head towards Mary Tavy along the Dartmoor Way, or up to…
A revisit to a brilliant museum, providing plenty of education for the adults and additional knowledge for the two boys. Both my boys know lots and lots of information about the exhibits in here, and as they have in the past, they shared that as they went around. It is apt that I post this…
Despite October being pretty wet in the main, especially after the first week of the month, we seemed to get lucky each weekend, with some nice sunshine to accompany our walks. This walk in the centre of Dartmoor was no exception, again the sun was shining and reasonably warm for the time of year and…
So a walk in an area that probably doesn’t get enough attention, considering its the area on Dartmoor nearest to my house. I’ve walked a lot around the Trowlesworthy Warren, but heading back to Hen Tor doesn’t happen very often, and that’s a mistake. This would be walk number 36 of my second Dartmoor 365…
After a run of 7 walks in 8 by the coast in the summer months, September brought a run of Dartmoor walks, with four in a row. The weather in early October was pretty good, so we decided that another seaside trip was needed, this time to North Cornwall and Watergate Bay. This a popular…
Four walks in a row on Dartmoor now, although the next walk will be back to the coast. This is a lovely area, with some nice quiet lanes, villages and a gorgeous woodland valley with a river running along the bottom. The river in question is the Teign as it winds on its way east…
Since we had got back from Snowdonia we’d been on a run of Dartmoor walks, not for any reason, it was just the way it fell. This time we headed east for my birthday walk, and a walk from the village of Haytor Vale (it has a pub so we parked there!), this was walk…
A year after we walked up to the East Dart Waterfall in some of the hottest weather I’ve walked in (remember the long hot summer of 2022), we again started out from Postbridge on a similar walk. We walked in the opposite direction this time, and headed out the back of the waterfall, through Sandy…
So the first walk after our Snowdonia trip and the weather was set warm and sunny. This was the start of September, and that one week of nice sunshine that we had, before it disappeared again and returned to the same rubbish we had in July and August. This was a walk that I hadn’t…
After our Snowdon walk, we had two days in three that involved car journeys. Firstly, on the Wednesday, I had to bring my eldest down to Gloucester, so he could return to Plymouth with his mum to get his GCSE results. Then on the Friday we were leaving Snowdonia, and heading to Bolton, for my…
So after a couple of warm up walks of Cnicht and Moel Siabod, we’d reached the big one, Snowdon or Yr Wyddfa in Welsh. This walk would see us all break through the 1000 metre barrier and for Linda and the boys its their highest walk. After a bit of research on the best routes,…
A bit of sunshine on this Sunday as we headed out again, the day after our blowy walk up Cnicht. The clouds were still skudding across the sky, but at least we got plenty of views, blue skies and no rain on this walk. Instead of the normal starting point of Capel Curig, we decided…
So this was to be our summer holiday, not this time to the Lakes, but Snowdonia (Eryri) alongside a couple of special events. My cousin was getting married in Llangollen, so we booked a Premier Inn in Oswestry and stayed a couple of nights there. Then we had a week in Penmachno, and looked for…
One last walk before we packed the car and headed off for an adventure around Llangollen, Snowdonia and Bolton. This walk was decided on to make sure I could walk the planned Snowdon and Moel Siabod routes and would slightly extend the length I walked around Falmouth, the week before. This was walk 31 of…
I’d had a couple of weeks off walking in order to try and give some rest to my feet and the Plantar Fasciitis that I was struggling with. I had managed to calm things down a bit and I was felling a bit better, aware though that I had holiday booked in Snowdonia on the…
With a run of walks by the coast (5 in a row) we were ready for another adventure on Dartmoor. It had been over a month since our last outing, a sunset walk around the Staple Tors, so we looked far afield for a place to see some tors and pick off lots of Dartmoor…
The boys had both finished school, well my eldest had finished his GCSE’s a month earlier and my youngest only had an activities week to do before his summer holiday, so basically he was finished as well. We headed up for another night in Bideford, using up some Christmas hotel vouchers we had. We’d previously…
You’d have thought that having walked around Land’s End on a 3 day expedition that we’d be sick of having the sea on our left hand side. Not a bit of it, this was a revisit to Start Point for myself and a first proper look for Linda, in an area that never fails to…
Our final day of our 3 day walk and all change on the weather front and the path front. Gone are the wide paths and high cliffs, the cloudy, dry weather or very warm and sunny weather. Instead we had grey dank clouds, drizzle with overgrown paths full of gorse and bracken. The drizzle itself…
We woke refreshed and the place we stayed in had supplied a good selection of breakfast items, plus plenty of milk to make a flask or two of coffee to take with us. We knew that we only had a 7 mile walk to complete, with a bus at around 2.15pm at Pendeen, it meant…
This walk was done on the same day as the St Just to Pendeen section and the weather was just as good here, as it was on the north coast, all very hot and sunny as we walked the seafront. There isn’t much to this part of the coastal path, although I liked that it…
Back in the depths of winter we were holiday planning for 2023, we’d booked a week in the Lakes for early May, which we booked whilst we sat in the Lakes on our previous holiday in November. We then decided that we needed a week in March split between Lancashire (visiting family) and the Yorkshire…
So 3 weeks after bringing the boys here for the first time, I returned again, this time with Linda for another walk around the Staple Tors. This walk is number 29 of my Round 2 of Dartmoor 365 squares, and picks up L5, M4, M5, N4 and N5. However the main reason for being back…
A short drive today to the South Western corner of the moor and a point which is probably the nearest to home. This area is full of man made scars on the landscape with clay works and tungsten mines to name two of the newer ones. The area is a forever changing landscape, and it…
A hot and humid Saturday and time for another walk with the boys, my eldest had finished his GCSE’s the day before and we’d had a lazy Saturday up to then and decided we needed a bit of outdoor exercise. As I type this it was a good job we did as my eldest now…
Another walk in early June, not quite the hot blistering sunshine we have had previously, this was the weeks where the weather reports forecast thunder on a regular basis. As a result I changed tack away from the high moor and chose lanes, along the southern edge of the moor. This walk is number 27…
The day after I had walked with the boys around the Staple Tors, myself and Linda headed out to the West Dartmoor area for a walk from Peter Tavy. This one picks up a few Dartmoor 365 squares on Walk number 26, including I5, J3, J4 and K3. The weather was extremely warm, and I…
A blisteringly hot day near the start of June but another chance to get the boys out and away from phones and GCSE revision for my eldest. I was looking for a place to take them, and for some reason I’d never taken them to the Staple Tors, which seems baffling considering we’ve been walking…
It had been a little while since I had been in this area (here), over 18 months, which considering how much I enjoyed the last walk here is a bit remiss of me. Time to put that right and also pick another perfect day to walk the Roseland Peninsula. This area is definitely one of…
So we had been to see the Rannerdale Bluebells 9 days before this walk and decided that we needed a comparison, with our own Devon version, the Holwell Bluebells. The walk was hardly any distance but took forever as we constantly stopped to admire the blooms, plus there was 11 tors and two bridges to…
Now we were back from our Lake District holiday, I was looking for a decent walk to take the boys out on. We, well I, decided on a trip to the Eastern side of Dartmoor and Shaptor Woods, for some tor bagging, woodland style. My eldest was in the middle of revising for and taking…
So our last walk of this visit to the Lake District and our 5th one. Only one walk (the Scafell Pike one) had been a little disappointing. What would this one bring us? The weather was set, as it did on Scafell two days before, to clear as the day went on, hopefully clearing the…
For our week in the Lake District we had managed to secure a little terraced cottage in the grounds of Irton Hall, the important thing about this cottage was its location on the edge of Wasdale. When we weren’t enjoying the delights of walking the fells of Wasdale, we also had one day of heavy…
Having summited the highest Wainwright and mountain in England two days earlier, we figured that we would also summit the second highest. This was a walk made to shorten the number of walks I have left, by one at least, and as a result I conjured up the longest walk I’ve done on any of…
Day 3 in the Lakes and 3 walks already, after yesterday with a long walk of 12 miles but not too much steep walking, today was different. A short walk of only 6 miles but a never ending staircase trudge both up and down. The only break from the constant line of people heading up…
Day 2 and walk number two for us. This was the day of the Coronation and we expected the fells to be a little quieter. Not so, even on this side of the Lake District where seeing other people can be a novelty, the place was fairly busy. And not just with humans, first the…
Another visit to the Lakes and another long drive north setting off early (5am). The reason for the early start is to try and squeeze a walk in on arrival, thus starting our week away on the right foot, plus ticking off a Wainwright which I needed from my list. Last time we walked up…
One last walk before our week in the Lake District and we thought that a coastal walk would help get some ascent and descent into our legs. The various books on the coastal path seem to suggest that the hardest section of the whole path is that from Bude heading north around to Clovelly. Well…
This is a walk around one of the more popular spots on the eastern side of Dartmoor. This walk picks up lots and lots of Dartmoor squares with G15, G16, H16, H18, I16, I17, I18, J16 and J17 all on this route and Walk 25 of round 2. The area around Hound Tor is always…
A post about a couple of days out for the two of us, firstly to Buckland Abbey, where I used to work and volunteer. Secondly to Totnes and a proper look around this brilliant little town, crammed full of history and around 25 coffee shops. Both places are well worth a visit and give a…
Where to walk? That was the question this weekend, we looked at East Dartmoor and also coastal, but an early start meant that we might be able to get some parking at Two Bridges, and a walk out to Rough Tor. This would be Walk 24 of my Round 2 of Dartmoor 365 and includes…
Having walked a fantastic section of the South Devon coastal path from Bigbury at the end of February, we were ready for another coastal outing. No doubt these walks will become more frequent in the summer, but by the start of April, this was only our second visit to some sea views. The North Cornwall…
Back from our trip to the Yorkshire Dales and back on Dartmoor for a walk out of the village of Holne. This one was walk 23 of Round 2 picking up squares Q14 and Q15. I remember doing this walk the weekend before the very first Covid lock down, and remember seeing very few people…
Our final day left us with a decision to make. Where to walk before our long drive back down to Plymouth? The weather was due to be pretty good, lots of sunshine with occasional showers so we now needed a walk near to a decent A road running towards the M65 and importantly, running south.…
Now any first trip to the Yorkshire Dales wouldn’t be complete without a trip to see Malham Cove. I remember this walk from a TV programme called Britain’s Best walks, and I think it was at number two. Ade Edmondson (The Young Ones and Bottom fame) walked this route on the show, and I particularly…
Over the last 15 years I’ve made a fair number of trips north from Plymouth heading to visit relatives in St Helens or further on for holidays in the Lakes. Not once did I head east of the M6 to see any of the sights on offer in the Yorkshire Dales, this, it would seem,…
A nice walk around the north eastern side of Dartmoor and one to keep the miles up in preparation for some walking in the Yorkshire Dales. This walk picks off a number of tors, hills and a number of Dartmoor 365 squares including the diddy hamlet of Sloncombe, this was walk 22 on Round 2…
A birthday walk for Linda and a day off work as a bonus. This was a return visit to a brilliant part of the coastal path on the South Devon coast between Bigbury and Mothercombe, plus the lovely village of Ringmore. The walk along the coastal path is a classic rise and fall route, with…
Back on Dartmoor this week having had a mixture of walking in different areas. We’d had some coastal and some Bodmin Moor recently and it was time to get back into the centre of Dartmoor. This is walk 21 of Round 2 of my D365 square hunt and involves L7, L8 and J8 and the…
A change of scenery on this walk, away from the coast and away from Dartmoor. Bodmin Moor was the destination this time and a walk out past Kilmar Tor from Minions (yes a village of the same name as those little yellow characters, only in Cornwall). The area is packed full of mining heritage, antiquities…
We started out on Walk number 20 of Round 2 with a good weather forecast, the winds from the east mean that clearer weather will be found on the western side of Dartmoor, meaning we should be good for squares D4, E4 and E5. Now its not often that this happens, mainly in the winter,…
This was a weekend away in Newquay for my youngest’s birthday, we didn’t really have too much planned with the exception that the birthday boy was going to eat his bodyweight in pancakes for breakfast. That feat was accomplished quickly after a late start and we had a mull over our options, having driven to…
Time for Walk number 19 of Round 2 of the Dartmoor squares, picking up just square R6 on this walk. Those of you that have read my walking blog for a bit will have seen that I quite like a sunset, its rare that I’m up in time for a sunrise but a sunset is…
Our first coastal walk of the year but we managed to sneak one in before the end of January. This is just a simple route from Seaton to just past Portwrinkle (got to love the Cornish place names), with a bit of inland walking to make the route a bit different. The weather wasn’t great…
We’d had some pretty cold weather, even down here in the South West of England. Snow had fallen on Dartmoor and heavy frosts were the norm with the temperature rarely rising above zero Celsius. We set out on Walk number 18 on Round 2 a little later to allow the road conditions to improve a…
A late start to this walk (number 17 on Round 2 of the D365 squares, picking up I20 and J20) but with good reason to allow the rain to clear and for some sun to come out. The area around Lustleigh is lovely in any weather, but a bit of sun puts a gloss on…
Mid January and a typical weather day for this time of year, cloud too low to head up high but the odd break in the cloud to give a bit of brightness. As with the rest of the country we had, had a lot of rain recently and I thought a look at the River…
Another day in winter where the weather keeps coming in from the prevailing south west so we headed east of Dartmoor to take advantage of the normally drier conditions out that way and walk number 15 of Round 2. Again it worked out nicely for us, picking up G21, H20, H21, H22 and I21 and…
Well 2022 has passed into the annals of history and we all start to make plans for 2023, I will mention some of my plans for this year lower down but for now lets look back at 2022. It started with lots of coastal walks, in fact I’d only done one walk on Dartmoor by…
The second day of the new year and our second walk, I’m pretty sure we won’t continue at this pace (if we do the post updates will be getting a little behind), however its lovely to have the opportunity to get out again. This was walk 14 from Round 2 of the Dartmoor 365 and…
First walk of a new year and a year to hopefully take us to new places for some new adventures, alongside old places with new people for some better adventures. This was walk 13 of Round 2 of the Dartmoor 365 and visits squares Q7 and R7. I’m really looking forward to getting out this…
Boxing Day can be a tricky one to judge, depending on indulgences on the day before, will decide your start time. Also the fact that it will normally be very busy as 26th can be a popular day for getting out and walking and finally the weather, which can be fickle at this time of…
In the middle of December the UK weather finally turned towards winter, after a very warm autumn the snow arrived across the whole country. Even Dartmoor got a bit, especially the high tors near to Okehampton. Princetown had received a small amount so we headed there for a cold walk which carried on my Round…
A Sunday in December and the weather has turned over the last week, finally. After a long warm autumn we finally hit some gloomy and cold weather, and some rain. This walk was squeezed in between rainy days and luckily for us, the walk fell when it was at least dry,. This was walk number…
We’d had a Sunday off walking when we’d returned from the Lake District so despite the low cloud and dull conditions we headed out ready for another Dartmoor walk. The week’s break has allowed me to catch up a bit on the number of outstanding walks I had to post and I am exactly one…
Our first walk after returning from the Lakes and we wanted something easy to get to and also fairly easy to walk, this area is easy to get around due to the Redlake tramway (Puffing Billy track) which runs from just above this parking spot. This walk is number 8 on my D365 round 2…
Our last walk in the Lakes for this week and finally we hit a day were the rain had stopped. At least for our location anyway. There was plenty of blue skies between the clouds, and a strong breeze was making sure those clouds moved quickly across the sky. There were rain showers but luckily…
After a couple of walks where we had needed some serious ‘clothes drying by the fire’ at the end of the walk, you’d have thought we would avoid a weather forecast that said strong winds up to 60mph and heavy and persistent rain with cloud cover down on the high and medium fells. But when…
After two fell walks and a day in the pub we needed a lower walk (plus a lie in). I’ve been wanting to add on Rydal Water to my normal Grasmere loop and this was the day. We started out after lunch and after the rain had eased a little. The rain stopped as we…
Day 2 for us in the Lakes and a decision to be made, walk from the house or scoot around to the Gale Road car park and head up to Skiddaw Little Man. The former won the vote due to a late start and therefore no need to worry about parking anywhere, we were heading…
November and a week booked in the Lakes. Not normally a choice for many but the hardiest of walkers. I’ve been quite a few times now in the half term at the end of October, this time we chose the second week in November. I figured that the 2 weeks won’t make too much difference,…
This is a walk which is my 7th on my 2nd round of Dartmoor 365 squares and picks up just I22 this time. It’s in an area that doesn’t get nearly enough pages on websites, I’ve said it before that if the tors, inside the square mile of Shaptor Woods, were out on Dartmoor proper,…
After two previous weekend trips away with the boys this was the 3rd one this year. We’d been to Weymouth and Bideford so far and this was a trip to Newquay. This walk was in the half term at the end of October (which gives you an idea of how far behind I am at…
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