Firstly may I wish everyone a Happy New Year, I hope 2018 brings you all some great walking weather. 2017 has been a pretty good year for me and my boys on the hills, tors and fells of Dartmoor, Bodmin Moor and the Lake District. There have been 67 walks over some 375 miles in…
This is my last walk of 2017 and being New Years Eve I decided on a walk that includes lots and lots of things to see, the tors come thick and fast as do the bridges, churches and leats in between, the only downside was the cows, of which there can be a lot of…
I’ve said before this is my favourite walk, anywhere. On days like this it becomes a very special place to be. The sky was blue (at last) and the chance was taken to burn off some of that Christmas pud, although the amount of cake we packed probably balanced out what was burned off!! This…
This isn’t a long walk, but looking back this is one I’ve done a few times with the boys. Its very easy (apart from the steps at the start!!) and the boys love the old swimming pool part down by the sea, overlooking The Mewstone. This was just a quick walk, with bad weather forecast…
Now some of you will look at the title and see the photos below and wonder why I haven’t gone way into Dartmoor on a longer walk. Well there was a reason. My eldest had asked me if I would like to go with his class, for a walk on Dartmoor. “You know what you…
It was the weekend and again possible snow was forecast on Dartmoor. So again me and the boys decided to go looking for it. On reaching Princetown there was a fair bit, not loads but enough. However I wanted somewhere different for them, so we headed onwards to Postbridge, here we found less snow so…
This was a walk I’d been looking forward to doing again and despite the shortening days I was confident I would get around ok. The weatherman had set the day fair, no sunshine but a promise of just a cloud covering and no rain. However on reaching Tavistock, and with visibility down to around 200…
The forecast said there could be snow overnight, followed by hail the next morning. So the plan was made to at least go and have a look, I had a walk in mind however as the snow was due to be sporadic the location of the walk could change. The plan was Princetown or somewhere…
This walk took in another new area for me and an extension of a walk I have done before. The area north of the Blackbrook and hemmed in by the West Dart river is a section of land that ends with Prince Hall Rocks. There is a little wooden bridge that allows for a nice…
Brent Tor is just a short walk from the car park and as such it barely deserves a mention when it comes to distance travelled. However what it loses in in distance it makes up in drama and landscape. Its a fabulous tor, all the more spectacular that it has a cracking little church at…
This is a walk to another of the smaller, lesser tors that I haven’t been to before. Aller Brook Outcrop is a nice little gathering of rocks overlooking the River Dart and its valley. We decided to add in Combestone Tor as well as it allowed us to carry on following the Aller Brook as…
Our last day and the weather turns, what a day. Blue skies everywhere. We packed up in Keswick and headed off to Latrigg to catch the inversion and sunshine. The views were as good as I’ve ever had up in Lakeland. With good weather comes lots of people and the Gale road car park was…
This walk is a classic Lakeland walk, and now I’ve done it I can see why. This specific walk though isn’t the full Coledale Round, that one can include another 3 or 4 fells if you want it to. However I’ve already done Outerside, Barrow, Grasmoor and Wandope, with Hopegill Head pencilled in for a…
It was Wednesday morning and we decided on another walk. This made it 4 walks in 4 days for me, which was nice! We only wanted a short walk as we had visitors to meet at lunchtime, however we had done all the obvious ones around Keswick. We decided on a longer drive but a…
Time for another low level walk from my week in The Lakes and this one is a classic. I’ve been and done this one once before, on a glorious crisp February day (here). Today wasn’t quite like that but the quality of the views and surrounding fells make it a joy. We’d saved the walk…
The roman road over High Street is famous around the country for traversing the 828 metre peak of the same name. It connected the two roman forts of Broughton (near Penrith) to Galava (near Ambleside) and took its route due to the marshy and wooded valleys on the normal route, which were prone to ambush.…
Back in the Lakes again for another week of food, drinks, walks, food, walks, drinks and more food. The weather this week wasn’t the best I’ve had up here, only our last day did it turn into autumn as you would want it and the colours of the trees came out. As it was I…
I fancied a nearby walk, but a long walk to go with it. This one fitted the bill nicely as I could lengthen and shorten this walk to fit the changeable weather, as it was the weather got better as I neared the end. By the time I was driving home the sun was cracking…
Finally a good weather day, a Sunday with sun. I was up early and off to western Dartmoor where I arrived to a full car park behind the Dartmoor Inn (Lydford). A bit of squeezing got my car in and I was off. The plan was a pretty full circuit, from Hare Tor to the…
As I mentioned in the previous walk, the weather hasn’t been great in September. Well October didn’t start any better either. This walk was done in thick mist, however with this being my favourite walk and my go to walk, I loved it. It gave an already great walk another layer (of mist!!). I concentrated…
The weather in September down here in the south west corner of Devon has been pretty abysmal. Particularly at the weekends. This was only my second Deon based walk this month, and like the last it was very short and between the rain showers. Bring on the colder weather. This walk is an easy one,…
Any walk in this area is dominated by the 196 metre TV mast, most of the views have part or all of the structure in the way. I enjoying walking to the summit of North Hessary Tor. Firstly it is very easy, secondly it is the highest point on the south moor, meaning brilliant views…
Now the seasoned Wainwright walker will know all about the central spine that consists of 7 Wainwrights, running from Walla Crag to Ullscarf. They will also know, more specifically, about the part from Bleaberry Fell to Armboth Fell and how wet and boggy it can be. I can confirm it is indeed wet and boggy…
On the map this looked like a do-able walk we had about 4 hours to do the walk (with treetop adventures at Brockholes planned for later that afternoon) and no walk the previous day. The weather was looking good and the pay meter in the Grasmere car park was broken, must have been my day!!.…
This walk wasn’t really on the agenda for this week. We were a bit tired after the previous day on Skiddaw and we felt a shorter easier walk would do. Nothing longer than a few hours. This walk is ideal for that. Starting at the Honister YHA and following the easy path (called the Drum…
This is the first of 4 walks on this visit to the Lake District this summer. The boys wanted to beat their previous highest mark (which was the Old Man of Coniston at 803m). We were staying in Braithwaite and the mountain of Skiddaw overlooks this village, it seemed an obvious choice. So 4 children…
I must be getting a fondness for this place, this is my 3rd visit this year. Its a great walk for when the cloud is down on the moors or you fancy something with a tea room at the start (and end) and also halfway round!! This is obviously a National Trust spot so being…
My second visit to Castle Drogo this year, this time I had a look around the castle as well as a short walk. The walk is one of the published walks available from the shop and is the very short walk of just over a mile. I also added on Hunters Tor as an easy…
This walk was made to scout out a good camping spot for myself and my boys for a planned wildcamp in August. As it was I found a couple of spots that fitted the bill. The walk itself is one I’ve done before and a good one to take in the rarely visited Hart Tor…
Just a short walk today with a couple of aims, the first was to scout out a wild camp spot and the second to find Tor Rocks. As it was both these two aims are within about 100 metres of each other. We started out from the Harford Gate car car and headed up to…
Time for a good walk and one in pretty much my favourite area of Dartmoor. I love walking around here, the views are always great, there’s a pub or two for the end of the walk and there’s lots of tors to summit and many routes to do them. This is a walk I’ve done…
This is an area I hadn’t been to for perhaps 5 years now, long before I started this website. I did part of this walk ( in the opposite direction), heading up the lane from Five Lanes, then down towards the reservoirs before looping back through the woods and past Great Rock. I thoroughly enjoyed…
Saturday had been a pretty grotty day and wasn’t getting any better. The boys were crawling up the walls, or more accurately, with their heads buried in technology and gaming. Enough was enough and we had to get out, there were some breaks in the rain late afternoon so we headed out. This isn’t really…
We had a bit of time on a Saturday afternoon and decided that a walk was needed, plus an ice cream. So I picked a spot where an ice cream van was guaranteed and we set off. Its been a while since I’ve been on Ingra Tor and I reversed my normal route in order…
The last day of three (Day 1 and Day 2 here) and I felt pretty good. This had been my first long ish walk, over multiple days and I was felling like I could carry on for at least two more days. I’ve already started looking at the South West Coast Path for next year,…
Day 2 (Day 1 is here) and after a few pints in the Castle Inn at Lydford and a decent nights sleep I was ready. Breakfast downstairs was the full English variety and by 10am I was on my way. Today was a long day, 16 miles, a fair bit on roads so I knew…
The West Devon Way is a 37 mile path that links Okehampton to Plymouth. It roughly follows the route 27 cycle route and at many times it follows it. It also links many other trails together including the Tarka Trail, the Two Castles Way, Devonshire Heartland Way and the South West Coastal Path. Its a…
Just a quick walk today, not too far but still a fair bit of height to give a good view. I’m find of the area around Lynch Tor, in fact its one of my favourite tors and the views west are fantastic. Standon Hill is another with a great view with parts of Tavy Cleave…
I’ll let you into a secret, one of the best sunsets you can get is from Barn Hill Rocks at this time of year. I’ve made it a bit of a pilgrimage to always try an evening walk, where a sunset is guaranteed, to this place around the summer solstice time. This place never fails.…
A better day Sunday than the previous walk on Saturday (click here), thankfully a bit of sunshine and dryness. This area can be a bit of a trudge, so I tried to pick bits of interest in between to lighten the long grass, boggy trudge and hardly any paths that you get from Avon Head…
We’ve had a bit of a grotty start to the late spring/summer time down here in the south west. After a pretty dry May, June started with very heavy rain and strong winds. This weekend was no different, especially the Saturday. We needed a walk and the weatherman promised drier weather to the south west…
This was a good walk after the morning rain had been and the next day rains arrived with vengeance. I don’t think however that I’ve been on Shell Top or Lee Moor without at least a shower, and today was no different, it lashed down for 10 minutes and then left as quick as it…
A bank holiday and previous week filled with scares, hospital visits and no thoughts to walking. My dad was taken ill last week and ended up in hospital with a heart attack. Thankfully he’s recovered now and he’s on the road to recovery after having a number of stents put in. By bank holiday Monday…
Another walk in an area I wanted to come back to and this time with some added on bits and new things that I’ve wanted to go and look at. Lakehead Hill is one of these places, with plenty of antiquated cists, cairns and a stone row to keep people happy, Bellever Clapper is a…
Today I went looking for the lost tors of Dartmoor. Alongside the River Tavy around Mary Tavy there are at least 5 tors that don’t get a great deal of exposure. The trees cover them and they don’t stand out like a Great Mis Tor or Haytor. Now some of these tors sit on private…
I’ve been meaning to come to this area for a few weeks to see the bluebells and finally I managed to sort a walk in this area. It was 10 tors weekend, so knowing anywhere around Okehampton and Merrivale ranges would be packed full of teenagers doing brilliant things on the western side of Dartmoor,…
May bank holiday weekend had started well weather wise, Friday I was at a beer festival in Newton Abbot and the weather was dry and warm. Saturday was the same with blue skies thrown in, unfortunately the effects of Friday meant a good walk was not happening!! Sunday however it poured down, the forecast for…
This walk was done the same day as the previous walk around Lustleigh Cleave. The weather was good, the sun still shining and gave a good chance of decent sunset. This area around Peek Hill is fantastic for a sunset and an evening stroll, nothing too difficult in distance or gradient, but extensive views to…
This is one of the areas I’d wanted to return to and I’ve been excited about coming back her for a while now. Partly to improve a walk I’ve done before but mainly to stand on Harton Chest again. The last time I came here was to bag the 4 tors along the ridge, which made…
I said back at the start of the year that I needed to do some more walking in Cornwall and in particular on Bodmin Moor. So Easter Sunday came and I set out for Minions. Now this isn’t a joke, there is a place on Bodmin Moor called Minions, and the signpost into the village…
Back at home after a week in The Lakes and back on Dartmoor soil. Have to say since being back I’ve had the post holiday blues, not really wanting to do too much. The weather has been fine, the nights are drawing out and all is set for outside things. I set myself a simple…
Ok, before anyone shouts this isn’t quite the Newlands Round. I’ve done Catbells previously so this allowed me to park in Little Town and head up to Hause Gate and onto Maiden Moor, thus missing out a short part. Still this is still a pretty big walk and gives one of the best views in…
I’d been planning this walk for a while, I’d neglected the eastern fells, picking at the Mell Fells or Arnison Crag on one off walks that didn’t really do the area justice. The plan was to walk the Helvellyn ridge, Clough Head to Seat Sandal 10 fells in a line (11 if you venture off…
This walk was done on the same day as the Aira Force walk, after visiting Grasmere, and having a pub tea in Keswick, we saw that the blue skies were still accompanying our day. Sunset came immediately to mind and whilst we went a little earlier than the sunset, the light and the views were fantastic.…
A week off work for me, usually means a packed rucksack and bag, followed by a 400 mile drive the the Lake District. The first week of April was such a week for me and I picked the right one to go up. The weather was good, just two cloudy days and a bit of…
Finally Spring has arrived, lots of sunshine, warmer temperatures and a busier Dartmoor as a result!! This was a walk in a popular area but away from the crowds and avoiding the busier paths, the route out from Postbridge to Stannon Farm allows a quieter approach to the East Dart waterfall, and the area of…
Something different today, the weather on the moors hasn’t been the best this week and doesn’t look like changing for a fair few more days at least. Strong winds, low cloud and lots of drizzle seem to be the order of the day. However today the weather on the coast was forecast to be dry…
I’m enjoying this go where I want element to my walking at the moment. For the previous year the task has been to finish the tors on my list. Now I have the freedom of Dartmoor again! This walk started out as probably 5 or 6 miles, however I added on lots of extra parts,…
The weather this week has hit typical winter weather, probably the type we would normally associate with November. A freezing cold strong wind, rain then sun, followed by black cloud with hail, sunny patches, then rain and then sun to follow. Pack every type of clothing!! This was one of those days, it rained 3…
Well, I’m here to start another round of my tors and this is the first of the walks. The question I have is, when you’ve completed a list and you want to do it again, do you start again from 0 having done none of the hills, tors or whatever. Or do you count the ones…
I’m still not sure why I left this one until last on my list, and having walked to Quintins Man last week, I thought at the time that I should have made that one my last. However here I am. The last one on my list of 287 Dartmoor tors, hills and rocks that I…
I’d had a few ideas of routes to get to my true target on this walk, Quintins Man. I could have started from Postbridge, Rowtor or Fernworthy, I chose the latter as it gave a better circular walk than the others, which ultimately turned out to be a loop around Great varracombe. I wasn’t certain…
Waking up this morning and seeing a few flakes of snow falling I knew there would be a bit on Dartmoor. There wasn’t much snow in the forecast and what there was would probably not last long. Time to get the shoes on and wrap up warm and up to a good spot, I headed…
I’d been getting cabin fever with all the bad weather recently, finally though we had a weather window at a weekend and I took the chance to bag one of the remaining 3 tors on my list. Hedge Tor is a bit of a lesser tor in an area full of the big hitter spots…
I quite like this area of Dartmoor, this is as remote as you will get on the south moor, and like last week’s walk up Langcombe Brook there was a a bleakness and a beauty about the place. Foxtor Mires in the sunshine is a great place, and I’d never been to Caters Beam or…
One of my remaining walks to finish my list and I didn’t really pick the best day for it. I headed out in weather that we have had down here now for 10 days or so. even my previous two walks had similar weather in the main. Parts of this walk will be stunning in…
Like the last walk this one was a bit of a tidy up exercise to complete my Dartmoor tors list, after this I’ll have 5 left.. There were two walks, and a couple of darts to grab two more, which made 7 for the day. The five I have left will all be single walks…
This was a series of walks to get nearer to finishing off my list of Dartmoor Tors. To be honest it will always be the way when bagging hills on a list. There’s always a few at the end that need tidying up, I don’t apologise for this series of parking and bagging of the…
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