Well 2019 has been a tumultuous year. I lost a job, spent 6 months unemployed, struggled with anxiety and depression during that time. Starting volunteering with the National Trust, then got a new job with the National Trust. Got huge pains throughout my arms and hands doing the ranger volunteering work that I was doing,…
My first walk of 2020 and I wanted to work my way back into walking. I hadn’t walked properly since the day before the general election (the 11th Dec), not for any protest reason, but because the weather was very poor in that time and I had been rota’d into far too many shifts for…
This walk has taken a bit of time to write up. The main reason being that I’ve extended my list of Dartmoor tors, from 400 to 500, and in doing so this meant finding another 100 tors to include. Now looking at the many tors lists that are out there, I was missing lots of…
Well November seems to have been mostly about the rain, either it was about to rain or it always was. The temperatures stayed pretty mild throughout meaning the south west was hit by wave after wave of rain clouds. I managed only two walks in the whole month which was a pretty poor effort for…
I’d been back from the Lakes for over a week and hadn’t ventured to Dartmoor, a mix of work and poor weather when I had a day off, left me bereft of good walking opportunities. Well I decided to take a gamble on a day were the rain was due to arrive around 2pm, hoping…
Such a good walk this one, if you have National Trust membership then start from the main car park beside the lake. If not then there is another car park to the west just off the road to Coniston. Either way this is a lovely hour walk in glorious surroundings, with views to the Coniston…
I had a choice of a few walks for this day, i could head to Great Gable or maybe pick off some behind Skiddaw. But this time I decided to finish off the Far Eastern Fells. This is my first book of the Wainwright’s that I have finished and one that I thought would be…
This is another of our go to walks, especially after a bit of rain has fallen. We did this walk the day after my long Longsleddale walk and my legs were still aching a fair bit heading around here. Thankfully by the end I’d loosened up enough not to be walking like John Wayne anymore.…
This was a walk that I actually came up with myself, looking at the Far Eastern fells I had left, this walk seemed possible on the map. When I looked online this turned out to be a Longsleddale Round, plus Selside Pike. For some reason this fell (Selside Pike, which is off to one side)…
This seems to be one of our go to low level walks when we are up here in the Lakes. And we never seem to add on Rydal Water to this walk, in fact I’ve never walked around Rydal for some reason. I guess at around an hour and a half to get around the…
Here we were again, up in the Lake District. Another week in Lakeland, enjoying the fantastic scenery, eating too much, trying some different beer and trying to tick off as many Wainwrights as possible. This journey I managed 11, which in 2 walks was pretty good considering I only had around 60 odd to do.…
Not the walk I planned, not even the alternate walk I’d planned. Originally I was going for a walk around the Plym valley, heading to Plym Steps, Grim’s Grave and lots of tors in that area. Then I changed my mind and decided to head to Princetown, then to Whiteworks and walk across Royal Hill…
Like most of the country we’ve had some wet weather down here in the South West, meaning my visits out have not been as frequent recently as I would like. It has also meant the ground underfoot has started to take on its more normal squidgy, boggy self. The other change since my last walk…
As promised, not as long until my next big walk and this one is a bit of a change in locations for myself, especially the outward route. After a dry summer I decided to have a go at looking for Rugglestone Rock, plus a number of outcrops on the side of Hameldown. These all seemed…
Another short walk for me and the boys to ensure a bit of exercise on an otherwise lazy day. We had watched the lunchtime football, preceded by a trip to the field across the road to pick some blackberries, but around that we either lazed in front of the box or scrolled through our phones.…
It had been a while, The last decent walk I did was Helvellyn and that was more than a month ago. Decorating, gardening and work had got in the way too much, well enough was enough and this walk was planned. Initially I only wanted to go as far as Kit Rocks, then across to…
It had taken a while, we’d been back a couple of weeks from the Lakes and hadn’t had a walk in our own back yard. Well enough was enough, and it required a quick walk to get back into Dartmoor. I was trying to remember my last time up here and I think it was…
After three walks in three days we had a couple of days off, with a pootle around Ambleside on one day, followed by a trip to Keswick for some present shopping the next. We were ready for our next walk. The strange thing about this walk was that we discussed it 12 months ago when…
In between the walking days in our week in The Lakes, we had a couple of days off. One was spent pottering around Ambleside in the rain. The second was a trip to Keswick to buy a few presents and have some lunch up there. Considering we were staying in Grasmere, it is normally is…
This was our 3rd walk in 3 days, and surprisingly our longest. The walk out to Calf Crag is much further than it looks on a map, however the path we took meant that the distance was just a sideshow. Greenburn Bottom is a gem of a place and will easily go in my top…
Day 2 dawned and again the weather was dry. Not quite as sunny as it was the day before, however with the cloud off the tops you have to make the most of it in the Lake District. The plan was to grab two southern fells just off the Wrynose Pass, now I’m sure there…
Our week in the Lakes arrived and with it the possibility of some changeable weather. To be honest we did pretty well, looking at the forecast the first 3 days would be good, so out we went for 3 walks. Then a day of rain followed by a mixed bag, where we got one more…
This wasn’t supposed to be the walk today, I had grand plans of driving into Cornwall and heading up to the highest point of that county, Brown Willy (stop laughing, it is called that). We had walked up High Willhays the last time out, and it would have been a nice symmetry to scale Brown…
I wasn’t sure whether to write anything about this, however it is a bit of a milestone for the blog and website so I figure a thank you is needed to you, the readers. Thank you all, from the humble beginnings of a newly emerging Dartmoor tor or rocky outcrop this website has become a…
Good weather means good walks are possible. With the dry spell I decided to take the boys up to the highest point in Devon. In fact this is the highest spot in England, south of Derbyshire. We set out from the plentiful parking spots near to Rowtor, and took in 8 tors in total. 5…
Just a short evening walk from the NT car park at Wembury, mainly heading west towards the Mewstone along the good coastal path. This is nothing more than a change of scenery for me, to get in some coastal sea views rather than the normal moorland that I get most weeks. Don’t worry I’ll be…
I’d missed out on the bluebells of Holwell Lawn this year. so I’d vowed that I’d would do my best to get here for my yearly sunset. The weather played ball and gave me a few options to decide between. As normal I had tea and headed out for any of the car parks below…
A stunning day weatherwise and a perfect time for a walk. This is a good area for seeing different parts of Dartmoor, with classic moorland, mixed with wooded valleys, rivers and some road walking. It provides a walk that is in stark contrast to the normal bleak rolling moorland hills and tors. It was also…
This was a route hatched on the morning walk, one that I’d not done before as a route, although I’d done all of the paths before over many different days out. It looked a fairly good route with good paths all around, however as I’m starting to find out on the south western corner of…
We’d had a last minute idea to go away over the late May bank holiday but couldn’t decide where. We looked at Cornwall, South Wales, maybe Bath, but plumped for Guernsey, due to having family over there and it was somewhere different. It was also pretty easy to get to, with a 25 minute flight…
I always try to get to Lydford Gorge most years. Its a very simple walk, just follow the well made path along one side, the high path and then visit White Lady Waterfall, before walking the lower path alongside the River Lyd to Devils Cauldron. The lower path can be slippery when wet (or Bon…
Back again to one of my favourite spots. I love it here, and when the sun is shining it is a great place. My boys hadn’t been here so I decided to take them for a short walk around the Cleave, picking out the best bits. That meant Raven’s Tor, The Old Clam bridge, a…
A medium length walk which packs in a lot of tors in a short distance. 11 in total in 7 miles, the main tor area is the ridge up from Crockern Tor as once you reach Little Bee Tor, there are 8 in a 2 mile section. It a fine walk, especially the area out…
This is a second part of a walk that I wanted to complete a month or so back, to make a longer walk. I wasn’t really up for a walk on the first outing, so cut it short, here is the second half of the walk, a few weeks later. The weather was decent, the…
This walk wasn’t on the plan for this holiday, I’d originally wanted to do Yolk, Ill Bell, Froswick and Troutbeck Tongue, however the long drive from Keswick put me off, so i changed to this one. Talk of a horseshoe walk in the Lake District and you will get quite far down the list before…
The title is a bit misleading, we didn’t do all these on the same day, they were split by a couple of days and a walk for myself along the High Stile Ridge. The first section of photos, of Tarn Hows, Surprise View and Ashness Bridge were all done on one day. A couple of…
This is probably a walk that I have looked at for 5 years or more now, each time I’ve put it off and gone elsewhere. I’ve added parts to it and then taken them away, I’ve even changed my starting point at the last minute. Originally this was going to be a walk out of…
Another week in the Lakes and it coincided with some lovely weather which got warmer as the week went on. Before heading up to the Lakes I hadn’t had my usual long walk to get me ready for walks with steep fells over long distances, I am a fan of the Dartmoor landscape but it…
This was a chance to get out with the boys in some unseasonal weather around Haytor. There are plenty of tors in this area and we visited 8 in a short walk, plus a welcome ice cream. I’m not a fan of very busy tors and areas, however Haytor is a fabulous outcrop, come early…
The days are getting longer and this means there is no need to be up and out early to get a good walk in. I started this amble after lunch and was easily finished before dark was even considered. This one is a new route for me as I don’t normally head out to Ryders…
I’d seen a walk in one of the walking magazines about a good loop around Bolt Head, near to Salcombe. The distance was around 9 miles and involved walking the coastal path from Overbecks (National Trust) to Hope Cove, involving plenty of plunging views down to the sea below. Now I wasn’t expecting to see…
A walk out of my most visited starting spot. I’m a fan of the tors out the back of Norsworthy Bridge, especially as Burrator is just so popular but 10 minutes after leaving the car there is nothing but silence and the odd sheep breaking the quiet. The summit of Down Tor is a great…
I have recently begun volunteering for the Dartmoor Preservation Association, just helping to clear out some historical sites and a further chance to spend some time on Dartmoor. I had one day on Roborough Down helping to clear bracken, bramble and gorse from the Plymouth Leat. Today however was a bit higher up, thankfully the…
A walk planned on the first day of the strong winds. They were definitely strong today and to be honest once the rain started my will to walk was gone and probably for the first time in a long time, I shortened the walk to get back to the car quicker. This is an area…
A short Saturday trip out with the boys and a chance to do some of my youngest’s homework. He’s been given a booklet with lots of different tasks in it to complete, things like a blind taste test, climb a mountain/hill, go to a science lab and learn to read an OS map. So here…
A very sunny week and a couple of walks spring to mind, Tavy Cleave and up to Fur Tor or anything north!! I decided that anything north was the option and Great Kneeset would be the choice. Any walk around Cranmere Pool requires a good deal of dry weather. A walk there in February requires…
A trip to the eastern side of Dartmoor this time and a woodland walk through one of the best areas in Devon. Lustleigh Cleave is a fantastic area and I could go on and on about the views from Harton Chest. I went looking for Gradner Rocks this time before dropping down into the valley…
I fancied something different today, that and the fact that the military had every range in use and my original plan of heading to Great Kneeset was ruined because of that! So I headed instead to Bodmin Moor for a fine walk from Minions. One thing you notice when walking on Bodmin is how big…
Another middle of the week wander, this time between two horrid days of strong winds and heavy rain. The result of this is that the rivers tend to be a bit swollen and seeing as I had to cross the Walkham twice, I did well to stay dry footed. There was even some snow still…
Snow was forecast on Dartmoor and a bit of a drop in temperature to keep it there, plus a chance of some sunshine which would really make for a good walk. Well I have to say that this is probably one of the best walks I have ever had, anywhere. It was absolutely magical. I…
I wasn’t really planning a walk for this weekend but it got to Sunday lunchtime and I took a spare of the moment dart up to the Merrivale area. Looking back I hadn’t been on the Staple Tors for 3 years or so, which is ridiculous really. I walked out the front door and was…
A bit of snow was forecast for Dartmoor on Tuesday, however I could only get there for a walk on Wednesday. Most of it had melted by the time I got there, apart from the stubborn north facing slopes. This is just a short walk around the basin of the West Dart, between Two Bridges…
A second day in a row out for a walk and probably the best weather I’ve had for quite a while. A crisp frosty start turned into a nice sunny day and despite a bit of haze towards the end it stayed warm enough for 2 layers. I’d walked this area only a couple of…
Good weather was in the forecast for the middle part of the week and I decided I would get myself out on at least 2 walks over 3 days. Unfortunately the first day coincided with a sickness bug, which went as fast as it came. However Wednesday I was back up and running again, so…
Time for a short walk around the southerly tip of Dartmoor in another area that doesn’t take too long for me to get there. That said its not one of my favourite spots due to the scar on the landscape that is the Lee Moor clay works. Still the sun shone a fair bit and…
Last year was a decent one for walking, not as good as previous years but some fantastic walks in some lovely countryside. This year I managed 54 walks which isn’t as high as normal but still not too bad. I had some targets also for 2018, I got very close to completing a second round…
The last walk of the year 2018 and one right in the centre of Dartmoor, setting out from Postbridge. I noticed on setting out that the pub was closed, until mid January, so no end of walk drink for me today. Still I was looking forward to walking over the Riddon Ridge, an area I…
I’m sure I’ve said this before but this walk from Cadover Bridge to Shaugh Bridge and back along both sides of the River Plym is my favourite. Its an easy walk of not much more than 4 miles, it has a fair bit of a climb from Shaugh Bridge (no matter which way you do…
I don’t think I’ve needed a walk more than this one, sometimes you just need to get out and let your head breathe a bit and sort itself out. Bad weather, too much work and more bad weather, had left me caged and ready to go. I chose this walk and kept adding more spots…
December is a month of family, getting together and sharing with those you love. However this is also the time of year when the weather for walking can be as good as it will ever get. Cold bright days are what we are looking for, plenty of blue in the sky and plenty of frost…
Not the best weekend for weather but I wasn’t bothered, it wasn’t raining and that would do me. I quite like this area, in fact Venford is my favourite reservoir on the moor by some distance. I decided to take the direct route from Aller Brook Outcrop to Bench Tor which meant a drop into…
When the weather is as glorious as it was today you have to get out. I wanted to go high to make the most of the views and the west looked best. The tors on this side are all brilliant, the views stretch out to Cornwall and behind them the rolling hills of the central…
The weekend weather had changed from the bright blue skies and sunshine of the week before. The forecast suggested a dry day on Saturday before rain came in a teatime, with Sunday being a complete washout. As it turned out the weather on Dartmoor was ahead of time by around 4 hours as the rain…
With their cousins down from Swindon we didn’t have too much time for a walk today, as playing games on tablets and phones were the priority. A short drive therefore to the area above and to the west of Burrator. Its a great area that packs a punch with the views and is easy to…
October hasn’t really been my best month for walking, lots of things to do at the weekend and far too much work has meant getting out for a bimble has been difficult. However a more relaxed weekend and a couple of days leave meant that I had 4 days to get a walk in. Tuesday…
It hadn’t been a good weather week, in fact I wasn’t sure any walk was on at the weekend, as the heavy rain and wind kept me indoors. However hope on Sunday afternoon of a break surfaced and I took the opportunity. It was only a short walk, with a steep up and back down,…
It had been nearly a fortnight since my last walk and the lack of space and time was starting to make me grumpy. Walking is the best medicine for me and I needed to get out to some wide open spaces. I had this walk in mind last time I was out, however time meant…
A day off work and a chance to get out to a better place. Its no secret that Dartmoor is my go to place, however Royal Hill and Ter Hill won’t be high on my list of favourite spots. The weather today though made every step a pleasure, it was warm for late September and…
We had booked into the brilliant Cornish Arms in Tavistock for a Sunday roast, and damn fine it was too. Afterwards we decided to go for a walk, nothing too far at all,it was more about the view and a sit and look at it. The weather was decent, if a little hazy on the…
Just a short walk this time, nothing too far, nothing too hard. Just a chance to get out for an hour, but with such a short walking window it also means you don’t want to travel too far to start the walk. This area is barely 15 minutes from the house and could easily be…
Autumn looked like it was coming over the previous weeks, and I was planning some last longer walks before the days shorten too much to complete them. The northern moors involve an hours drive each way so these needed to be done soon. I picked this out and back to Hangingstone Hill from Belstone, this…
This walk was much needed, the boys had been staring at phones, games and screens for long enough and they needed to get out and see the world. I decided to head to the far side of Dartmoor from home to extend the time away from the computers, whilst also allowing us to finishing listening…
Back on Dartmoor and a walk around the mast at Princetown, picking off lots of tors that I don’t visit very often, Swell Tor being one of these. This surprised me a bit as the quarry is a great place for an explore. The weather got better as the day went on, which was good…
Somewhere slightly different today, still on Dartmoor, but right in the north eastern corner. This area is a fine place to walk if you don’t mind a bit of walking down lanes to get to places of interest or the odd hill and tor. I’ve parked here a couple of times now, firstly heading out…
A few days after getting back from The Lakes and I still had a couple of extra days holiday. The weather had broken down south as well and the temperature were back to a normal 18-20degrees. A simple walk on the western side of Dartmoor seemed like a good idea, as long as the cloud…
