A quick evening walk in the area around Burrator reservoir, taking in some of the smaller tors at the southern end of the reservoir. This is an ideal walk for when you haven’t much time and the views are brilliant as you walk along the old railway track above the reservoir. This walk also summits…
I’d done a similar walk to this in November last year (here) and this time wanted to find the Shovel Stone, which isn’t marked on the map but I know is in the area. I’d done a bit of internet digging beforehand which brought up conflicting photos of the stone itself. All I could tell…
I’ve been pretty busy recently, that’s not to say I haven’t been out, far from it. Its the updating of the site that has got left behind, 3 weeks since my last post!! I’ve finally got round to posting this walk from the first week in September and it was a cracker. 11 miles, some…
I had time for a quick walk just after lunch before needing to be somewhere later in the afternoon. I misjudged the length of the walk really, particularly the part between leaving Easdon Tor and getting to Langstone. From that point I was looking for paths because at this time of year the bracken on…
I’ve been looking at the tors on my list that I’ve yet to tick off, two in the centre were standing out, Arch Tor and Flat Tor. Looking at them on a map you’d think the link between them was simple. Far from it, this is Dartmoor after all. This is tough ground, very little…
This was my first proper walk after coming back from the Lakes. Nothing too tricky or too far but an area I haven’t been before, around the Blackbrook River and somewhere I have been around, in Royal Hill. Like much of Dartmoor at the moment the grass is long, the bracken is high and thus…
This turned out to be our last walk in the Lakes this week, the weather on the Thursday turned to heavy rain and Friday we were leaving. Still this is a fine ending to our week of walks. As many know this is the smallest of the Wainwrights, standing under 300metres it would normally be…
This was our fourth walk in 4 days, all of about the same length. Unlike the other walks though we didn’t stay dry on this one thanks to a heavy shower as we left Helm Crag. This is an iconic walk in the Lake District, the Lion and the Lamb (as seen best from the…
Third day of our Lake District week and we’ve plumped for an easier walk with some interest for the boys. There had been rain overnight and Aira Force has been on my list for a while. So it was off to the Eastern Fells for a look at the waterfall plus a walk up Gowbarrow…
As is tradition for our week in the Lakes we all walk together at least once. Some go all the way around the route, some stop at a certain point and head back. The only rule seems to be get to the point where the family photo is taken and then the day is yours!…
This is the first walk of our annual week in the Lake District, I make no apologies (to Dartmoor) when I say I love this place. Yes there are higher places, more remote places, however when I’m heading past Lancaster and the high fells come into view I feel happy, very happy. After a horrific…
Time for one more walk before I head to the Lake District for a week. As is customary before I head to high ground I tend to at least have a walk that will test the legs or at worst put some mileage into them. this walk turned out to be perfect, around 12 miles,…
This was just a quick impromptu visit to a tor on Dartmoor whilst driving back from Exeter, after all the moorland scenery is far better than the A38!! This tor sits right beside to road that leads from Holne to Two Bridges, so a quick stop in the car park and a wander and then…
After only having one evening walk this year so far, I had two in two days. Yesterday evening I was with the boys around Hucken Tor, and this evening I’ve decided to make a loop around the head of the Cowsic River. Now I have to admit this isn’t really my favourite area to walk,…
The weather was good (I don’t like to say too hot as I only moan when the weather is inclement!) and we decided a quick picnic on the moor followed by a walk was in order. We ate at Cadover Bridge with the boys having a dunk in the river, not intentional, more they fell…
After a night out on the beer (other refreshments are available!) I needed a walk the next day. The mind was willing but the body was weak, so it took me until 4pm to get myself together and get out the door. My navigational skills do not improve with a hangover, so it took me…
It had been a couple of weeks since my last walk and I was getting itchy feet. I’d planned on returning to this area, as my last walk here resulted in getting soaked and the cloud dropping completely on the last two tors, meaning I had to cut short the walk. This walk allowed me…
Most walks in this area will provide you with a good chance of seeing human’s history on the moor. In this case it was going back as far as 5000 years ago and the settlements at Drizzlecombe, alongside the 19th century mining at Eylesbarrow and finally the 17th century rabbit warren house at Ditsworthy. There…
Time for a quick walk today and back to my favourite stretch of water on Dartmoor. Last time I was here I headed up to Ryders Hill from this point, however today was a more leisurely walk, with barely any ascent to talk about followed by a lovely circuit of the reservoir. Bliss.
First walk back after being away for a few days in Snowdonia, which showed up the differing terrains in these two places. Dartmoor with its boggy ground, grassy hills and, more often than not, gently sloping tors. Against Snowdonia with its bare rock, steep climbs and many Llyns (lakes). Both in their own way have…
Coming to Snowdonia for the first time I was looking for a walk that would give me a flavour of what this area was about. There is the obvious Snowdon walk, or the Snowdon Horseshoe. There is the Carnedds or the Glyders or possibly Moel Siabod. In the end I decided that the Glyders would…
I had a call from some friends who were down for the week, just over the border in Cornwall. they wanted a walk on Dartmoor, which would a) tire the kids out a bit, b) take in a leat and finally show them some tors and rocks. I figured Burrator was a good starting point…
Some days you head out for a walk and the conditions around you mean that you change your mind and decide to either, cut short the walk, or change the route. Today was one of those days, what should have been a nice little walk to Penn Beacon, was changed, due to thick haze which…
Slightly different from the norm for me, no Dartmoor, no tors and no bogs this time. Instead it was a trip after work with a BBQ to the beach to catch the teatime sunshine and have a some fun. We headed for Wembury Point, mainly because its quieter than Wembury beach itself but also so…
Whereas last Sunday we had beautiful weather on our walk above Burrator (here), this one was a bit of a washout. It started perfectly fine, with sunshine and the thoughts of a quick 30 minute ramble and some nice views. However the weather decided it couldn’t make its mind up and thought it would also…
At last a bit of sunny, warm weather. We’d eaten down the road at the Burrator Inn and a quick little walk was in order. This is a highly recommended stroll for those with little experience of Dartmoor as it is all within 500 metres of the road and the car. Also it gives you some…
This was my first walk after work this year, the weather in the day promised much however once out of Plymouth and up above Ivybridge it became clear that any view was going to be a hazy one. As a result the photos aren’t the best but its an area I love walking in and…
Today I wanted a simple walk, not too far, some nice views and somewhere new. All of today’s route was new ground to me, 3 tors I haven’t been on before, decent views despite the haze and finally warm enough for just a t-shirt!! Having finished the walk I was a little disappointed I didn’t…
Bank Holiday weekend and one good day which allowed for one quick walk (here), however the Sunday didn’t look a wash out so I headed to the eastern side of Dartmoor and hopefully I would hang on to the drier weather for longer. As it was it drizzled a bit and the cloud dropped but…
Another beautiful day on a Saturday and to earn our lunch a quick walk was in order. These two tors are probably the closest to Plymouth and therefore the easiest to get to. The walk itself isn’t much more than 30 minutes, although the views back to Plymouth Sound and out to sea may make…
I was heading for a day out in Tavistock and decided that a nice walk at Burrator would build up an appetite for lunch! An easy walk to Down Tor was planned, giving lovely views back to Burrator reservoir. I’ve said a number of times that this is my favourite tor on Dartmoor due to…
The first proper long walk this year, with the clocks going back, daylight is longer and the weather is getting more favourable. I have neglected the north eastern corner of Dartmoor, particularly around Belstone so this was a walk to put it right. I took in 9 new tops, plus a couple of stone circles…
The weather was set fair for the weekend and after a big lunch we decided on a walk help digest the food! I’ve been up North Hessary Tor before , however I’ve never been to the two satellite tors that sit on its north western side. This walk isn’t more than an hour and involves…
Another week in Devon where the weather was better in the week (when I was in work) than it is at the weekend (when I’m not). This weekend strong winds, of around 50mph, were forecast, however I thought I’d see what happened regarding the weather. As it was, some sun shone in Plymouth and I…
A short walk today in some decent weather. Parking in Heybrook Bay and heading up past HMS Cambridge and then down to join the SW Coastal Path and then back to Heybrook Bay. The area around HMS Cambridge has been sold by the MOD to the National Trust which is great news as this is…
Storm Katie was due to hammer Britain this Easter weekend, however the worst of it seemed to miss the south west. The winds were brisk but not horrible, and when Sunday came and the skies had some blue in them I decided a walk was in order. Unfortunately the weather in Plymouth is not the…
This walk was pretty much over similar ground to Sunday’s walk, only I headed round to Roos Tor and past Cox Tor, instead of going towards Lynch Tor this time. The weather was absolutely superb, warm enough for just a t shirt and a bit of a tan!!! It was a shame I couldn’t lengthen…
It had been such a good week, weather wise, and it seemed right to get out again for another long walk. This one allowed for some new tops for me as well as an old favourite. Unfortunately the weather, whilst dry, was absolutely bitter and a reminder that spring isn’t quite here yet!! I’d also…
Not a great deal of spare time today but we managed a quick walk out to Brisworthy Stone Circle and back. It was absolutely bitter in the wind and compared to last week’s t shirt weather, it was a bit of a shock. I guess it is only March after all!! It’s only a 15 minute…
The weather was good, me and the boys had eaten lunch and a quick stroll was in order. Despite the youngest’s protests!! Leeden Tor is barely a 10 minute walk up from the busy car parks on the B3212 but the views up to Cox Tor, the Staple Tors and Princetown are brilliant. Especially if…
First walk on Dartmoor for a few weeks and an area I haven’t been to before and too be honest not one I’ll rush back to. The area around Foxtor Mires is excellent, although not to be messed with as it is horrendously boggy. However once on Ter Hill the ground is heavy going and…
The weather was decent and I had time for a quick walk out to Ditsworthy Warren House. The walk isn’t more than a 40 minute stroll and covers hardly any distance really. Having been in the Lakes the previous week it was good to be back on home turf, shame I didn’t have time to…
I needed one walk in The Lakes before the long drive back to Devon, nothing too far in distance but enough to stretch the legs, some snow would be a nice way to round off a good few days in this lovely part of the world. Whinlatter fitted the bill, in that it was a…
Nearing the end of my stay in the Lakes and the weather has turned a little, meaning just two more short walks before I leave. Ling Fell is a very simple walk from any direction and is perfect for a day when cloud covers the higher fells, or you need a quick walk to keep…
Whilst in the Lakes I really wanted to do a wintry walk. Something with snow, cold conditions and maybe a need for some microspikes. Nothing that difficult that requires an ice axe and crampons but enough to give me a flavour and some experience in these conditions. Dartmoor can be bleak however lots of snow…
If there’s a better simpler low level walk in the UK than this one then feel free to let me know. A few miles, a bit of woodland, cascading streams, a large lake, a tunnel and a cracking village with a couple of pubs and a couple of coffee shops. It is a fabulous place to…
More time up in the Lake District this week and a chance for some winter walking. This first one however wasn’t full on snow, just a bit of frost and ice on the paths and a fresh wind. These three fells make an excellent round and the views from Crag Fell along Ennerdale are some…
Finally the weather turned, after a horrible Saturday with high winds and heavy rain, Sunday broke with blue skies. Another storm was heading in from the Atlantic bringing more horrible stuff so a quick walk was needed this morning. I headed to Two Bridges and took advantage of the easy walk up to Crockern Tor…
First big walk of 2016, the weather was set fair for the majority of the day (more of that later), so I decided to head east to new territory around Fernworthy Forest and Scorhill. I planned to do the loop in reverse from my actual walk but I wanted to see the ruin at Teignhead…
Well there was a bit of snow on Dartmoor, however with things to do on a Saturday morning it was mid afternoon before we got up to it. A lot had melted, some made into snowmen and enough thrown at me by my boys!!! It was a bit of fun, a short walk and a…
The weather said it should be decent with rain coming in after lunch, so a quick walk was devised from Bel Tor corner over to Mel Tor and then along the Two Moors Way, returning back along the road through Poundsgate. It was lovely to be out and the bonus was the weather was even…
I didn’t have much time and the weather had been dry if a little blustery, however I managed to get a quick walk in around the Mountbatten area of Plymouth which gives good views across Plymouth Sound to Cornwall. Its a simple walk of very little difficulty and distance but it was good to be…
Since early November sunny days in this part of the world have been extremely rare. Rain and strong winds from the south west have arrived day after day. Finally though we had one good day which meant one final walk in 2015. The original plan was start near Bonehill Rocks walk through Widecombe and up…
This is a walk I try to do every year at least once. It’s a fabulous area and an easy walk, giving a taster to everything that is good about walking on Dartmoor. You get a nice moorland area across Wigford Down, fantastic views from the Dewerstone and Devil’s Rocks, history and victorian industry with…
Yet again the weather has been against me and the chances to get out have been fleeting, after a calm Sunday morning I looked out the window and noticed that it hadn’t rained!! Time for a walk. Nothing too far, a couple of miles, but enough to remove the cobwebs. Trowlesworthy Warren used to be…
Considering the amount of rain that has fallen in November it would have been foolish to at least not have attempted a walk to one of the waterfalls on Dartmoor. I considered Lydford Gorge or perhaps Becky Falls but plumped for an old favourite in East Dart Waterfall. The only question would be could I…
Let’s face it, it has been miserable in November. However finally the weather broke and I had chance for two quick walks, the first was up Cox Tor and the second a cracking little walk with my two boys around Peek Hill. My eldest tried out my old camera that I have given to them and…
It had been over a fortnight since my last walk in The Lake District on Souther Fell and I needed to get out. The problem was in that time the rain had pounded down for 2 weeks solid and there was no sign of a halt. Enough was enough though and a simple walk around some…
The last walk of an autumn week in The Lakes and being the last day I always try to pick something easy and as easterly as possible to get on the M6 quickly. The 6 plus hour drive to Plymouth necessitates leaving late afternoon, so you miss the worst of the traffic around Manchester and…
Friday broke and the weather wasn’t overly kind, the cloud was down again however it said brighter things would be with the Western Lakes by midday. I headed out after lunch for something easy, something new and preferably something not boggy (after all the rain we’d had!). I decided on a little North Western fell…
The title Lord’s Seat sounds far greater than it actually is, the fact is that the area around Whinlatter and Lord’s Seat is a grassy, lumpy and sometimes boggy area of land in the North Western Fells. Now as a walker of The Wainwrights we know that at times he takes us to parts that…
A look at the weather for The Lake District for the rest of the week I was here, suggested Tuesday would be the best day that was left. With heavy rain on Wednesday and some rain each of the rest of the days. I decided therefore to hit a bigger fell whilst the views would…
This was arguably the one walk I did want to do whilst staying on this side of the Lake District. Yes there are higher walks and better paths, but few better views of the Scafells and surrounding mountains than from WastWater and also from Middle Fell. I’d seen plenty of pictures of the panorama from…
Day 2 of a week in the Lakes and being on the Western side for the first time it would have been remiss of me not to walk in this area. So today I decided to head for Loweswater for a trip around Gavel Fell, Blake Fell and finishing off with Burnbank Fell and a…
Another fantastic week in the Lake District last week and it started here in the Northern Lakes on Binsey. I’d driven up from an overnight stop in Wigan and into rain, it was forecast to brighten in the afternoon so I took time to stop in Keswick, grab some lunch before heading across to Binsey.…
This wasn’t the walk that was planned for this weekend, originally I had ear marked Cosdon Hill to Hangingstone Hill as the walk for today. However when I joined the A30 at Okehampton, having driven through some sunshine around Lydford, I hit low cloud and grey skies. I turned around and headed back to Lake…
This is a second go at a walk I tried a few weeks ago, it was the end of a good week of weather and Saturday was forecast as the last decent day. In the end it turned out to be very hazy and the cloud came over towards the end. However it was finally…
It has been a while since I’ve taken a walk along the ridge to one of my favourite tors, Longaford Tor. I decided to lengthen the walk a bit and add in Higher and Lower White Tors before heading to Rough Tor. I still wanted to return along the Devonport Leat which meant a visit to…
Yep that’s right there’s a Snowdon on Dartmoor!! Unfortunately it’s not as exciting as its Welsh namesake but you can’t have everything. I set out from the very pretty Venford Reservoir and headed up to Horn’s Cross before setting off for Ryder’s Hill. The walk was going well until I started out for Snowdon where…
The plan today was to head for Great Links Tor and possibly Bleak House and beyond if the weather was ok. However the forecast to clear up after midday did not materilise on the western side of Dartmoor. In fact some water must have been put down last night as it was running like rivers…
A couple of days off work and a chance to head out for a walk in an area that I don’t visit enough. In fact I haven’t been to Fernworthy Reservoir before. I parked a bit nearer to the Warren House pub than I planned, I meant to park by the bridge over the Walla…
The weather was set to change in the afternoon and I decided I didn’t wish to be out in it when it started raining. A short walk was needed and the Yar Tor area gives you 3 summits with very little effort. The views from each are brilliant and I can imagine the sunsets from…
The weather was set to be good (and it was absolutely superb) and I fancied somewhere new and ticking off a place that I’d looked at before from above but never been through. I also thought that I could bag a couple of higher tors that I had yet to visit. I’d had good recent…
First big walk back in Devon for a while and wanted to go somewhere new and somewhere I knew! Sittaford Tor looked good plus a walk across to Kit Steps and then back along the East Dart via the waterfall. The weather didn’t really play ball for the first half of the walk, especially on…
Back on Dartmoor and probably the last evening walk of the year, but what a fantastic surprise at the end. I planned on walking to Sharp Tor on Ugborough Moor and decided on a nice easy starting point of Harford. I intended on only heading first to Piles Hill and then Sharp Tor, but Hangershell…
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