Watern Tor

 

How might one celebrate 50 years of marriage? A week in the Bahamas, perhaps? Relaxing on some Spanish beach? Not us. 

We had planned a couple of weeks in Southern Ireland but COVID restrictions put pay to that so, undeterred, we booked ourselves a couple of holiday cottages in North Devon – one on the edge of Dartmoor and the other near Lynton.

This impressive rock formation is called Thurlstone. Whilst preparing for this holiday I spotted a photo of it on a website about Dartmoor walks and determined that we would go there.

The weather forecast for Sunday August 23rd was quite good – strong winds but plenty of sunshine. Unfortunately, as we were to discover, the wilds of Dartmoor can generate their own micro-climate, and this they did – drizzle, which, aided by those strong winds, could soak us to the skin.  Fortunately, as you'll see, we had the right clothing.

Angie, is this really the way to celebrate 50 happy years of marriage? Yes! And we could always stop for a Devon Cream Tea on the way back to our cottage.

Our walk began in Fernworthy Forest, at the end of a road that skirts Fernworthy Reservoir. This bit of the forest rejoices in the name 'Froggymead'. 

Emerging from the forest we passed through the restored Grey Wethers stone circles – a reminder that Dartmoor was once more populous than it is now. Indeed, it's sometimes called Britain's first ecological disaster, as the fragile land never recovered after our ancestors felled the trees to make way for farming. They have, however, left us a wet wilderness of rare beauty.

This crossing point on the infant North Teign River, together with and a nearby one on Whitehorse Leat are known to local ramblers as "The Rails".  One crosses by holding on to the wooden rail, standing on the partially submerged stepping stones and hoping for the best.  Great fun.

Large tracts of Dartmoor are set aside as a place where the army may train. The pedant in me wants to re-punctuate that final sentence. 

Thankfully, the army's red flag wasn't flying, so we safely strayed about 2 yards into the restricted space for lunch within the shelter of Quintin's Man cairn. After feasting on Ryvita, cheese and crisps, we then set out along the line of the army's red and white poles for Watern Tor. 

I deliberately have not attempted to brighten these photos of Watern Tor, as they illustrate well the gloom and remote beauty of the place in driving drizzle. 

From Watern Tor there are no clear footpaths over Magna Hill and back to Fernworthy Forest. This was the most challenging part of the walk; the only thing to do was to keep an eye on our bearing, avoid as much boggy ground as possible and hope that the long-abandoned Teignhead Farm really did lie on the other side of the hill.

It did!  What a thankless place this must have been to eke out a living. Next stop Chagford for Cream Tea.