Cadover Bridge - Trowlesworthy - Saturday 5th February 2011

6 days to go and it's raining!! Dave and I agree this must have been the worst walk we have been on in all the time we have been recording these walks.  The wind was howling like a jet plane, the rain was soaking us, the mist made it impossible to see very far, we lost our way twice and ended up walking a couple more miles than we intended.  However, on the plus side  umm what plus side??? oh, yes, Dave did some more exercise and he can always think when he is climbing towards Base Camp, that nothing will be as bad as this walk!!!

We were the second car in the car park at Cadover Bridge which shows you how bad the weather was.  In summer, this car park is full and with an ice cream van tempting us.

Cadover Bridge

Blackabrook joins the River Plym

National Trust property

Trowlesworthy Warren

This is either Little Trowlesworthy Tor or Great Trowlesworthy Tor ???

Even as we get closer, we are still not sure??

Just in case you didn't quite understand the conditions on the moor, please have a look at the video below.

Walking away from the Tor, eventually we come to a small stone circle

Lost in a stone circle.  I see no ships!!!

This was the stone row we think.  A bit disappointing after the Drizzlecombe one!

This is where it started to go wrong!  We turned left instead of right and walked for a mile along difficult boggy terrain.  The view of the clayworks (below) was spectacular though. 

China Clay pit

Back tracking and now on the correct path, the sluice bridge over a deep river took us towards Big Pond

The sluice bridge and warning signs of deep water.  Take a right towards Big Pond.

Big Pond

The guide book didn't help, as the path was shown on the other side of the Pond. tut tut

Blackaton Cross

Entrance to Lee Moor Quarry

Across the moors, heading towards the Trig point

The quarry workings on the horizon

At last, the trig point

The guide book then let us down, as the instructions were to head towards the church spire in the distance!!
No compass bearings to help us. We walked and walked and passed this stone structure before emerging on the Wotter road, a mile away from Cadover Bridge

This was the cross we should have aimed for.

Back to Cadover Bridge

So we walked 8 miles instead of 6!  and no ice cream van either!!  More cars though in the car park.  It was 3 o'clock by now. Our wet weather gear has been well and truly tested!!  I suppose normal people wouldn't even consider attempting this walk in this weather, so we only have ourselves to blame!!