At last the weather was dry and sunny, so we set off on the long awaited trip to see Bowerman's Nose. By driving to Bovey Tracey, then taking a left past Becky Falls, the narrow road winds through moorland to Manaton. This small village boasts a huge church which can be seen from all around on the climb up to Hayne Down.
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| A car park next to the church and village green is a good starting point |
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| The view of Hayne Down from the car park with a glimpse of Bowerman's Nose |
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| The path up on to the Down |
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| On the top of Haynes Down with the church in the middle |
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| On the top of Haynes Down with Hound Tor in the background |
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| Huge collection of rocks on Hayne Down! |
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| More rocks piled on top of one another! but where is Bowerman's Nose??? |
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| Ha Ha, there it is!! |
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| Bowerman's Nose |
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Legend has it that Bowerman ( a Norman Hunter) knocked over a witch's cauldron while out hunting with his dogs. The next time he went out, a witch transformed into a hare and he chased her until he fell off his horse, exhausted, in the bog. She then turned him to stone.
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| Looking back to Bowerman's Nose on the way to Jay's Grave |
The path then leads onto Jay's Grave, across a few fields, and the grave lies at a cross roads. Kitty Jay was a young girl who fell in love with a farmers son, and finding herself pregnant and realising she would be abandoned, took her own life. As a suicide, she could not be buried in sacred ground, but was buried at the crossroads where the Devil could not reach her. There are always flowers on the grave.
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| Jay's Grave |
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| Bridlepath to Natsworthy Gate |
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| Hound Tor and Haytor in the mist |
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| The sun's rays are highlighting the village of Widecombe in the Moor |
We retraced our steps as the days are getting shorter. We will explore Hound Tor and Haytor another day!
