Cox Tor, Great Staple Tor, Middle Staple Tor, Pew Tor - sunday 11th March 2011

A perfect day for exploring Dartmoor!  The sun shone, no wind and beautiful scenery!!  There is a large car park on Whitchurch Common with an ice cream van.  The views of Tors and surrounding countryside are all around. To reach this part of Dartmoor from Plymouth, head for Tavistock but turn right through Whitchurch, over the bridge and right again. Moorshop is signposted and then follow the road on the map.  From Princetown, head for Merrivale Quarry and it's a short distance beyond that.

Plaque in the car park 

This is on the west side towards Tavistock, then, facing North: Cox Tor, Great Staple Tor, Middle Staple Tor and Little Staple Tor, to the East: North Hessory Tor, Foggintor Quarry, Kings Tor and to the South: Pew Tor and Plymouth sound, Saltash and the River Tamar.

We began our climb up to Cox Tor

The path leads up hill to Cox Tor

The view from Cox Tor looking back towards the car park, Pew Tor beyond and beyond that, Plymouth Sound, Saltash and the River Tamar

 The tors below are to the right of the car park

Great Staple Tor, and Middle Staple Tor

Cox Tor

Teresa and Bob on top of Cox Tor

Trig point on Cox Tor

The route from Cox Tor across to Great Staple Tor

Half way across now with views to Roo Tor

Great Staple Tor

I think you imagine a Tor is just one collection of rocks, but this one has several collections, all fasinating formations of rocks.

Sheep lining up on Great Staple Tor with Roo Tor in the background

Great Staple Tor

Great Staple Tor

Great Staple Tor in the distance

Dave on Middle Staple Tor

Pew Tor on the other side

Pew Tor

Pew Tor with a view of Plymouth Sound

A cross beside a stream

A lovely day to explore Dartmoor.  It amazes me how many rocks are strewn around and piled on top of each other on these tors!  I have lots more photos of this day, far too many to upload.

Talland Bay to Polperro - Sunday 20th February 2012

Again, apologies for being in Cornwall this weekend, but we decided to continue another piece of the South West Coastal Path and picked it up from Talland Bay ( see blog for 4th September 2011).

Just around the corner where we stopped last time, is Talland Bay proper.  The colours of the rocks are pink and blue.  From here, the path becomes quite steep and then levels off .  The path is well defined and half way to Polperro is a war memorial and a seat.  Polperro was very quiet and beautiful.  A cornish pasty for lunch and eaten on a bench overlooking the sea on a sunny day such as this, is my perfect sunday!

Here are a few photos of the walk:

The blue and pink rocks of Talland Bay

Talland Bay from the footpath

War memorial to Looe and Polperro men who fell in the war

Polperro almost in sight

Polperro

 

A new sewage treatment works has been completed 

 

If you are fit and can climb hills, these seats command a lovely view of the harbour!

The shell house, Polperro

The Harbour

Back to Talland Bay

Bob in front of Aesop's Bed, Talland Bay

Jennicliffe to Bovisand - Sunday 12th February 2012

This walk has spectacular views of Plymouth Sound, The Rame Peninsula, The Breakwater and Bovisand.  The footpath immediately from Jennicliffe has been cordoned off at the moment, so we drove up the hill a little way to a small space for 2 cars opposite the footpath. Much evidence of fortifications along this walk

From here, through a wood and over a stream which marks the boundary between Devon and South Hams, the path skirts the coast and reveals a fantastic view of Plymouth.

A little misty, but clear nevertheless!

Plymouth Breakwater designed by John Rennie and commenced in 1811.  4,000,000 tons of stone later, it was completed in 1842.  It is one mile long and on a clear day you can see Eddystone Lighthouse and the stump of the original Smeaton's Tower  ( the remainder is on the Hoe)

Fort Bovisand with Bovisand Pier

Staddon Point Battery circa 1903/08

65 steep steps up to the Staddon Point Battery

View of Bovisand from the Staddon Point Battery

Bovisand

 Bovisand is a corruption of Boyes Sand where ships tied up on permanent bouys moored off the beach while crews fetched fresh water from the stream flowing down the valley to the beach.  Rennie built a reservoir to aid this slow process.  The valley is now home to many static caravans enjoying the view.

Cottages with a view of the breakwater and Bovisand

Fort Staddon next to the Golf Club

The route

A pleasant walk along the coastpath but a long drag up the hill on the road to the golf course at the top of the hill.  Dave's pedometer recorded 6300 paces.

Gutter Tor and the War Horse Guided Walk - Saturday 21st January 2012

The Dartmoor National Park Authority held a walk at the main locations used by the film director Steven Spielburg last year.  Liz lead the walk up to Gutter Tor and down to Ditsworthy Warren Farmhouse. Unfortunately, the weather was very wet and misty so the quality of the photos are not good.  The film was filmed on Dartmoor in great secrecy and given the code name Dartmoor.  We could not believe this had gone on under our noses and we didn't have a clue!  To top it all, we walked in the area on August bank holiday and there was no sign that they had been here!!

This photo is taken from the top of Gutter Tor and the lone tree in the centre is where Albert was flung over the wall when Joey refused to jump it.

The trees surround the scout hut

An unfinished cross is leaning to the right. this was recently discovered by some Plymouth University students.  In the foreground, is a stone with a circular impression.  This would have been used for milling flour.

Rabbits were bred on this part of the moor for food.  This wall leads predators towards the large stone at the back where a trap was laid to catch them

The famous gate and the farmhouse. 

The field which was ploughed and the trees where the father sat

The rear of the house where mother pegged out her washing

The tree ( to the left) where Albert sat when he whistled for Joey to find him

It was a very interesting walk, just a pity the weather wasn't a bit kinder!