Friday 11th February 2011 Adventure begins!!

Dave left Plymouth at 10 am, calling in on Exeter to pick up Rich and to travel to Heathrow.

They fly over night to Kathmandu.  follow their adventure on Dave's blog which can be accessed through the virginmoneygiving.com website ( link on this blog)

So my work is done, Bob and I must be fitter as a result!!  Bob certainly has a waist now! 

Through this blog, I have recorded 41 walks all around Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, depending on where we were.  We have been so lucky with the weather and there are only a couple of walks that were hard on the mind as well as the body!!

I still feel there are many places we have to explore when Dave returns.  We seem to have started something here!!!  I would like to explore Haldon Hill, Dawlish, Dartmoor, the coast walks etc etc.  so do please keep looking at my blog.  I am blogging for Devon Life too, where I put a precise of one of these walks each week. 

So do have a look through this catalogue of training walks and let me know which ones you have enjoyed!!

Teresa x

Staplehay - Pitminster - Blagdon Hills Sunday 6th February 2011

The last long walk had to take place in Somerset!  5 days to go, Dave and Rich getting twitchy!!! 

The weather was kinder than yesterday, but the ground was so muddy that they gained a few inches as they walked.

Boots are now well and truly worn in and ready for the challenge to Base camp

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!!

Dittisham to Dartmouth circular walk - Saturday 29th January 2011

Not long to go now!!!  The local paper has run an article on the challenge this week, so the pressure is really on !!!  Dave has wanted to do this walk for a while, and I have cried off until now.  I have run out of excuses, so here it is!!

Dave, Teresa and Bob set off from Dittisham up through the village towards Dartmouth on the Dart Valley Trail.  Very cold but dry.  Dart means Oak and the banks of the river are lined with oaks.  We also walked through a pine forest.

Starting point at the village of Dittisham

From Dittisham we headed uphill

Over lands that belonged to Sir Walter Raleigh

We can spy Dartmouth tantilising us in the distance

Looks like we are nearly there!

Badger setts were all along this route

Dartmouth must be around this corner....

Mill End Creek

 From here, we had to climb a very steep road out of the valley and at last we came into Dartmouth

At the top of Dartmouth

Cobbled streets of Dartmouth .  ( I am not really that fat,  I have at least 5 layers of clothing on! T)

Dartmouth

After a pork bap and hot chocolate we caught the ferry across to Kingswear

KIngswear approaching; we were the only passengers on the ferry

KIngswear looking towards Dartmouth

The path continued beside the railway track

Long Wood.  where we had several steep climbs back to the top of the hill

At last arriving at Greenway, once the home of Agatha Christie

The National Trust property was closed and we were concerned that the ferry at the bottom of the hill would not be there!  After this long walk, my knees were complaining a bit!

View of the River Dart from Greenway

Dittisham from Greenway

YES -The ferry was there, a minute later we were back in Dittisham

Back on dry land at Dittisham

 This is the longest walk we have done.  10 miles!  It didn't seem too bad as we had lunch at Dartmouth.  We will suffer from it tomorrow. Started at 11 and were back by 4 30. This was probably the best type of walk for this weather as we were protected by the woods, and although it was cold, we were warm from the steep climbs.  Although they were tough, neither Dave or I were puffed at the end of them.  Bob, too, seems much fitter these days.

Giant's Basin and Eylesbarrow tin mine - Sunday 23rd January 2011

19 Days to go before Everest, 500 training miles covered so far.

We chose this 6 mile walk from the Plym Ramblers book  On the Beaten Track 3, walk 11.  The weather threatened to rain, and we saw a lovely rainbow, but it stayed sunny if a bit cold.  Parking in the small car park before the scout hut and the confer trees we headed towards Ditsworthy Warren house which was a commercial rabbit warren once occupied by a fierce lady called Granny Ware. Her son Percy lived in the scout hut then.

The Scout Hut

Gutter Tor from the scout hut

Gutter Tor,  Sheeps Tor and the conifers surrounding the scout hut

These cattle blocked our way along Edward's path

Looking back the way we came on Edward's path

Along the path, we skirted Eastern Tor and came to the cottage.

Ditsworthy Warren House next to Eastern Tor

In the distance we could see the stone row and loads of backpacking teenagers.

The first standing stone of the stone row at Drizzlecombe

Drizzlecombe

Giant's Basin with the tallest standing stone on Dartmoor to the right

The tallest standing stone on Dartmoor. ( 14 ')  Dave looks quite short in comparison!

From here we walked across the moor to a small burial chamber called Kistvaen pictured below.

Kistvaen

Further on we crossed a small stream and picked up a track direct to the Eylesbarrow ruin at the top of the hill.

Eylesbarrow Tin mine

Heading down hill from here we had to negotiate some marshland which is quite difficult for people with small feet!!

Teresa fighting her way through the marsh ( and complaining a lot!!!)

At the bottom of the hill, after crossing another stream, we came to Combeshead Tor.

Combshead Tor with Burrator Reservoir in the distance

From Combeshead Tor you can see the mast at North Hessary Tor. 

( you might want to click on this to enlarge the picture to see it!!)

Combeshead Tor

Cuckoo rock

Deanscombe

On the way back to Sheeps Tor Common now, skirting some woods first and then back to the car.
What a lovely day! and to think its still January! 

(View of Burrator as we approached the start of the walk was breathtaking!)

On the way to the scout hut, we had to stop to admire this view