A Walk of all Seasons
Hands up who loves the four seasons? No, not those four seasons, the American rock band of the past, I mean the Dartmoor four seasons of course! Well, today they met us in the Forrest carpark Postbridge, our RV for today’s walk and we were all up for the weather challenge too!
Leaving Powdermills behind we travelled on to the area of Littaford Tors, where we not only had warm sunshine and a bit of shelter, but it was where we topped up with a warm drink and snack to take us onward and upward to Longaford Tor and to the high route path across open moorland leading us towards Higher White Tor at an elevation of just over 500 feet in height, just enough height to ensure we didn’t get the full benefit of the sun in its battle against the northerly wind!
Following this route, we continued ever upwards through the now stinging, in your face hail, falling with evil intent to blind us, so with our heads now bowed to protect our eyes, hoods up were the order of the day which made us look like hunched monks on pilgrimage to a distant land. Thankfully, our land was only the next Tor, that being Lower White where we turned right and down to the bottom of Hollowcombe Bottom for our lunch stop where the sun warmed us up for a while!
Food finished, we descended to a point where we were able to cross the Cherry Brook near to and over an adjacent style spotted by an experienced ‘trail scout’ then up a steep path that lead eventually to Chittaford Down. However, getting there was a tricky bit of navigation for us all, crossing assorted high and undulating tussocks of moorland bog plants and grasses, some trying to trip the unwary walker. One small highlight of this area was the spotting of a Common Lizard, briefly seen exploring before the fleeting sun disappeared, forcing the small moorland resident to return under cover of its dried grass home.
After crossing a small feeder stream of the Cherrybrook, we were soon able to just see the distant buildings of Acherton farm and with adjoining Acherton cottage, a cottage that is available for hire monthly, apparently at a good rate too!
From Archerton, a new tarmac roadway flowed downwards to a galvanised farm gate on the left where we entered a field of sheep and some now well-developed spring lambs that Misty and Olive, our two accompanying dogs for the day wanted to say hello to, but with leads on this was not possible!
One further field to go from here and we were back to our start point having survived our version of today’s four seasons!
Charlie
Hands up who loves the four seasons? No, not those four seasons, the American rock band of the past, I mean the Dartmoor four seasons of course! Well, today they met us in the Forrest carpark Postbridge, our RV for today’s walk and we were all up for the weather challenge too!
Leaving Powdermills behind we travelled on to the area of Littaford Tors, where we not only had warm sunshine and a bit of shelter, but it was where we topped up with a warm drink and snack to take us onward and upward to Longaford Tor and to the high route path across open moorland leading us towards Higher White Tor at an elevation of just over 500 feet in height, just enough height to ensure we didn’t get the full benefit of the sun in its battle against the northerly wind!
Following this route, we continued ever upwards through the now stinging, in your face hail, falling with evil intent to blind us, so with our heads now bowed to protect our eyes, hoods up were the order of the day which made us look like hunched monks on pilgrimage to a distant land. Thankfully, our land was only the next Tor, that being Lower White where we turned right and down to the bottom of Hollowcombe Bottom for our lunch stop where the sun warmed us up for a while!
Food finished, we descended to a point where we were able to cross the Cherry Brook near to and over an adjacent style spotted by an experienced ‘trail scout’ then up a steep path that lead eventually to Chittaford Down. However, getting there was a tricky bit of navigation for us all, crossing assorted high and undulating tussocks of moorland bog plants and grasses, some trying to trip the unwary walker. One small highlight of this area was the spotting of a Common Lizard, briefly seen exploring before the fleeting sun disappeared, forcing the small moorland resident to return under cover of its dried grass home.
After crossing a small feeder stream of the Cherrybrook, we were soon able to just see the distant buildings of Acherton farm and with adjoining Acherton cottage, a cottage that is available for hire monthly, apparently at a good rate too!
From Archerton, a new tarmac roadway flowed downwards to a galvanised farm gate on the left where we entered a field of sheep and some now well-developed spring lambs that Misty and Olive, our two accompanying dogs for the day wanted to say hello to, but with leads on this was not possible!
One further field to go from here and we were back to our start point having survived our version of today’s four seasons!
Charlie