St Valentines Day! Romance was in the air! Could you feel it? The sun was glorious. The beating heart of the moor was heard ,drr ump, drrr ump, red foil chocolate hearts, golden plovers looking for love, a bright green frog looking for another to clasp and thudding hearts (mine).
Enough of that.Back to Hairy Hand Bridge where "another" tried to squeeze his car in beside us. "Be off" I cried, this is our car park! His answer? He let his hounds out and they shot up the path like rockets. Don't actually think they saw us. Baskervilles come to mind!
Off up the track on the opposite side of the road, not boggy today to find the fairly new moved Lychway and over the Gauler bridge and towards Powdermills. Our litter picker in charge found his pet hate in the form two blue empty salt lick buckets. Littering our moors? "not having that", he says, and attached them to his rucksack.
Spying an unknown and unusual building we went off course to investigate. Longhouse? farmhouse? linhay? certainly looks like it. Anyway good place for a break and a photo shoot and distribution of valentine choccies!
On up to Longaford Tor where energetic souls climbed for the best view ever and some some stood and chatted. Yes it was one of those days! Crossing the saddle to Higher White was a delight making our way down and crossing over the wall on the northern side. A large flock of Golden Plovers delighted us by circling around making sounds like a rusty gate (Raz's description) the sun glinting on their wings as they twirled and swirled. Following the wall down, gazing at a very good specimen of a kist and cairn on the other side. To Hollowcombe Bottom crossing the much smaller Cherrybrook, up the other side again following the wall ( you know me, feel safe following a wall).
Time was going on, a quick debate and the walk changed to get to Arch Tor. What a wonderful treat!
Playtime everyone. Drr ump. Drrr ump drr ump!!! The beating heart of Dartmoor, ...,.. or Jaws!!!! Drrrrr umpp! That has to be the best Logan stone ever.
On down to the Lychway path again, over the road and very muddy track back to Hairy Hand.
Back to the busy POW, some had very nice lunches, some not so good. Come on POW you can do better!
Lovely day ,lovely people
Brenda