Tuesday’s
route had originally been chosen in part for the views it would provide, but,
true to form, an incoming weather front was to dash such ill-found
optimism.
Leaving
Lowery Cross in the rain, murk and with a moderate southwesterly coming from behind
us we headed up through Peekhill Plantation and over Peek Hill to
Sharpitor. Visibility was at times down
to a couple of hundred metres. Down we went, across the Princetown road and up
to Leeden Tor before heading across some very soggy ground to Black Tor, the
lee side of which allowed a coffee stop. Then downhill into the wind and rain
to join the leat, where recent work on the aqueduct was closely inspected by
one of our number, before we followed the leat back towards our starting point
and the warm and dry Rock Inn.
A man and
his dog and some bedraggled sheep apart, we had seen very little life in the 3
hours - wildlife was sensibly keeping its head down. But, after all, it was mid - February and
Dartmoor is enjoyable in all seasons and weathers!