“The answer my friend is blowing in the wind” ... .and it certainly was blowing on today’s walk, a strong easterly to accompany the TWWs; the answer, an effective kit layer was essential as we set off!
Our walk today was a pretty basic ‘route one’ walk, starting from Princetown up the marked track, past South Hessary Tor. With distant views to the right of Hart and Black Tors, we progressed to the site of Whiteworks, the disused tin workings of a bygone industrial age. The real bonus as we walked down the road to Whiteworks for me was the view to our right of Fox Tor Mire and the distant Fox Tor itself, both crystal clear in the morning sunshine – an outstanding view for all.
We used the Whiteworks ruins as the seated stop for our cuppas, carefully avoiding the fenced off deep former mine shaft that must have led to a place none of us want to end up!
Refreshments finished we continued upward and across the small Strane River and on the now dry grassy path that would take us nearly past the former Swincombe intake works site and to the Dartmoor Way where we turned left, again on the clearly defined path that gave us sight of the distant TV mast on atop of North Hessary Tor.
Although the wind was as keen as ever, the sun tempted us to delayer, but still too cool for that. With Royal Tor now to our left we looked for a ‘sheltered’ spot to have our picnic. The best we could find was what looked like a girt at Cholake Head, at least it was dry and slightly out of the wind!
Now we were on the home straight after our picnics, aiming for Bull Park and the rocky path up to New London and the main road in Princetown, a path seemingly getting hotter with each step as we neared the village. However, before the village there was an opportunity for a glance into the ‘Crock of Gold’, an ancient cist just off our path below Royal Tor. The cist, so it is said, once contained a chieftain’s gold robbed out long ago, but we nevertheless still glanced in hope!
Charlie