After yesterdays magnificent feast, breakfast today was bound to be a disappointment. With no food at the B&B and most of the town square closed, I only had a café au lait and some freshly squeezed orange juice to get me going. It was more than enough. Despite my host’s assertion that ‘it’s all uphill … Continue reading Mini tour of Brittany day 3 – Huelgoat to Roscoff
Author: Rich Blagden
Mini tour of Brittany day 2 – Camaret-sûr-Met to Huelgoat
After the most magnificent breakfast buffet at the Thalassa Hotel this morning, it was time to tear myself away from the joys of Camaret-sûr-Mer and head inland. It was a bright and sunny morning and I was tempted to lengthen my route by exploring the beaches around Crozon, but there were still squalls around and … Continue reading Mini tour of Brittany day 2 – Camaret-sûr-Met to Huelgoat
Mini tour of Brittany day 1 – Roscoff to Camaret-sûr-Mer
I am writing this blog from the road! This weekend I am over in France, doing my own little solo cycling tour. I’ve done a couple of trips with Graeme in previous years, cycling the Petit Tour de Manche from Cherbourg to Roscoff. We’ve always had absolutely awesome weather so it was a bit of … Continue reading Mini tour of Brittany day 1 – Roscoff to Camaret-sûr-Mer
White Tor
Looking north towards Hare Tor from White Tor The far west of the moor is an area I get to fairly infrequently. It's the longest drive from Torbay and, as I'm always striving to find a balance between early starts for long days on the moor and a solid lie in and brunch, we usually … Continue reading White Tor
Grey Wethers and Sittaford Tor
The last walk of 2021 was a short walk with two friends and their dogs up to Bellever Tor to see the views, a impeccable plan if it weren't for the fact that it was so foggy on the day that we couldn't even see the bottom of the tor from the top. Still, we … Continue reading Grey Wethers and Sittaford Tor
Saddle Tor
Saddle Tor, with Hay Tor peeping over its shoulder. Dwarfed by its more famous neighbour and appearing as a mere pimple from the nearby road, it’s a wonder anyone visits Saddle Tor at all. It rates poorly by comparison to its neighbours. It doesn’t look like much, from the main road to the south at … Continue reading Saddle Tor
The Lych Way
Yesterday, I finally completed a walk that I've been meaning to do for several years, but just never got round to - Dartmoor's very own 'Way of the Dead'. The Lych Way is an ancient corpse road which was used to bring the dead of Dartmoor's central basin to Lydford church for burial. Lydford itself … Continue reading The Lych Way
Great Mis Tor
It''s been a few months since I wrote a proper post on my blog. I haven't been out and about any less than usual, in fact I've been out walking and exploring more than I have for quite a long time. But life has changed considerably over the last year, mostly for the better. If … Continue reading Great Mis Tor
Ten Degrees of Strange
Recently I’ve been listening to this fine tune by Johnny Flynn and Robert Macfarlane: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2eqv3y4Cq4 ‘Ten Degrees of Strange’ by Johnny Flynn and Robert Macfarlane Check it out. The video is awesome, the most wonderful transformations of emotion animated through clay. It’s just stunning, an ever-shifting canvas. In the sleeve notes Flynn describes the song … Continue reading Ten Degrees of Strange
Sourton Tors and Great Links Tor
Since leaving the hospitality industry, I've found Bank Holidays to be a real luxury. They used to be a source of dread, stress and overwork, but now they are a fabulous opportunity to spread two days of busyness over three days. This weekend, we managed to allocate a day look at new cars, one to … Continue reading Sourton Tors and Great Links Tor
Scorhill and Kestor Rocks
I can't overstate just how much we have missed Dartmoor during the last lockdown. For most of 2020, we were still allowed to go to Dartmoor for our exercise and just being able to do that had such a positive effect on our collective mental state. It allowed us to break out of home and … Continue reading Scorhill and Kestor Rocks
Swincombe
It’s hard to believe it’s been over three months since our last family walk on Dartmoor. We’ve found the last lockdown to be tough. Days out on the moor have been at least a fortnightly event for the last year or so, but the January closure put an end to that as we live just … Continue reading Swincombe
Siward’s Cross and Nun’s Cross Farm
Siward's or Nun's Cross, with Nun's Cross Farm in the background Any regular Dartmoor walker knows Nun's Cross Farm. Depending on your perspective and direction of travel, it's the target for a good leg-stretch before settling down to a pint in the Plume, a crossroads on a longer exploration, a checkpoint on your mountain bike … Continue reading Siward’s Cross and Nun’s Cross Farm
Moonrise and Sunset Photos
A few shots I took on the way home from our walk today. Moonrise over Laughter TorSun sets behind Sharp TorBonehill moonrise seen from WidecombeBonehill moonrise from the tor itself
Bowerman’s Nose
Bowerman the Hunter on the slopes of Hayne Down, with Easdon Tor in the middle distance Last week we took a short winter's walk up to Bowerman's Nose, one of the most iconic locations on the moor. There are a handful of photos that every self-respecting Dartmoor guide and website should feature - the church … Continue reading Bowerman’s Nose
Movember Cycling Challenge
In a break from my usual Dartmoor-related posts, I've decided to post about the cycling challenge I've set myself for the end of this year. This is the blogging equivalent of asking people to stick hot pins in their eyes, so if you'd rather skip straight to the sponsorship, my Mo Space is here. Thanks! … Continue reading Movember Cycling Challenge
Butterdon Hill and Western Beacon
Self-portrait! The southern side of Dartmoor can be a forbidding and lonely place. Largely bereft of the spectacular tors found in the central and northern areas, and with no roads crossing it, this is very much the preserve of the long-distance walker. Hikers taking on the Two Moors Way often start at Ivybridge and follow … Continue reading Butterdon Hill and Western Beacon
Harvey Maps
I love maps. I'm obsessed with them. I have a shelf on my bookcase filled with maps: walking maps, road maps, maps of places we once went on holiday, street plans, geological maps, cycling maps and atlases. They are a source of constant interest to me and I could happily spend an evening just looking … Continue reading Harvey Maps
Belstone Tor and Irishman’s Wall
Stroll around Belstone on a summers day and it's a perfect edge-of-the-moor village. Thatched cottages hewn from the local granite are sprinkled round the village green, where you can also find a set of stocks and a small enclosure where lost animals use to be kept until their owners were found. Just off the green … Continue reading Belstone Tor and Irishman’s Wall
Cox Tor
Weather-wise, the last couple of weekends have been pretty horrible. In theory I'm happy to go for a walk or bike ride in any weather, but with a long list of little jobs to do at home I have been known to spend a weekend 'getting a few things done' rather than going out and … Continue reading Cox Tor
Warren House Inn
Outside the Warren House Inn. The Warren House Inn is one of Dartmoor’s best-known and loved pubs, and at 434m altitude is the highest pub in southern England. It sits alongside the B3212 road a full 3km from the nearest hamlet at Postbridge, in a very isolated and exposed part of the moor. Grim in … Continue reading Warren House Inn
Dewerstone
Just before lockdown began in March, our eldest son went on his first school residential. He only spent one night away but for him it was a massive adventure. His class went down to the Dewerstone and stayed in the cottage doing all kinds of cool outdoor activities. He loved every minute. Apart from losing … Continue reading Dewerstone
Quantocks in Autumn
Yesterday I took a short stroll in the Quantocks with my Mum. The tops were covered in cloud for the most part so we missed most of the views, but I took a few photos between Lydeard Hill and Wills Neck that I was pretty pleased with. I didn’t quite come across the right scenes … Continue reading Quantocks in Autumn
Fingle Bridge and Cranbrook Castle
After yesterday's ridge top views of autumnal Dartmoor valleys, I wanted to spend more time in the woods. We're at the tail end of the vibrant spectacle of autumn now, and it won't be long before the reds, yellows and everything in between are gone for another year. So with my wife at work, I … Continue reading Fingle Bridge and Cranbrook Castle
Honeybag Tor
I always have mixed feelings about the clocks going back. I love the hope and optimism that spring seems to bring, summer is for camping and being outdoors, and I love the residual warmth and colours of early autumn. The clocks going back represents the end of most of those things and a desire to … Continue reading Honeybag Tor
American Barleywine Partigyle
With a week to go until half term, the family are all pretty tired so we’ve decided to have a quiet weekend at home. Being utterly unable to just do nothing for a while though I have decided to have a big brewday and spend my time brewing a partigyle beer. When you brew beer, … Continue reading American Barleywine Partigyle
Hartland Tor
Rainbow over Hartland Tor Hartland Tor is one that has a distinct appeal for those lucky few of us who work with young people on the moor. For most, it's a fairly insignificant place; a small pile of rocks in a smallish font on the map, not quite on a bridlepath and only a couple … Continue reading Hartland Tor
Tormentil
Potentilla erecta (less commonly P. tormentilla) This rather dainty and ubiquitous flower is tormentil. You’ll find it creeping all over the moor, from the tops of tors and open moor to riversides and woodland. It looks like a tiny buttercup, but look more closely: it’s actually a member of the rose Rosaceae family, and one … Continue reading Tormentil
Black Tor
I feel quite lucky that I grew up walking on Dartmoor from quite an early age. I took part in Ten Tors, I camp there regularly, I’m into walking and ancient remains and good beer. If you’re a holidaymaker, a kayaker or teetotal, then you’ll have a different experience to me and so Dartmoor will … Continue reading Black Tor
The Oxford Bell Tent
A few years ago, my friend and I had a big birthday party in a field on a campsite, with a huge campfire, a ceilidh and a weekend’s supply of home brewed beer. One of our friends turned up with a tipi that he had borrowed from the activity centre he was working at. It … Continue reading The Oxford Bell Tent
Gilfach Camping, Llangorse, Brecon Beacons
This blog is mostly about Dartmoor and the wider south west, but we travel about a bit and occasionally find the odd place worthy of a mention. This campsite is one of those awesome places I couldn’t leave without writing home about. The campsite is at the Llangorse Multi Activity Centre, located just east of … Continue reading Gilfach Camping, Llangorse, Brecon Beacons
Rippon Tor
A combination of summer camping trips and post-holiday quarantining meant that we had an unexpected hiatus from Dartmoor. Last weekend we finally made it back, for the short walk up Rippon Tor. Rippon Tor seen from the path near Hemsworthy Gate. Rippon Tor is just a kilometre or so up the road from Haytor but, … Continue reading Rippon Tor
Wicken Fen
The ongoing travel restrictions have left us, like many people, looking for alternative plans for the school holidays. We couldn’t hop over the Channel with our trusty bell tent this year, but instead have taken the opportunity to visit a few old haunts and relatives around the country whom we haven’t seen for a while. … Continue reading Wicken Fen
Lockdown Brewing
We spend as much time as we possibly can outdoors. Our boys are still small enough to follow whatever we suggest without too much complaint, so most weekends we're out walking at some point and spend as much of the summer as we can in our tent. Throw in a bit of cycling, cricket, boxercise … Continue reading Lockdown Brewing
Riding up to Coldeast
Photos from my ride: the view from near Berry Pomeroy, Coldeast, up on the moor near Saddle Tor, and a handsome man with Haytor on the skyline. This morning, with boys at school and Elaine working from home, I had the rare opportunity of an extended guilt-free ride. I used to keep fit by cycling … Continue reading Riding up to Coldeast
Beer of the Bronze Age
My version of the Nordic grog One of the aspects of Dartmoor that I have always found utterly fascinating, from my earliest visits, is the wealth of ancient history that can be found all over the moor. On almost every hillside there is something to remind us of people who lived thousands of years ago: … Continue reading Beer of the Bronze Age
Wistman’s Wood
Photos from Wistmans Wood, 24th October 2019 “Fairy-like, self-involved, rich in secrets … such inturned peace, such profound harmlessness, otherness, such unusing … all words miss, I know I cannot describe it.”John Fowles, 'The Tree'. This section is quoted from the final chapter, which was written about Wistmans Wood. Wistmans Wood seen from lower down … Continue reading Wistman’s Wood
The Dartmoor Scratch Map
Our Dartmoor Scratch Map One incredibly cool addition to our lounge is the Dartmoor Scratch Map, which we got at the start of lockdown. This A2 map has 56 tors and another 15 'Points of Interest' marked, the idea being that you scratch off each place and add the date as you visit it. It's … Continue reading The Dartmoor Scratch Map
Sharp Tor and Yar Tor
Photos from Sharp Tor and Yar Tor The Sharp Tor Tree is one of my favourite trees. As long as I've been to Dartmoor it's been there, clinging on improbably to a saddle among the clitter in the middle of the tor, where the soil and roots must be just deep enough to hold it … Continue reading Sharp Tor and Yar Tor
Avon Dam
Photos from the Avon Dam It had been a long time since I had been to the Avon Dam; so long, actually, that I couldn't quite convince myself that I had ever actually been there at all. I have rarely worked on the south moor with groups and most of my solo adventures would start … Continue reading Avon Dam
Bellever Tor
Photos from Bellever Tor Bellever Tor is one of my favourite tors on Dartmoor. This is a bit odd, because if I was making a list of requirements for a perfect tor, it doesn't meet any of them. It isn't remote, and in fact can be climbed in less than half an hour from either … Continue reading Bellever Tor