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
Author: rblaggers
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