Haych's Dartmoor Travels

[Haych]

Well I was full of confidence last night reviewing the weather hoping for some nice morning light on Dartmoor.......! Uh, Dartmoor? Yes! Well we set off easrly enough to arrive just as the sun rises, however on the journey out there it was evident that wasn't going to happen with nice light,,,, however we do have a Woofer that needs some good exercise so what better place to take him than Dartmoor, namely the walk up to Cox Tor.

Photographically speaking, it was a damp squib. However I had never seen the Trig Point up there as this was my first visit.

Trig point by Brian H, on Flickr

Whilst up there I seen a great many stones in a circle which I could describe in my own words as a medieval fire pit to keep the peasants warm on a cold winter night.

Stone age fire pit? by Brian H, on Flickr

IT would have been rude not to photo the direction of Middle Staple Tor with the "small lake"? at the bottom between the Tors...

Towards Middle Staple Tor by Brian H, on Flickr

I turned around and attempted some photos towards the outskirts of Tavistock:

Lifting mist by Brian H, on Flickr

------------------

Crikey some landscape in the distance by Brian H, on Flickr

There was some wildlife being farmed up there.

0D3A3773 by Brian H, on Flickr

Middle staple Tor and Little Staple Tor

Middle and Little Staple Tor by Brian H, on Flickr


Middle Staple Tor from behind the small lake at the foot of the hill

Middle Staple Tor by Brian H, on Flickr

Thanks for looking.

 

[Topsy]

Well I was full of confidence last night reviewing the weather hoping for some nice morning light on Dartmoor.......! Uh, Dartmoor? Yes! Well we set off easrly enough to arrive just as the sun rises, however on the journey out there it was evident that wasn't going to happen with nice light,,,, however we do have a Woofer that needs some good exercise so what better place to take him than Dartmoor, namely the walk up to Cox Tor.

Photographically speaking, it was a damp squib. However I had never seen the Trig Point up there as this was my first visit.

Trig point by Brian H, on Flickr

Whilst up there I seen a great many stones in a circle which I could describe in my own words as a medieval fire pit to keep the peasants warm on a cold winter night.

Stone age fire pit? by Brian H, on Flickr

IT would have been rude not to photo the direction of Middle Staple Tor with the "small lake"? at the bottom between the Tors...

Towards Middle Staple Tor by Brian H, on Flickr

I turned around and attempted some photos towards the outskirts of Tavistock:

Lifting mist by Brian H, on Flickr

------------------

Crikey some landscape in the distance by Brian H, on Flickr

There was some wildlife being farmed up there.

0D3A3773 by Brian H, on Flickr

Middle staple Tor and Little Staple Tor

Middle and Little Staple Tor by Brian H, on Flickr


Middle Staple Tor from behind the small lake at the foot of the hill

Middle Staple Tor by Brian H, on Flickr

Thanks for looking.

Hi @Haych, welcome to the vaguaries of Dartmoor weather and the inability of the Met Office to forecast it accurately, BTW your Fire Pit is an ancient Burial Mound known as a Cairn.

 

[Nod]

welcome to the vaguaries of Dartmoor weather and the inability of the Met Office to forecast it accurately,

Tell me about it! We headed up to Ullacombe Farm for lunch yesterday so did the usual weather check to see if I could be bothered to take a camera - the light here in Exeter was cr@p and the forecast on the moor (well, Bovey Tracey) said it would be the same all day, so I left the camera at home.

WRONG! While we were wasting 1/2 hour or so to avoid being too early for our table, the Sun actually shone on us! A bit watery but bright enough to have made a camera worth taking!!!

I should add that I'm suffering from piriformis syndrome for a week or 2 so walking any distance is a (literal!) pain in the ar$e, so it wasn't pure laziness that made me leave the kit at home.

 

[Haych]

Hi @Haych, welcome to the vaguaries of Dartmoor weather and the inability of the Met Office to forecast it accurately, BTW your Fire Pit is an ancient Burial Mound known as a Cairn.

Thanks for that really important ancient information about the burial site. I will hope to go out there again soon in much more hospitable weather, I had to borrow my wife's walking sticks as my legs had almost nothing left as we were getting closer to Cox Tor. If the weather was nice I'd have gone up to Middle Staple Tor then Little Staple Tor for some photos.

Had to keep the woofer on the lead more than I wanted to as there was some sheep and ponies a bit to close to the walking routes at times and don't want an avoidable accident.

The Woofer

The Woofer by Brian H, on Flickr

And some remaining evidence of a snowfall on Dartmoor.

Evident snow from the last snowfall by Brian H, on Flickr

I can't believe how hard I found it walking up to Cox Tor from Pork Hill car park as I Was getting closer to the top, I used to be rather fit and when we were down at road level looking up to Middle Staple Tor my fingers were almost stiff like Rheumatoid Arthritis however I have been blood tested and clear of it.

I THINK I must be having a Fibro Flare which does disappoint me no end but at least my GP is more helpful now I have an official diagnosis!

 

[Topsy]

Last time I was there it had snowed.

 

[Topsy]

Tell me about it! We headed up to Ullacombe Farm for lunch yesterday so did the usual weather check to see if I could be bothered to take a camera - the light here in Exeter was cr@p and the forecast on the moor (well, Bovey Tracey) said it would be the same all day, so I left the camera at home.

WRONG! While we were wasting 1/2 hour or so to avoid being too early for our table, the Sun actually shone on us! A bit watery but bright enough to have made a camera worth taking!!!

I should add that I'm suffering from piriformis syndrome for a week or 2 so walking any distance is a (literal!) pain in the ar$e, so it wasn't pure laziness that made me leave the kit at home.

You should know better mate.

 

[Topsy]

I can't believe how hard I found it walking up to Cox Tor from Pork Hill car park as I Was getting closer to the top, I used to be rather fit and when we were down at road level looking up to Middle Staple Tor my fingers were almost stiff like Rheumatoid Arthritis however I have been blood tested and clear of it.

It's a steady climb from the Car Park.

 

[Haych]

It's a steady climb from the Car Park.

I would agree with you. However over the last 18 months my body is slowly betraying me and I would like to get a few more walks across Dartmoor under my belt before my legs decide they no longer going to the basic things that I expect of them. I am hoping there is something else going on that is causing me such difficulty with my legs and awaiting results from Oximetry. I remain hopeful though I will be sure to continue enjoying my chosen pursuits even if I have to diversify somewhat.

 

[Topsy]

I would agree with you. However over the last 18 months my body is slowly betraying me and I would like to get a few more walks across Dartmoor under my belt before my legs decide they no longer going to the basic things that I expect of them. I am hoping there is something else going on that is causing me such difficulty with my legs and awaiting results from Oximetry. I remain hopeful though I will be sure to continue enjoying my chosen pursuits even if I have to diversify somewhat.

Good luck with it.

 

[Haych]

Tell me about it! We headed up to Ullacombe Farm for lunch yesterday so did the usual weather check to see if I could be bothered to take a camera - the light here in Exeter was cr@p and the forecast on the moor (well, Bovey Tracey) said it would be the same all day, so I left the camera at home.

WRONG! While we were wasting 1/2 hour or so to avoid being too early for our table, the Sun actually shone on us! A bit watery but bright enough to have made a camera worth taking!!!

I should add that I'm suffering from piriformis syndrome for a week or 2 so walking any distance is a (literal!) pain in the ar$e, so it wasn't pure laziness that made me leave the kit at home.

So you couldn't have used the camera phone instead?

Piriformis Syndrome, I've heard there's a couple of places in Exeter where one pays to leave with a condition like that

 

[Haych]

Good luck with it.

Thanks very much. The snow looked beautiful in your images. I'd be afraid to chance a journey out there from Plymouth in those conditions and my wife certainly wouldn't entertain taking me as a passenger princess to go and photograph the snow.... I'm becoming accustomed to being chauffeured but sh'e deffo draw the line at going out in those conditions.

 

[Topsy]

The easier way to do that walk is to go to the small pond first bypass Cox Tor, head over to Roos Tor then the Staples and take in Cox Tor on the way back it takes the steep part of the climb out of Cox Tor.

 

[Brentor]

I would agree with you. However over the last 18 months my body is slowly betraying me and I would like to get a few more walks across Dartmoor under my belt before my legs decide they no longer going to the basic things that I expect of them. I am hoping there is something else going on that is causing me such difficulty with my legs and awaiting results from Oximetry. I remain hopeful though I will be sure to continue enjoying my chosen pursuits even if I have to diversify somewhat.

If you have fibromyalgia I sympathise and hope it becomes manageable. My daughter has it, not pleasant.

Keep enjoying Dartmoor. It can be stunning.

 

[Nod]

So you couldn't have used the camera phone instead?

Piriformis Syndrome, I've heard there's a couple of places in Exeter where one pays to leave with a condition like that

I could have but I prefer taking photographs to phonetographs! Got hundreds (if not thousands!) of snapshots of the Moor so didn't bother adding to the never-to-be-seen-again collection!

I'd have thought that Plymouth would be better served with places like that!