Feet First Walking

 

Before starting any walks on Dartmoor in this area, you need to check the firing times at www.access.mod.uk

 

My original plan was to do a longer walk, taking in a couple of other nearby tors. But because the morning was very wet I had to cut things down a bit and it ended up just as an afternoon walk.

 

I walked across this very impressive, yet controversial dam. It was completed in 1972 after much opposition and now the West Okement river supplies nearby towns and cities with the abundance of water that falls on Dartmoor.

 

Walking up the slopes, onto the moor above the reservoir. I chatted with the walker on the left of picture, for a while -- he was from St Austell and had come to visit the Granite Railway.

 

West Mill Tor, on the left and Yes Tor to the right of it, from Longstone Hill.

 

The going got tougher between Longstone Hill and the top of Yes Tor. Not helped by the fact that I gave the large herd of cattle a wide-berth around to the left of them, over boggier, more rocky ground. This also meant a steeper ascent to the false summit, which turned out to be a large, inpressive, circular cairn. Here I checked map and compass to see if I was still on course for the summit

 

The summit trig point was perched up on a granite tor and at this point the wind was very strong and the rain was horizontal. When I turned into the wind it completely inflate my hood and made it look like a balloon!

 

 

I waited for a while and was rewarded when the rain stopped and the clouds partially blew away to reveal some views.

 

The trig point with High Willhays in the background.

 

The view back down to Longstone Hill.

 

A very large Dartmoor pony, possibly pregnant.