Ooh, half-decent weather.
Time for a toddle?
:D
I have many Dartmoor walks on the to-do list, and the 'North' forecast wind ruled one out, my utter lack of condition another, and the date a third.. Hmm, let's go South.
So, the Whiteworks, Fox Tor, Black Lane, Duck's Pool, Grant's Pot, Broad Rock, Plym Ford, Eylesbarrow loop. This time with an added Great Gnats' Head [on the spur of the moment, for no reason other than that it's there :) ]. 19km, two medium and lots of minor water crossings, lots of luverly bogs, no serious climbs.
Glorious sunshine leavened by a cool fresh NE wind - a gusty tricksy one, shifting direction and strength with no warning, blasting for a minute or two, then sauntering back like it had blown that way all week.. fun - in the morning, with an assortment of fluffy white clouds turning up after noon. Soft underfoot, with wet bits far damper than any August has a right to expect [perhaps keeping the hordes at bay? Certainly I got far more solitude than I had any right to expect, let alone hope for]
Knowing my limitations, I made a long day of it and tried very hard to keep a reasonable pace [I tend to accelerate]. Coffee stops morning and afternoon, [like in the old days of Fur Tor with the Folks :) ], that sort of thing. The day after, my legs were still stiff with creaks and aches, so.. Hmm.
Lots of happy campers out and it was fun parking - despite the sharp hour - but once clear of Nun's Cross and turning away from the crystal path I lost the crowds and indeed almost everyone. One other - who turned aside - only before the Erme valley [where more campers!]. More again at Abbot's Way etc., and positively crawly with assorted assortments at the Path, but August bank holiday, so not unexpected.
Right, enough of that, let's take an amble in pictures, shall we?
But not before the Mandatory Advertising Photo!
"Rooooooaaaarr!!"
Black Darter
Got them in the end. :D
Getting back to it; photos starting once we get away from roads and looking out to the wilder bits.
Whiteworks.
Fox Tor overlooking Foxtor Mire on the right,
Hamel Down on the left horizon.
Aliens!!
[Ahem]
Lenticular cloud over Fox Tor
Fox Tor
Up close and personal
Heads up!
Peregrine flypast!
Heads down
P. semilanceata
Sometimes the path is obvious
Approaching Black Lane
Black Lane.
The Famous Post.
Waymarker and site of some of the deepest wet bits on the Moor! [Which you really don't expect, given the topography]. When transiting Black Lane, you start on the left, then cross over part way along. Where exactly? Oh that would take all the fun out of it! :) Try it and you'll work it out. Or get rather soggy.
Following what is in effect a semi-natural peat pass south leads to one of the loneliest parts of the Moor;
Green Hill on right horizon
Exposed bog, watercourse running through it. Woo.
Close by is
Crossing's Memorial
at Duck's Pool
So far, even the thieves and vandals haven't dared to interfere with this site [unlike Fox and Fur Tors, where even the steel box holders were levered out [presumably by metal thieves] ]
You may note how very green it is, due to all the rain. Normally late Summer means a very tan colour scheme.
It got very The Orb
[fluffy little clouds]
The sunshine brought the dragons out, and some even posed!
Black Darter
Another
Common Hawkers
in wheel position
Bow-chika-wa-wah..
[Ahem]
Moving on
[You can just see The Sub]
Wheatear!
Another one!
A little soil structure for you*
Grant's Pot
[with nice webs!]
A wee bit soggy, and I hadn't the heart to break the spiders' webs, so I stayed out. To continue looking down, the upper Erme area's quite good for waxcaps;
Goblet Waxcaps
Vermillion Waxcap
Butter Waxcap
Wait, that's not a waxcap..
it's The Scurfy Deceiver!
Looking east over the upper Erme valley
[Redlake Heap just visible on the left,
Three Barrows to the right]
Gratuitous shadow selfie...
This is Broad Rock, btw
Great Gnats' Head
Horrible Hairy Fly!!
A cloud of these dreadful things - to be expected on hilltops on sunny windy days - on Gt Gnats' Head. I defied them to get a photo of one which stayed on the cairn [the rest were fighting to land on me....]
A little amble along the Abbot's Way later..
Looking out from Eylesbarrow
"Got any sammiches??"
Over-friendly pony
Wheatear!
Another Wheatear!
Lots of sky
Away from the main drags it was gloriously quiet up there. Wind in the grass, the odd annoyed Mipit chirruping at me.. :) Bliss.
Be Seeing You...
[[*I will very kindly not go into details. ]]
No comments:
Post a Comment