Cox Tor circular

Walked on Thursday 7 May

From Higher Longford Cottages. About 5.5 Miles. Fine sunny morning, though the wind was noticeable on the open moorland.

We collected a map for this walk from the caravan site shop - a very useful facility, and many thanks to the person who worked it out. Here is the garmin trace of our walk

We turned left from the caravan site entrance, and walked for a couple of hundred yards before turning left at a crossroads on to a minor road towards Moortown. This road was lined with flowery banks, including one section where wild strawberry flowers promise good pickings in a month or so.  It dipped down for a while, towards Pennycomequick, then over a cattle grid to a moorland road turning to the left at a junction. It passes cottages named Lower Quarry and Higher Quarry, and the caravan site at Langstane Manor. 

Shortly after this the road bends to the right, but we took a footpath directly ahead with a farm over to our left. The path climbs for a while before heading left (north) and up to the car park.  No icecream van at 10am, and anyway it was a little windy. 

Over the road and up the wide grassy track to Cox Tor (442 meters high). Along the path we were accompanied by skylarks, and saw more when we paused for an essential coffee at the top. The views all around are spectacular.

The route down is unmarked, but best to keep slightly  left to avoid an area of largish rocks which make for tricky walking. We made for the minor road, then turned left to meet the track between walls leading into Collaton. It isn't indicated as a path here, but the other end has a fingerpost marked Public Bridleway Moor.

We followed the road to the junction and turned left. This road (from Peter Tavy) meets the B357 Pork Hill, at the crossroads near the start of the walk, so it was just a matter of turning left and heading back to the cottage.

Lydford Gorge and waterfalls

mMonday 4 May 2015

Another short walk, though this one is over more demanding terrain, as the paths climb and descend steeply on occasions, and can be slippery if at all wet.

Another National Trust property, and there is a one-way walking system - not a bad idea considering how narrow some of the paths are.  We started at the main entrance (near Devil's Cauldron) and followed the high level path through spring-green woodland, with the river Lyd far below on our right.

Once again the quantity and variety of wild flowers was astonishing, wild garlic, bluebells, wood anemones, wood sorrel, wild strawberry flowers and more. Ferns, tongue ferns, mosses grew on the steep rocky sides of the gorge, and on tree trunks.

There was plenty of birdsong, and we heard what sounded like a raven, and saw a jay as we walked. 

After a mile or so we came out to the other car park, close to the waterfall. Just in time for the tea shop to open and provide us with our mid-morning coffee. We looked forward to a more gentle stroll back alongside the river.  Beautiful it certainly was, but not gentle.

At first a steep descent, down steps to the Whitelady waterfall, which falls 100 feet rather like a white veil. 

Then a fairly rugged walk beside the river Lyd, which narrows to the Tunnel Falls section, where it has carved a way between rocks to form whirlpools and torrents. This reminded me of the Strid where the Wharfe narrows near Bolton Abbey in Yorkshire. For most of the way there is a handrail, particularly useful when the rocks underfoot are wet.

Beyond these falls, the river turns into a peaceful woodland stream until it reaches the Devil's Cauldron - another impressive narrow section.

Then a gentler walk to extend the gorge walk leads to a tranquil pool, where we watched a pair of grey wagtails flittling about catching insects.

Through the woods at Buckland Abbey

Sunday 3 May

A day of showers and brighter spells saw us driving out for a coffee and some air. Yesterday we had vegetated after a couple of days driving to Devon.

First stop was the village of Buckland Monarcorum, to have a look round a local art exhibition - there were some attractive landscapes, notably by a Richard Mabey who is the author and illustrator of  a book of local walks - he is not the man who wrote Food for Free, I think.

A stroll downhill into the village with its impressive church, and quaint houses - and we still hadn't had any caffeine. Nearby was Buckland Abbey, once an abbey, then home to Sir Richard Grenville and later to Sir Francis Drake, now a National Trust property.

It was certain to have a cafe, and a fine situation. 

We paid the dues to go into the garden and grounds and enjoyed a coffee and scone. The staff on reception  recommended a three mile long estate walk through bluebell woods. One of the most beautiful woodland walks - especially at this time of year. Spring flowers in abundance - celandines, a few wood anemones, pink campion, yellow dead nettle, wild garlic, herb robert, and masses of bluebells - though not at their peak yet.

The woods are steep and full of mosses of all kinds, ferns and trees showing new leaves. At the bottom of the slopes flows the Tavy, and we joines a riverside path for a short distance, and saw a family of ducklings with their mother.

We met no one on the woodland part of the walk, and there were no more than a few drops of rain.

My phone app tells me we climbed the equivalent of 27 flights of stairs!

Burrator Reservoir

We ended up here for an afternoon stroll, after a morning waiting in for the Autoglass man, who turned up with the wrong windscreen! Still and all, we took the opportunity to get some laundry done, andthe weather was on the poor side of acceptable.

Burrator reservoir is not far from Yelverton. We called in at the Discovery Centre, which was opened last year. Lots of information about the building of the reservoir in the nineteenth century, and what the area was like previously.  

We started our walk round the reservoir from   Norsworthy   Bridge and walked clockwise past the arboretum, then along some muddy paths as far as  the ruins of Longstone Manor, where there are an old stone cider press and some stone water tubs as well as part of the house.

Further round we came to the two dams, Sheepstor Dam and Burrator Dam, before following the path past a waterfall emerging from a pipe, past the Discovery Centre and eventually back to the bridge.

Lush, green, mossy trees, primroses and bluebells, and the wind-ruffled water all added to the attractions of this three and a half mile walk.  All that was missing was an ice-cream van or a café. 

Castle Drogo in the wind

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/castle-drogo/

We had a short stroll through the grounds after visiting "the last castle ever built in England". Itwas built by Julius Drewe, founder of the Home and Colonial Stores, between 1911 and 1930, and designed by Lutyens.  At the moment there's a huge restoration and repair programme inder way, and most of the castle is wrapped in plastic sheeting and scaffolding, though the interior can be visited, and on normal days the works can be seen from a viewing tower.  When we were there the winds were so high that the viewing tower was closed, and the gardens too. We were happy enough to shelter from the rain and winds for a while inside.

The situation is magnificent, with wide views towards the moor, and the walks down to Fingle Bridge and Drewsteignton look well worth considering in future.

A week in Devon - with a few photos

Ten days or so on the move - overnight in Bristol,
a couple of days with Jenny at Hope Cove,

Through the cloud to the cliff-top path

  a few days outside Tavistock, exploring Dartmoor,

and then two nights in Southampton with Esther's family.

We walked a bit - lots of short walks, and one longer one, and cycled a bit, mostly off-road and on decent tracks.

Cycle ride - The Granite Way from Okehampton to Lydford and back - in rather wet conditions! About 22 miles.  Coffee stop in the pub at Lydford helped us shelter from some of the downpour!
Shorter off-road cycle route - part of Princetown Railway - this was rather rough and I wasn't sure of the route - I did about 4 miles in all.

The granite tramway

Longish walk - 7 miles of the Yarner Wood Loop from Haytor including part of the Templer Way - a decent walk, partly along an old tramway made of granite!
For most of it I lost satellite reception. I'll post a few pics later.

Through Yarner Wood

Wide, if misty views

Following the road back to Haytor Visitor Centre