Category: Dartmoor

A number of fellow members of the Trek-lite forum agreed to meet up over the weekend of 25/26 February on Dartmoor, and I tagged along. To make it worth my while, as I was by far the one who lived furthest away, I decided to tack a couple of days on the end too. It … Continue reading A Meetup on Dartmoor →

Lulled by a “not too bad” forecast and fresh from a more local walk that didn’t fully hit the spot, I headed to Dartmoor for anything up to a week of backpacking – depending on how long that forecast stayed ok.There was one problem though: the Saturday night had a forecast of 50-60 kph winds, … Continue reading Halfway across Dartmoor – a Backpack in Less Than Ideal Conditions →

A familiar route, the road walk to Two Bridges. I stopped a few moments to watch the geese. I took the path that heads towards Wistman's Wood, although I wouldn't be going quite that far. I slanted off up the hillside towards Littaford Tors, not bothering today with Crockern Tor, as I was on a … Continue reading Dartmoor: The Safari – Part 3: The Land of Horses →

A spot of negotiating meet time for Tuesday morning turned on contrasting definitions of what "early" meant. The time agreed being a little too early for me, considering how long I would take to pack up and do the walk into Princetown; the time agreed being a little late for Paul. Ultimately we set a … Continue reading Dartmoor: The Safari – Part 2: Harts, Foxes and Sheep →

Lockdown eased and social media was awash with people taking their first tentative steps back into backpacking. I had a week off arranged for mid May - a remnant of the time already reserved for the TGO Challenge - but with a reasonably settled forecast, and some evolution in things going on at work, I … Continue reading Dartmoor: The Safari – Part 1: Cats, Bears and Bunnies →

No sooner had the last trip to Dartmoor worn off, than I was back for (and I can barely believe I'm saying this) the main backpacking trip of the year. This was to be a solo affair though, and it needed an objective... I really wanted to capture as much of the "big trip" feel … Continue reading Dartmoor: A Step in the White Direction →

It's been a long time coming, the first backpacking trip of the year. The intention always was to let the initial mad rush subside and then go, and it was handy that this tied in with the usual August non-firing on Dartmoor. The four of us were due to meet up in March to do … Continue reading Released onto Dartmoor →

The forecast for the next couple of days was markedly better, and it seemed a shame not to take advantage. So I made plans to stay another couple of days. This would be solo though, as Paul had to go to work and Cath had to go home. The obvious thing of doing a two … Continue reading Getting Back On The Horse: Part 3 – Pole to Pole →

The plan was hatched, with anxious looks at the weather forecast several times a day. Ok for a couple of days then a brief bad spell at some point over the weekend. It was good enough to book the train tickets. I headed down on the Thursday, with Cath due to follow the next day. … Continue reading Getting Back On The Horse: Part 2 – Dartmoor Bimbles →

Last weekend was the first trip to Dartmoor of the year, as a combination of illness and uninspiring forecasts made me decide to forego the now traditional Dartmoor New Year. Consequently I was itching to get out to camp somewhere I didn't have to hide, both overnighters so far this year having been in lowly … Continue reading Dartmoor: Not Quite as Forecast →

Just as I arrived at Paul's, he had the news on and a general election had been called. I took this as an omen that there could be no better time to lose myself for 3-4 days in the middle of nowhere. Day 1: Tuesday We bundled in the car and made for the Forest … Continue reading The Quest for a Furthest South →

Cath was safely dumped at Exeter St Davids, Jim was heading home, and Paul and I had a camp planned. The mission was twofold: a camp at a favourite tor, and a return to pick off a rock formation that eluded me last time I was in the area. We parked up and made our … Continue reading Another New Year on Dartmoor – Part 5: A Night at a Favourite Tor →

The group had by now broken up, Paul and Jim heading north to Paul's house, Phil and Sarah heading home to the Far North and the arctic wastes of Bristol. Cath too was heading home, but as her chauffeur I proposed a walk that would fit in with the run to Exeter. We headed off … Continue reading Another New Year on Dartmoor – Part 4: Blackslade Down →