Day 15 - Chagford to Morchard Bishop - Wdnesday

Breakfast was at 8:00 and I had a most interesting conversation with John who took over this pub, The Chagford Inn last January and is in the process of fully refurbishing, and already providing interesting food way beyond the average pub grub. John has cycled from LA New York dipping down into the south. That was a three month trip. He is also a keen photographer. I could have spent a long time chatting there, but I had a twenty mile day in front of me.

Pleasant riverside and old woods walking took me onto a fabulous balcony path running under the ramparts of Drago Castle ( the story of its ongoing overhaul is worth looking at - I'm sure Google will provide. There was a good tv documentary about it sometime ago).

After leaving the northern boundary of Dartmoor Nat. Park the quality of the walking degenerated into farmers' fields, nettles, stiles, and the like. Also the path now became comprehensively waymarked.

I walked hard, by my standards all day but I was well done for during the last five miles.

At the village shop I enquired about b and bs. There was nobody home at one, but Mrs Snell at Shippens had room. I misunderstood the directions turning right from the shop and walked down one fork of the steep village street and back up the other adding another half mile to my total, then returning to the shop for more directions. When I make a route mistake I tend to march hard to redeem myself, and so I did on my second attempt.

Mrs Snell is a great elderly lady, sharp with her repartee and a good conversationalist. The house is a large converted barn completed several years ago - her husband died shortly after completion, "...he wasn't a lot of help to me". After a welcoming tea and cake I showered and went back up the hill to the London Inn. Mrs S had booked a table for me, but when I entered I was already famous having been seen doing my redeeming route march past the pub earlier on the way to Mrs Snell's - they were all impressed. I could just as easily have fallen over with exhaustion when I marched past them.


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Day 14 - Widdecombe to Chagford - Tuesday 16th Sept.

Venton Farm at Widdecombe was an excellent B and B; a sixteenth century farmhouse still run as a working farm, all cosy and comfortable.

A climb up onto the ridge was chilly and then I was in mist on the tops for a while but the sun appeared and there were miles of enjoyable ridge walking.

I came across the massive stone circle marked as Grimspound on the map. A party of school children were being shown around and I took a quick snap. I was then questioned politely by one of the leaders who wanted assurance that I wasn't going to publish the pic. I never thought about the implications thinking it would make an interesting point for various people who read this blog who have an interest in education. What a sad changed world we live in. I have deleted the pic.

The TMW is proving to be a classic. It would suit someone who is fed up with trudging round the perimeters of farmers' fields but doesn't want the rigours of a full high level mountain thrash, but I would stress the need for competence with map and compass and the advisability of having gps ( I know there are some who would disagree with the latter point).

There were not many people on the path today, but three of the four pubs in Chagford were without vacancies, and the fourth is a £100 a night job and I didn't enquire there.

Fortunately John at the The Chagford Inn who was in the middle of having all his rooms refurbished let me have a half finished room, and here I am now with full wi-fi, and just had a hot shower.





I don't know why this wall was so massive. It was still under construction


Typical Dartmoor ridge walking - easy under foot and great views


More heather and gorse. Can't resist it.


Zoom to ponies on summit


They were still there when I arrived. Hameldown Tor, complete with trig


The massive stone circle - Grimspound




Hookney Tor


Another take on drystone walling. Single thickness of stones, daylight can be seen through


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Photos for day 13 - Holne to Widdecombe

The Shepherd's hut, and inside below





River Dart, easy walking


Heather and gorse




I wonder which is oldest, cross or tree?


Zoom to a huge distant Tor. Will need to research name


The Rugglestone Inn where I ate - "...we aim to stay in the past as long as possible"


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Day 13 - Holne to Widdecombe - Monday 15th Sept.

First of all I forgot to mention yesterday that all morning and early afternoon the walk across the moor was in cloud/mist/fog or whatever you want to call it and visibility ranged between half a mile and fifty yards which better explains my travails with navigation.

I re-read the TMW guide and interestingly I quote, "...the open moorland of Dartmoor and Exmoor is NOT signposted or way marked. Not only is marking alien to wild landscape, but it destroys the experience of being in remote country". I am all for that but wish I had read that bit before embarking on day one of the TMW.

The Shepherd's Hut was ok but without mains electric pretty basic, and if it had been much colder that could have been a problem. Anyway it was better than the tent.

When I re-conceived this walk for now, i.e. later in the year, I had visions of huge expanses of purple heather on Dartmoor, and purple heather for me is like listening to a world class soprano having a memorable performance for others, although the latter wouldn't go amiss anyway.

Well, the heather has gone over, but some of it remains, but glory of glories a fiendishly deep yellow gorse over massive expanses has taken over and bits of the heather remain intermingled. It would be worth anybody's effort to get out and have a look.

Today I have walked through enchanting old deciduous woodland, often accompanied by the River Dart, which has water coloured like a good bitter, but so clear you can see to the bottom even at surprising depths, and offering the greatest temptation to taking dip one is ever likely to encounter, and I actually observed a couple doing just that.

After that the path climbed through jungle bracken to a grey stark tor and then developed into a high level track constructed for a conceited aristocrat to entertain his guests with dramatic views looking a long way down into heavily wooded valleys, which hinted at some secret river running through.

The village of Ponsworthy, enchanting as it was, offered no refreshment, but I chatted with a gent who had lived there since 1949 and we recalled bad winters of 1947 and nineteen sixty something and his running of a café on the south coast for eighteen years. The next village of Jordan had nothing to offer other than its unusual name.

Widdecombe is a thriving tourist centre with the National Trust running a shop and TI centre rolled into one. They found me a B and B about half a mile from the village, but with the Rugglestone Inn half way. I left my sack at the B and B and wandered back to the village for tea in the café booking a table for 6:30 on the way, and here I am now after meeting the challenge of a superb steak and Stilton pie. I enquired if they had wi-fi and the reply, " sorry, no, we try to keep as much in the past as possible".

By the way, I'm being haunted by a guy on this walk with a funny hat.

Could not post last night. Can't reply to comments easily. Will catch up later. This coming from Hameldown Beacon (517m) in the mist if it goes - 10.00 am Tuesday.




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Day 12 - Ivybridge to Holne

I was able to depart Ivybridge for 7:15 am. A stiff road climb took me onto the moor and several fast miles on an old tramway track used for transporting peat, then it was off onto the footpath of The Two Moors Way (TMW). I found not a single way marker during the whole fifteen miles except for one at the start and one at the end. The path kept disappearing and I spent lots of time consulting gps and walking on compass bearings over virgin moorland. In a way that was quite interesting and a challenge but I wouldn't recommend it for the inexperienced. That is surprising when Devon CC have produced an excellent guide, and perhaps I would have done better following that as well as the OS on Memory Map, but there is a limit to the number of gadgets, compass, guides and maps that I want manipulate all at the same time as well as continuing to use the indispensable walking poles.

I am staying at a farm camp sit at Michelcombe between Scorriton and Holne in a Shepherd's Hut. There is a double bed, camping gas stove, a sink and cold water and some 12v lighting, and a toilet block about a hundred yards away. I have walked twenty minutes back into Scorriton where I have just had a magnificent rare beef salad with excellent double fried chips.

I am having charging and signal problems so will try to send this now with pics later. The priority is to preserve battery life for map navigation.


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Day 11 - Torquay to Ivybridge - Saturday 13th Sept.

I had a thoroughly pleasant meeting with friends today, no walking, and ended up at The Sportsman Inn at Ivybridge. Here I have the whole of an attic second floor flat for £35. It is pretty basic in decor but well appointed with facilities and I have arranged a pre-prepared breakfast so I will be able to get away early in the morning for the start of The Two Moors Way. Now then, hands up all those who thought I was continuing on the SWCP.

I have booked a Shepherd's Hut equidistant from Scorriton and Holne and it's a fifteen mile walk.


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Photos for Day 10

The Sidholme Hotel


Looking west along Sidmouth Bay


From the gardens at the western end of Sidmouth


Looking back towards Sidmouth


Budleigh Salterton across the River Otter estuary




Moi ascending out of Budleigh fuelled up with tea and bacon butty


Distant Exemouth


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