walkhighlands

This board helps you to share your walking route experiences in England and Wales... or overseas.
Warning Please note that hillwalking when there is snow lying requires an ice-axe, crampons and the knowledge, experience and skill to use them correctly. Summer routes may not be viable or appropriate in winter. See winter information on our skills and safety pages for more information.

When in Dartmoor...

When in Dartmoor...


Postby jfefleming » Fri Oct 01, 2021 11:41 am

Hewitts included on this walk: High Willhays

Date walked: 27/09/2021

Time taken: 4

Distance: 10.1 km

Ascent: 345m

2 people think this report is great.
Register or Login
free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).

It was the very end of September. Perhaps not the best time for a decent walk on Dartmoor, but we were in Tavistock anyway, so it seemed a shame not to seize the opportunity...

My fiancé and I had come down to the western edge of Dartmoor to join a friend for her ordination as a priest, and we decided to make something of a holiday of it. We didn't have any major intentions when we arrived, but I had ensured we were properly equipped for at least some walking, with decent boots, waterproofs, plenty of sustaining snacks and the like. So we were happy to see where the days took us.

It was only on the first evening when I was poring over the OS map in the air B’n’B, that I realised the opportunity we had. A little less than half an hour’s drive was the highest point in Southern England, High Willhays. What’s more, it looked to be fairly easily accessible.

IMG_20210927_194217482.jpg
Our (eventual) route. It looked so easy...

With little time to prepare, I turned to Walk Highlands to see what others had said. Yes, it was clearly doable via Longstone Hill and Yes Tor, with a well located car-park, and no reports of major challenges. And the firing notices were clear. But at 621 meters, it would be far more than the fiancé had ever climbed, even starting from the car park around 275 meters. On our last British Holiday, spent in St David's, she had struggled with some parts of the Pembrokeshire coast. Her health was much better than it had been then, but would she be up for the challenge?

There was another challenge. We had only Sunday, Monday and Tuesday clear, with my mother staying until Monday lunchtime. And the weather on Tuesday was not looking hopeful. It was Monday afternoon or nothing.

Luckily, on mooting the proposal, the fiancé seemed keen. so on Sunday afternoon, we se out for a test walk. A stunning, 5 1/2 mile loop around the coast at Nos Mayo, with a decent climb at the end.

IMG_20210926_162758608.jpg
The coast below Nos Mayo
IMG_20210926_171359316.jpg
Nos May Harbour

The fiancé handled it well, even taking the final climb at a decent pace. I was reassured. We thought we could do it. We even had a plan for managing the mother, with a short excursion in the morning to a beautiful St Michael De Rupe Church on Brent Tor, en route to a pub, the mother's route home and the departure point of Meldon Reservoir. We were doing this.

IMG_20210927_103559138sml.jpg
The absurdly located St Michael de Rupe Church in Brentor

After a stunning morning at the most absurdly located church (merely making it there from the village of Brentor would be an act of pilgrimage), and a sustaining lunch, we parted ways with the mother and, around 1.40pm, set out from a small car-park (having discovered parking cost £2 in cash, which we did not have, another walker told us paying was optional - I only hope they were being honest). We would have to be back in Tavistock by 6.00pm, but that gave us just shy of four hours walking time. Plenty for a loop which was at most 12 km.

IMG_20210927_133935610.jpg
Setting out from Meldon Reservoir

The weather looked clear as we crossed the dam at the head of the reservoir, and followed the path southwards along the western foot of Longstone Hill. The going was easy, and we opted to cut of a corner, turning onto the side of the hill and rejoining the zig-zagging path as it headed northwards again. We paused, admiring the views and the Meadow Pipits bobbing and weaving in the sun.

Then came my first mistake. Recognising that, for the time being, there was a clear path to follow at least as far as the peak of Longstone Hill, I had resolved to do that. But in my eager-ness, I took one of the sheep tracks, rather than what we would later discover was a clear and substantial path around the northern shoulder of the hill. Still, we slogged up the slope, making at first for the metal flagpole which would, on firing days, serve as an alert to go no further.

We reached the flagpole, and after some water, turned towards the Tor proper, now clearly visible. One down, two to go, with both of us in good spirits.

IMG_20210927_141551637_HDR.jpg
The view from Longstone Hill

As we cut across the fairly flat ground towards the col at the base of Yes Tor things began to take a turn, with dark clouds rolling in and heralding the arrival of rain. We paused and put on our wet weather gear, setting off just as the rain began tom come down with more fervour. Then we saw a flash. We paused. The thunder seemed some way away, so we pushed on, and the rain began to ease, much to our relief. Another thunder clap and I would probably have abandoned the attempt.

Nonetheless, the going now became rather harder. With no clear path, our choices were between following the line of a rill up towards the imposing rocks at the top of Yes Tor, or cutting across the moor. Of the two, the rill seemed the easier option. My fiancé's boots, while sturdy, were not as young as they once had been, and their waterproofing was now largely lacking, but she took this in her stride (no pun intended).

IMG_20210927_145003611.jpg
The fiancé climbs Yes Tor, with Longstone Hill (and the good paths), visible behind

The climb up Yes Tor was not, however kind. After some time, the rill gave way to rocky terrain. Easier to walk on for someone like me who stands 6ft 1, and can bound from rock to rock. But for the fiancé, who is only 4ft 11, and whose ankles had a history of instability, this was a real challenge, and the pace slowed substantially. I went ahead to see if I could spot a route, but with no luck. She would have to continue to pick her way between the rocks as best she could. Besides, even if I had found a route, I could barely be heard over the rapidly rising wind.

IMG_20210927_145022663_HDR.jpg
Rocky terrain up to Yes Tor

IMG_20210927_151213099.jpg
The fiancé battles through the rock field.

Two things stick in my head about the summit of Yes Tor. First, the rocks. On a dry day, there might be some interesting boulder problems to attempt among the debris. This was not such a day, but they did at least provide some shelter from the other thing which sticks in my mind, namely the wind. The forecast was for gusts of 20 mph. On Yes Tor, I think the winds must have exceeded that with ease. It was all I could do to stand upright, and to claim the summit, the fiancé had to walk bent almost double against the gusts.

IMG_20210927_152754525.jpg
It's windy on Yes Tor...

IMG_20210927_152834308.jpg
...But we made it (the sumit of Yes Tor, High Willhays visible behind)

We made it. But by the time we summitted, we'd be walking for 2 hours or so. Rather slower than I had hoped for; I had simply failed to account for the impact of the incline, the rocky terrain and the fiancé's naturally slower pace. A real failure of planning.

Mind you, the path to High Willhays was straightforward, following a clear path southwards along the ridge, and with only another 20-30 meters to climb. And I trusted that the return journey could and should be faster, without the exhaustion of the elevation. Surely we could do that in the two hours remaining?

After a pause out of the wind for a snack (during which I noted a more solid shelter on the east of the summit, no doubt used for military exercises, but worth noting in case of disaster), we set off again. And having pick our way out of the rocks, the route along to High Willhays was as (comparatively) straightforward as it looked. A few patches of boggy land were soon overcome and we reached the rocky outcrops which had adorned the skyline. The weather remained fair, and the views across Dartmoor were stunning.

We climbed to the tor, and the fiancé deposited the small stone she had picked up on route. We had done the hard part.

IMG_20210927_160532112_HDR.jpg
On the summit of High Willhays (621m)

Now came the return journey. We had about an hour and a half before we were due to depart, and no small way to go. I had long since abandoned the idea of looping back via Black Tor and the north west side of Meldon Reservoir. No the plan was to cut northwest, diagonally down towards the col between Yes Tor and Longstone Hill, were we could rejoin the good path from earlier on. More boggy ground, but at least we didn’t have to battle through he rock field which surrounded Yes Tor.

IMG_20210927_163554585.jpg
Looking back towards Longstone Hill, with the path (our next destination), visible again.

By now the fiancé was struggling, but I was fairly convinced that, if we could make the path by 5pm, we'd be ok. The weather seemed to be holding, we still had plenty of supplies and as we descended, we couldn't help but admire the views. Again we came to a rill, and face the choice of easier terrain or dry feet. Again we chose the terrain - after all, there comes a point when your feet are already wet, and you know you are homebound, when suddenly a little more damn-ness seems to matter less. Besides, we both had dry socks in the car.

We were more or less on schedule when we reached the path, and suddenly the going became immeasurably easier. As we followed the path around the northern shoulder of Longstone Hill, I realised my earlier mistake in cutting away from the path during our ascent. But the ship had long sailed, and the milk was long split. No sense crying now.

IMG_20210927_170507138_MP.jpg
A path, a path! (Longstone Hill descent)

As we neared the foot of the mountain and the reservoir came into sight, it became clear that we were not going to be leaving quite by half past five. Still, the sun was shining, and we relished the last half of descent, with glorious blue skies.

IMG_20210927_172630415.jpg
Meldon Reservoir in the sun

IMG_20210927_172743434.jpg
Obligatory sheep photo

We had made it to the highest point in England south of the Peak District. The fiancé had climbed her first mountain (and didn't appear to want it to be the last). The weather had mostly held out. And while my planning had failed somewhat (perhaps no surprise, given its limited extent, my lack of practice in planning serious walks, and my limited knowledge of the fiancés pace), we were only slightly behind schedule. Still, I opted to drive straight back, rather than pausing to change out of damp socks. We would only be a few minutes late for our 6 o'clock appointment.

The next day, the weather was dreadful, and I soon discovered that my good waterproof had given up the ghost. I was more than a little glad we hadn't waited and tried the route on Tuesday.
Attachments

our_route.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts

jfefleming
Scrambler
 
Posts: 1
Hewitts:17
Wainwrights:24   
Joined: Jul 4, 2021

Re: When in Dartmoor...

Postby uk-scrambler » Wed Oct 06, 2021 10:16 pm

What a nice part of the world it is round there!. very moody landscapes. Nice report and great photos. I didn't realise the highest point in Southern England was there.

Your photo of the Yealm estuary at Noss Mayo/Newton Ferrers brought back a lot of memories for me. Years ago in a previous job I used to get sent down for a couple of weeks each year to a marine coatings lab which is the building on the waterfront roughly in the centre of your picture. It was a wonderful place to go. So peaceful. We used to take the boat across to The Ship pub in Noss Mayo (great fish and chips). Happy times.

I'd like to do some walking in Dartmoor one day. Your route to Yes Tor and beyond looks great. The kind of place where the murderer from the Hound of the Baskervilles might be hiding out...
uk-scrambler
Scrambler
 
Posts: 54
Munros:23   
Hewitts:6
Wainwrights:3   
Joined: Sep 1, 2021

2 people think this report is great.
Register or Login
free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).




Can you help support Walkhighlands?


Our forum is free from adverts - your generosity keeps it running.
Can you help support Walkhighlands and this community by donating by direct debit?



Return to Walk reports - Outside Scotland

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 11 guests