Brown Willy, Dunkery Beacon

[poppiesrara]

Started the day with a half-marathon training run around a little of the coast-path and some quite testing slopes:

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Then completed a rather 'themed' weekend by following High Willhays (highest point in Dartmoor/Devon) with the peaks of Bodmin Moor/Cornwall and Exmoor/Somerset.

Brown Willy is a cracking walk, even if the real star of the area is Rough Tor. Lovely firm moorland paths from the carpark to that ridge and its scrambling summits and down. A bit damper (but after an extremely wet weekend) on the ascent to Brown Willy, but that's also a fine rocky peak.

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Rough Tor

Horses on Poldue Downs

Showery Tor summit

Brown Willy from Showery Tor

Rough Tor from Showery Tor

Brown Willy summit, looking to Rough Tor

Rough Tor

De Lank valley

Back to Brown Willy

Rough Tor summit

Memorial on Rough Tor

Showery Tor (apt!) and Little Rough Tor

Descending Rough Tor

Dunkery Beacon is higher but, apart from its huge cairn, a lot less impressive. Exmoor is lovely, and the drive up the Exe valley to this walk beautiful, but the valleys and the coasts seem to be its best features - the high moors are very heathery and a bit bland. A very clear tourist path heads up the Beacon (easy, but you can see little of interest bar the land around you for most of it), although the ridge track to Rowbarrow was more of a stream after the recent rains. It's worth it though to gain the much more interesting descent bridleway, with nice mixed views to the south.

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Souht-east from Dunkery Beacon ascent

Porlock Bay from Dunkery Beacon

Dunkery Beacon

North-west from Dunkery Beacon

Back to Dunkery Beacon from the west ridge path

Rowbarrow summit

Descent track from Rowbarrow

South over heather & Exmoor

East from descent bridleway

[SusieThePensioner]

Really enjoyed your photos of Dunkery, not walked there for many years but, orginate from Somerset, and that was one of our favourite walks at all times of the year