Away: Dartmoor Walk - Saturday 22.1.11

23.1.11

Dartmoor Walk - Saturday 22.1.11

Woke up to a real Dartmoor frost

This calls for a hearty breakfast

cooked by THE MEN IN THE KITCHEN.

After that some of us headed out for a walk across the moor, others went paddling.

Dartmoor is a beautiful place,

full of myths and legends,

spooky old chapels

and tiny bridges with hiding places for devils.

The stiles are all stone, growing out of the soil.

and the houses are dissolving back into the land.

Even the fungi is strange here - click here to see other flora spotted today.

You get to walk on other peoples land here, which is a good chance to be nosey.

Denise and I loved crunching through the ice.

I've rarely been on the moor in such brilliant conditions.

Dartmoor walking weather is a gentle rain that falls through a drifting mist.

It was so clear today that Denise and I could see the rest of our party as they waited for us on this bridge.

Today really was a painters day, one ideal for getting out the water colours and making a complete mess.

When granite is the only material, it gets used for everything, bridges

and houses.

MeWally

There aren't many trees on the moor, where they do occur, they tend to be stunted, like BONSAI TREES due to the thin topsoil over resistant granite rock. They can't get there roots down.

We carried on walking in the crystal clear air,

it was bitterly cold with a bighting wind,

and totally stunning.

MeWally

The TORS stand out, making this a unique landscape.

The weather began to close in, drenching us in a honey glow.

MeWally

With the light fading, we headed home,

MeWally

with the final leg along the never ending drive leading to BRIMPTS FARM.

The rest of the group had been canoeing on the RIVER DART, upper and middle, all day and as the night fell an almost full moon rose up into the sky.