Dartmoor, Devon

Thursday 3rd June
Kenny had the Thursday off work so when I got home the
caravan was on the driveway next to the house with a fully
charged battery and ready to be loaded with all our gear. The
weather had been glorious for the last week or so and looked
like it was set to continue for at least the first few days of our
holiday if not the whole time. With our friendly cat-sitting and
plant-watering neighbour duly instructed we started to load our
clothes and other necessities. The food would wait until Friday
morning and could then be stored directly in the fridge that
would be fully operational by then.

Friday 4th June
A more beautiful day we had not seen for a long time and I had
been up for 3 hours before Kenny was woken by the alarm
clock. He is an owl and I am definitely a lark! The garden had
been watered (all my precious seedlings and the extremely
productive vegetable plot), the lounge hoovered and the cat
feeding instructions printed. I heard a cuckoo in the garden,
something I haven't heard for a couple of years now so I was
very pleased, although the local birds may not have agreed.

I took Kenny his breakfast in bed and we discussed what food
we needed to get for our stay. A trip to Asda provided
everything we required and we finished loading up, checked
the lights, fitted the wing mirrors and were off at last.

The west bound traffic was free-flowing but there were long
tailbacks eastwards along the A31 so we were well pleased we
were heading westwards. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and
the sun shone brightly all the way. According to the
temperature gauge in the car it was between 21 and 24
degrees along the 2½ hour journey, a distance of about 98
miles. We have found that towing a caravan does add some
extra time to your journey, as expected, and we were not in a
hurry so it didn't matter. We were on holiday and had the
weather to prove it!

The site was just off the A30 and a really easy route to follow.
Only small, 77 pitches in all and a truly peaceful setting, our
pitch was alongside a lovely meadow of buttercups, bluebells
and other wild flowers which made a very pretty outlook.
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Once Kenny woke from his cat-nap we had a wander around the site and inspected the shower facilities which were in a log cabin type of
building, very in keeping with the surroundings. Caravanners are really friendly and we were greeted with smiles and hellos along the way. We
planned nothing for the remainder of the day other than a Greek salad with a glass of wine for dinner later and time to relax meanwhile.

Some late arrivals gave us something to watch on the grass pitch opposite as they erected their tent in about 10 minutes flat which was so
impressive Kenny stopped to comment on how quickly they completed the task on his way to top up the water container.

After another walk along part of the footpath circling the site, we turned back as we reached a muddy patch which our flimsy sandals were not
sufficient to pass and we decided to complete it another day with suitable footwear.
We drove through some lovely little villages on the way and some
very narrow roads. Driving through the national park gave a
feeling of the remoteness of this place and its beauty.
Widecombe-in-the-Moor is as its name describes and is a very
pretty village with a stunning church. Both me and Kenny love
churches and churchyards so spent some time looking around
and reading some of the gravestones. We heard another cuckoo
calling in the distance which made me smile.
We discovered the correct names of
the people involved in the riding of
Tom Pearce's grey mare and her
untimely death and then drove back
to Haytor Rocks where we parked
up and had a very enjoyable walk
interspersed by stops for lunch and
water and/or photos. We also
watched people abseiling down the
tor which was interesting but not
tempting enough for us oldies to try!
Tom Pearce, Tom Pearce, lend me your grey mare.
All along, down along, out along lee.
For I want for to go to Widecombe Fair,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.
Once set up, we put the table with umbrella and chairs up on the grass area of the pitch and had lunch outside
overlooking the meadow. While Kenny snoozed in the sun I listened to the birds singing and the bees buzzing. Fluffy
seed heads floated by on the breeze and butterflies fluttered past in what looked like haphazard flight skimming the
tops of the wild flowers in the meadow but was probably a quite purposeful search for food. I could hear lambs bleating
in the next field and all in all it was idyllic. What more could you ask for on a warm and sunny afternoon in June?
Saturday 5th June
I woke at 06:00 and headed for the showers as being first there is always a good idea. The showers were the push-button type and really too
hot for me but there was no method of temperature control in place so I had to make do. Apart from that the facilities were excellent. After a cup
of tea in bed, Kenny headed off to the showers at about 08:30. The morning was foggy so after breakfast we planned to head for Widecombe-in-
the-Moor. Kenny was not too sure that my rendition of ‘Uncle Tom Cobley and All’ was totally accurate as I couldn't remember all the correct
names so added a few people we knew in their place. After Widecombe we planned some tor walks in the same locality.
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Widecombe-in-the-Moor
Churchyard and beautiful church
Haytor Rocks
Kenny admiring the views on our walk from
Haytor Rocks
views on our walk from Haytor Rocks
We heard a cuckoo again, lovely as
far as I'm concerned, and then
walked back to the car before
deciding to stop at Hound tor on the
way back to the site. We parked in
the car park and headed on past
the tor and to the medieval village
ruins. There were bluebells
everywhere and their scent filled the
air, although Kenny said he couldn't
smell it: years of smoking (he gave
up when we met 12 years ago) had
destroyed his sense of smell, or so I
told him.
We heard then saw stonechats and skylarks and a very pale coloured buzzard that Kenny swore was a golden eagle; his ornithological skills
leave much to be desired. Although still a bit misty the weather was warm and walking back up the hill to Hound tor was a bit of a struggle for
me. To aid the cooling process I unzipped the lower part of my walking trousers to convert them to shorts only to have Kenny exclaim that the
glare from my white legs would dazzle the people who were walking behind us. Cheeky sod! Of course he is always so brown I had to agree with
him when I compared my leg colour to his and we laughed about it all the way back to the car.
Hound tor
sheep on Hound tor
medieval village ruins
On the way back we used the sat nav and she was given a name at last. Kenny christened her ‘Deirdre’, well-spoken and polite. But soon after
this we questioned her map-reading skills as she navigated us along a road so narrow that Harry Honda's wing mirrors touched the hedgerows
on either side and I have never seen so much grass growing down the centre of a road before! Unlike the time she did this before (on our first
trip to Bridport in 2009), we did not meet any tractors. Kenny must have nerves of steel as he was totally un-phased by the lack of passing
places whereas I thought it was a white-knuckle ride not knowing if you would be head on with any traffic round each bend, of which there were
many. Luckily we met nothing else along there and it did cut quite a big chunk off of the journey back which was obviously Deidre's aim.

We put the table and chairs with umbrella outside by the meadow again and sat, Kenny in the sun and me in the shade, him reading a book
and me writing this. Beautiful. While sitting outside we heard then saw a pair of mistle thrushes who returned regularly to the bread I put out on
the grass. They were obviously nesting nearby.

That evening I made a nice veggie dinner with tomatoes, onions, red pepper, garlic, fresh herbs (out of the garden) and topped with beaten
egg and plain yoghourt, grated cheese and then grilled.
Sunday 6th June
It rained during the night but by morning the rain had gone
and had been replaced by sunny spells and a few clouds.
Definitely not as warm as the previous day so the jumpers
were located ready for when we set off later. After having our
showers and breakfast we headed to Buckland Abbey which
was once the home of Sir Francis Drake. The weather was
kinder to us than the forecast and stayed dry as we drove
through the centre of Dartmoor and towards Yelverton. The
scenery was stunning. We passed the prison, a grey and
depressing looking place, and finally arrived at our
destination.
Buckland Abbey from the front, from the garden & the huge barn
Buckland Abbey is a National Trust property and the woman on the desk was
keen on recruiting us as new members. We said we would decide later. After
spending a leisurely look around the property and grounds, which we both
found really interesting, we had lunch in the tea rooms. It was during lunch
that we decided we would join as we have plans to visit enough National
Trust properties to make it worthwhile.
We drove back around the edge of the moor to Okehampton
and to Finch Foundry, also National Trust so as new
members we had free entry. A fascinating place and
somewhere I highly recommend. It consists of a smithy and
carpentry workshop all powered by water using three huge
wheels. Kenny was in his element!
inside the foundry
Tom Pearse's
summerhouse
By the time we got back there was blue sky and sun again, how lucky we were. We spent the remainder of the day reading, watching new
people set up (for which Kenny had his binoculars), chatting and laughing. As our lunch had been quite filling we snacked instead of having a
meal and went to bed early. All that fresh air certainly helps you sleep well.
Monday 7th June
It dawned cloudy but dry and breakfast was cornflakes as we had eaten all the eggs and
mushrooms and couldn't be bothered to try and find a shop to replenish supplies the day
before. Unfortunately, by the time we were ready to go it was raining and the temperature
had dropped once more. Coats and jumpers this time!

We decided to go into Okehampton first to get some supplies in the hope that the rain would
stop, but it didn't. So we headed for Castle Drogo (another National Trust property),
although it hadn't originally been on my list of places to see. We were glad we went as the
inside of the last castle built in the UK was lovely and somewhere you could see yourself
living. Unlike many of these old properties Castle Drogo is furnished as if the family still lived
there and that made it more interesting for both of us.

The outside of the castle is actually quite ugly but the setting beautiful and the gardens
lovely. I managed to get a couple of photos in the rain but the miserable weather did the
castle no favours.
Castle Drogo
Castle Drogo a
view of the gardens
We returned to the caravan following the same route of impossibly narrow lanes that criss-cross this part of Devon and had our own
homemade Devon cream tea with fresh strawberries, delicious!

We watched a young couple pitch their tent in the rain on the grass opposite us and they got soaked, all that effort and they only stayed
one night. Made us really glad to be in a caravan!
Tuesday 8th June
Home today and before we left we were lucky enough to see a greater spotted woodpecker searching for food in an old tree stump in the
meadow next to our pitch. He then gave us a clearer view of his red head and black and white plumage as he decided to have some of the
bread I had put out earlier. What a brilliant way to end our holiday.

Julie
June 2010



Julie's Trip Tip
When setting up on your pitch, check for the best view from your sitting area as this is where you will be looking the majority of the time. In
hindsight on this site we should have had the caravan facing the meadow, but then again Kenny is so nosey we were probably better
entertained by the tents and other comings and goings!