You know sometimes in life you feel bogged down and are not sure how to kick yourself out of it? Well this weekend I went walking because I felt just like that, having not been able to walk for four weeks. I needed to kick myself out of it! Life had got me down and I needed some new impetus so off I went. One of my walks was Great Mis Tor in the blistering heat that was last Saturday.
The trudge up to the tor was straightforward and a sweet farmer in a big truck offered me a lift to the top - I declined, cheat I am not, despite the scary bullocks on the path ahead. As I reached the top the farmer was unloading his quad bike - now I may have said yes to a ride on that if he had offered! The bullocks thankfully were more interested in his truck than me so I walked safely past - stick on the ready and armed with my deep Devonshire “gerrrrroonnn” voice to scare any off if they came towards me. I wonder if I will ever get to try that out!
At the top of Great Mis Tor, I did a compass reading which was fairly easy as there were lots of tors and landmarks to be guided by. After saying hello to a couple of walkers, who headed off and disappeared very quickly, I set off down the hill. I had a fantastic idea to follow the red and white flags that the army posted to show the firing range. No firing today but it gave me a line to follow and I made an assumption that if the army placed the post, they would have placed them on firm ground. As I worked my way down the hill, I passed a little foal on his own and no adult pony to be seen. However, I left it alone as I was sure it would be ok and find its own way. In the dip towards White Tor, there was a stream which I needed to cross. Three walkers came from the other side and made it over so I thought I would cross at the same point. No hello from them but, not disheartened, I had a look at the stream and started to cross. The stone wobbled significantly so I thought I would find another place to cross as I did not want to get wet feet (!). A little further down stream and there it was. A very safe solid rock to jump on to and successfully leap to the other side safely. Chuffed with this, I strode on up the hill still following the red and white poles.
The trudge up to the tor was straightforward and a sweet farmer in a big truck offered me a lift to the top - I declined, cheat I am not, despite the scary bullocks on the path ahead. As I reached the top the farmer was unloading his quad bike - now I may have said yes to a ride on that if he had offered! The bullocks thankfully were more interested in his truck than me so I walked safely past - stick on the ready and armed with my deep Devonshire “gerrrrroonnn” voice to scare any off if they came towards me. I wonder if I will ever get to try that out!
At the top of Great Mis Tor, I did a compass reading which was fairly easy as there were lots of tors and landmarks to be guided by. After saying hello to a couple of walkers, who headed off and disappeared very quickly, I set off down the hill. I had a fantastic idea to follow the red and white flags that the army posted to show the firing range. No firing today but it gave me a line to follow and I made an assumption that if the army placed the post, they would have placed them on firm ground. As I worked my way down the hill, I passed a little foal on his own and no adult pony to be seen. However, I left it alone as I was sure it would be ok and find its own way. In the dip towards White Tor, there was a stream which I needed to cross. Three walkers came from the other side and made it over so I thought I would cross at the same point. No hello from them but, not disheartened, I had a look at the stream and started to cross. The stone wobbled significantly so I thought I would find another place to cross as I did not want to get wet feet (!). A little further down stream and there it was. A very safe solid rock to jump on to and successfully leap to the other side safely. Chuffed with this, I strode on up the hill still following the red and white poles.
As I headed towards the standing stone, I found myself heading in to soft ground. Confident that the red and white poles were on firm ground, I continued but this was not such a good idea! I got out my stick to test the ground and took a leap of faith (not where I had put the stick!) but landed over my ankle in bog! Quickly realising this was not a good plan, I moved swiftly to firmer ground - there wasn’t much of it! Carefully planning my steps to leave the marshy area, I moved steadily down the hill. It was a hot day so there was no chance of hypothermia from my wet foot but I had back up emergency blankets in my rucksack just in case! Once reaching the stream, I decided to reward myself with some lunch. Adventure over and some nourishment was needed for the next stage of my trip! I had lunch with the sheep by the stream and noted that if there are blue lines, denoting a stream on Dartmoor, the area above is generally boggy so to be avoided - nothing like learning from experience eh? While eating, I was passed by another walker who admitted he had followed the line of the red and white posts with the same assumption as me, and had also got caught in the bog! This was gratifying as he was clearly a more experienced walker than me!
Onwards and upwards up to White Tor. The way ahead was dry and clear and White Tor is a mish mash of rocks dispersed in a nonchalant way. unlike other tors that look like they were built specifically to shine on the horizon for travellers to follow. From White Tor I descended towards Stephen’s Grave - I wonder who he was so must look that up - and did some “pacing” so I know how far I can walk in what time, should that be handy one day. All part of my pre walk leader training preparation.
Onwards and upwards up to White Tor. The way ahead was dry and clear and White Tor is a mish mash of rocks dispersed in a nonchalant way. unlike other tors that look like they were built specifically to shine on the horizon for travellers to follow. From White Tor I descended towards Stephen’s Grave - I wonder who he was so must look that up - and did some “pacing” so I know how far I can walk in what time, should that be handy one day. All part of my pre walk leader training preparation.