Saturday 11th Sept. Day 1 of the Dartmoor expedition.
Me and my brother in law, Joe are off for a couple of days hiking and camping in the wilds of Dartmoor followed by a 65 mile bike ride. I was going to go on my own as suprisingly the idea didn't appeal to many people, but Joe pitched in at the last minute.
There we are, trundling happily along in the car just outside Exeter when I notice the engine temperature is through the roof. Pull over to see the engine happily peeing all over the floor. Find a garage in Exeter on my smart phone and give them a call. "Bring the car in and we'll have a look" they say, so using the phones sat nav we nurse the car through traffic to the car doctors. Water pumps gone. £300 plus quid to fix it and can't be done till Monday. Great. Let swearing commence. Alter and adapt to the situation.
Option A. Get a B&B for a couple of nights and sack the whole event and go out on the lash in Exeter? Appealing but no.
Option B.Cycle the remaining 20 mile to the hike start point? And then what to do with the bikes for 3 days? Nah.
Option C. Ditch the cycle aspect of the event, leave the car and the bikes at the garage til Tuesday, get a taxi to the hike start point in South Zeal and return after a couple of days on the moor? That's the winner!
Arrive in South Zeal and set off to the moor up the first hill (Cosdon Hill 550m above sea level) a climb of 360 meters. The climb almost kills Joe as his idea of fitness is Xbox fags and beer! Get to Cosdon Beacon at the top and we set up for a brew and some lunch. Some fitness bloke comes bounding up the hill like a mountain goat and stops for a chat. He's a local vet on call and suggests a pub to visit on our hike. Sounds like a good idea we think, and then he heads back off down the hill.
We set off across the moor and reach our first camp site on the edge of Fernworthy Forest (SX64118432) at around 18:30 having hiked approx 11.6km. My back pack and kit weigh 22 kg (48 and a bit lb in old money) so I am glad to get it off! Set camp, camp fire cuppa and grub, nice. Off to get my head down.
Day 2
Wake up after listening to the wind hurl itself thorough the trees all night making a sound like a nearby motorway, and get the fire going. The countryside contrary to all popular belief is NOT a quiet place! fresh sheep shite right by my front door, great. Bacon and bangers for brekkie then we set off following a bridleway south. Going is much better as walking the bridleway is a lot easier than negotiating the terrain on the moor. I think the military use the term 'babies heads' for the lumpy tufts of grass that make up the moor and walking across them without breaking your ankle or falling into an unseen hole full of sheep/cow/cattle doo doo is a constant challenge, so the bridleway is a blessing.
Get to Postbridge and stop for a quick pint in the pub to see where we are going next. The idea is to march down the road to Two Bridges then across the moor then camp somewhere near Burrator reservoir. Joe develops a blister on the way so on reaching Two Bridges we change plan and head to just south west of Bellever Tor (SX64007625) where we make camp after hiking 19km. On the menu tonight is Lamb Pilaf with an orange and peach desert. I've got these expedition food packs from a company called 'Be Well Expedition Foods' Sara found on the Internet that provide food packs for Everest/Arctic/K2 type adventures and they are very tasty! Off to bed.
Day 3
Wake up to a misty morning, break camp and head up Bellever Tor where Joe finds a Tupperware stuffed into the crack of the rocks. Inside is a little note pad from an 8 year old girl with a message saying who she was and asking for people to leave their names/time/date and what they are up to in the note book. We duly scribe our details and move on, replacing the Tupperware for the next hiker to find. We're off to find a water fall (SX62408105) which means climbing over Broad Down which proves to be bloody windy! Have a cuppa at the waterfall, very pretty, and move off to Fernworthy Forest once more passing through The Grey Wethers Stone Circles and negotiating many a dollop of cow dung on the way.
Passing through the forest we meet some random bloke who is dressed up in full 2nd World War German military uniform, jack boots and all! Why it did not occur to me to take a photo I will never know. Apparently he's got old German and Russian uniforms and goes out dressed up like this all the time. Not the best outfit to be wearing while wandering close to some military firing ranges I think!
We stash our packs in the woods and go and have a look at the reservoir. On our way round to the Dam we find a single lonely wellie boot stuck in the mud. I wonder how the foot that once belonged in it made it home?
After circling the Dam we return to where we buried our ruck sacks and make camp (SX65658364, 17 km hiked). Joe's got Super Noodles for dinner and I have Chilli with a Chocolate Chip desert. Later on Joe dissapears off for a Tom Tit, manages to fall over, twist his ankle, get turned about and loose his sense of direction, wander off in the wrong direction and get lost! Plank. Just about when I start to think he's been gone rather a long time and is either constipated or lost, I hear shouting. After consideration I answer and the shouting gets nearer. My suspicions are confirmed and it's Joe returning from his mini adventure, limping. Pillock!
It's difficult getting a fire started as the wood is all quite damp. Time for an early night.
Day 4
Wake up, raining. Oh goody. Head off to shift some ballast being careful not to repeat Joe's gymnastics of the previous night! Break camp and head off in the rain following the Two Moors Way back to South Zeal. Joe's necking the painkillers Sara suggested I bring. On route we have to pass through a field being looked after by a giant black bull! I'm a touch nervous but he's more interested in chewing the cud than bothering with us. Stop for a brew and switch the phone on checking for signal. Phone the wife and pick up a message from the garage that the car's ready. Moving on again Joe's beginning to complain more and more about his ankle and blisters, but to give him his due, after a fitness regime that would put some of the world best couch potatoes to shame, he has pretty much kept up with the pace and got on with the job at hand. Well done Joe!
On arrival at South Zeal we find the nearest Pub and order a well deserved pint. after hiking 16 km from last nights camp. All that remains now is to order a taxi to the garage and drive home after an enjoyable and interesting four days, 63.2km lugging a 22 kg pack!
