Dartmoor (September 2023)
Saturday 16th September
Today was the only day it was looking like we would be able to go onto Dartmoor due to the very poor weather predicted this week. We sorted ourselves out and packed a lunch and were off. We managed to negotiate the long, meandering, single track road better going down than coming up yesterday.
We didn’t have far to drive before we were in Dartmoor
National Park. It was looking quite bright but there were some ominous clouds
in the distance. We had marked some points where we thought it would be
interesting to take photos. Our first stop was Cox Tor. We wandered towards the
Tor but not up it. Some sheep kindly wandered into the shot and the sun came
out a couple of times and illuminated the bracken.
Next stop was Merrivale where we took shots of Great Mis Tor. From here we crossed Two Bridges and drove to Postbridge where we were able to get good photos of the Clapper Bridge.
We had intended to travel further on but by now it was raining hard and visibility was poor. We decided the sensible thing to do was head back but take a detour round by Princetown where the famous Dartmoor Prison is. It was a gloomy village that looked as though it was being held in by grey walls.
We stopped twice more, at King’s Tor and Vixen Tor before
heading back to Tavistock and home.
Sunday 17th September
A quick dive from the house to the car and then from the car
to the pub. The staff are very friendly and quick to take our order. Our drinks
arrive and our order is taken. Two roast beef dinners. Hmm, that was a scrummy
lunch and they will certainly be getting
a good review from us.
Home again to an afternoon of world cup rugby which is
fortunate as the heavens have opened again.
Listening to the news this evening it sounds as though many
places in Somerset and Devon have had
flooding and massive lightning storms. More of the same is forecast for later
in the week.
Monday 18th September
We woke to more rain but it was quick to clear up. We drove to the outskirts of Plymouth and then jumped on the park and ride into the city. Our plan was to visit the Barbican area and Plymouth Hoe. We had marked off some historic points that we wanted to see. We started at the Barbican and proceeded to make our way to the quay where there were many boats and yachts moored.
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The Royal Citadel was a 17th century fortress built to defend the coast line from the Dutch. It is still used today by the military. Canons can be seen on the opposite of the road. There would have been others positioned along this coastal area.
Sir Francis Drake was
the first man to circumnavigate the globe in one go. He was also mayor of
Plymouth for a while. He sailed the Golden Hind and was second in command of
the fleet which fought against the Spanish Armada. He was born in Tavistock, at
Crowndale farm.
Plymouth's lido is a grade II listed outdoor swimming pool built in 1935. The pool has been voted in the top 10 best outdoor pools in Europe.
Plymouth Lido
Smeaton's Tower on Plymouth Hoe was originally built by Smeaton on the Eddystone reef in 1759. It was taken down in the 1880's when it was discovered the rock it was standing on was unstable. The structure was moved, stone by stone to its current position.
Smeaton's Tower
Sir Walter Rayleigh was a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I and an explorer. He helped to colonize parts of America and introduced potatoes and tobacco to this country. He also played an important role in the defeat of the Spanish Armada.
Memorial Statues
HRH The Princess of Wales unveiled a memorial in September 2019 to all men and women who serve in or have served in the British Merchant Navy or Fishing Fleets in times of both war and peace.
Dedicated to all the men who fought and died during the battle with the Spanish Armada.
Dedicated to all the men who died during the 1914 - 1918 and 1939 - 1945 world wars.
The Messenger was created by artist Joseph Hillier depicting a female actor crouching, ready to run
onto the stage. It was installed outside the Theatre Royal in 2019 to commemorate the Mayflower celebrations.
The Messenger
Tuesday 19th September
Morwellham Quay was once the greatest copper port in Queen Victoria's empire. Today it is part of an internationally acclaimed Mining World Heritage site.
It was first set up by the Benedictine monks of Tavistock Abbey to carry goods from Plymouth on the River Tamar. By the 12th century tin was being transported, followed by lead and silver. Later copper deposits were discovered at the quay and the George and Charlotte mine was opened. In the 1800's manganese deposits were extracted on the north and west edges of Dartmoor and brought to Morweelham. Arsenic was also extracted.
In 1817 the Tavistock canal was opened and goods were transported in and out by barge.
By 1903 the wealth from the area had been exhausted and the mines closed.
The overshot water wheel once powered a mill for crushing manganese.
The Overshot Wheel
The Great dock and the restored Tamar sailing ship Garlandstone.
The elevated railway at Morwellan Quay.
We visited Buckland Abbey this afternoon. This was once the home of Sir Francis Drake. Unfortunately the abbey looked more like an ornate, grand house than an abbey. So many changes had been made to the main building. The best building was the Great Barn which remains as it was. It was too wet to tour the gardens which I'm sure would have looked amazing.
The Great Barn
Buckland Abbey
Wednesday 20th September
Another wet, miserable morning. The rain is cascading down. There is no chance of going out to see anything this morning. It looks as though it might clear up later this afternoon. If it does we will go for a walk along the track to take photos of the area we are staying in.
From Brentor we drove onto Lydford Gorge. Some of the paths were closed due to the heavy rains there had been during the week. We were able to do the Devil's Cauldron's circular walk. This has been carved out by the river over thousands of years. We walked out over the water in one of the deepest sections of the gorge.
Devil's Cauldron
From here we drove onto our overnight stop just above
Bristol via a very scenic route which took us up and down many 1 in five hills
and one or two flooded pieces of road.
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