3 Walks: Dartmoor

CED RENISON has three Dartmoor walks, depending on how far you want to explore - a stroll, a stagger, or a stride.


Directions
From Chagford or from Whiddon Down (A382/A30 junction) follow the signs to the village of Gidleigh, and then to Scorhill. The carpark is at the end of a dead-end lane, with a gate to the open moor.

Gidleigh has an attractive church, but is most famous for the up-market Gidleigh Park Hotel. Chagford is a pretty small town. The Courtyard Café serves good value wholefood.


Easy Stroll (1.5 miles ) to Scorhill stone circle and the tolmen:
From the carpark follow the track uphill. Where the wall on your left ends, continue ahead on the deeper right hand track, and then downhill to the jagged stone circle, a bronze-age place of worship and ceremony. The setting is wild and stunning, with open views north to Cosden Hill, west to Steeperton and Watern tors, and south to Kes Tor. Continue ahead on the track south, directly towards a bank of trees. At the tumbling North Teign river is a huge granite tolmen (holed stone), through which you must pass to ensure your wishes come true. It's a lovely spot for a picnic. Return by the same route.


The Stagger follows the Stroll, and continues to visit stone rows, a menhir and three tors, returning on the lush Mariners Way footpath (7 miles) - allow four hours:

Walk upstream from the holed stone, cross the clapper bridges, and continue ahead south, following the wall on your left for 0.75 mile. Where the wall ends, go roughly ahead uphill on a slightly sunken turfed track for 200 metres to the bronze-age stone rows (which often led to burial places). Continue ahead on the turfy track to the tall Longstone menhir (standing stone), a boundary marker referred to in the 1240 forest perambulation, and still used as a parish boundary (email me if you can explain the initials on the stone).

Now turn around and walk back north-east and climb the prominent Kes Tor, which has great views. At Kes Tor turn sharp right (south-east) to Middle Tor and ahead over Frenchbeer Rock, and turn left at the road. Follow the road over a cattle grid downhill 200 metres and turn left onto the Mariners Way footpath, which you follow north for two miles. After one mile at Teigncombe take care not to follow the 'MW' (Two Moors Way) on the road, but stay on the Mariners Way left, also signposted 'Gidleigh', up steep rocky track, eventually passing through Gidleigh Park woods and over the footbridge. Finally, at the road turn left, and return uphill for one mile back to the carpark.


The Stride (five miles) follows the Stagger, but from Kes Tor walk north-west 0.5 mile to the road and find the Iron age Round Pound stone circle (remains of hut and pens). Follow the road north east and at the sharp right turn join the Mariners Way on the left for one mile through Gidleigh woods, turning left at the road uphill back to the carpark. Allow three hours.