Dartmoor CAM Walks

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This walk: 2013-7-24. B3212 road, permitted path, poetry plaques nos. 1 and 2, thistle flower, stone row, RAF Sharpitor, Walkhampton Church, Peek Hill, Lowery Tor, bramble flower, Peekhill Plantation, foxgloves, red campion, Danish Supermarine Spitfire.

Walk details below - Information about the route, map etc.

Link to Google Satellite view of the area plus the GPS track of the walk

Other walks in this area: 25 Feb. 2009, 4 March 2009, 21 Apr. 2010, 27 Aug. 2010, 30 May 2012,

About to cross the B3212 road, looking in the direction of Princetown .....

By a Permitted Path.

The path ahead, not long after crossing the road.

Poetry plaque No. 1 of 5 in this area, at SX 54841 70247 .....

"When one follows a path through the wilderness that is living.
And it seems set along a course so apparent of pre-set destiny"

At first view, something interesting .....

Bit it is not a cist etc, just some quite naturally disposed stones.

Thistle flower.

Taken for the impression of the yellow celandines in a restricted zone along the bank.

Located at SX 54542 70794, under the bridge .....

"If not bounding, it may seem hard to complete one's journey, trudging.
More so, if those around you beset your mind to step with mediocrity"

Stone row, centred at SX 5503 7071. This is the blocking stone at the lower, south-west end. The stones run up through a gorse bush .....

Image © J Butler 1994. Reproduced by kind permission (ref. 29 Sept. 2012)

The stone row is described in Jeremy Butler (1994), Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, Vol. 3 - The South-West, 45.11: Sharpitor West stone row and nearby cairns, figs. 45.6 & 45.6.1, pages 43-44. The row was first recorded in 1963. The row runs from an uphill cairn, 132 metres to a 1.2 metre high pillar. As can be seen from the diagram, there are significant gaps in the remaining stones.

A pair of stones near the centre of the row, of unknown function .....

The gorse bush that sits astride the row .....

A fallen stone .....

View up the hill to a terminal cairn .....

Zoomed view.

Walking up the old entrance road to RAF Sharpitor, the entrance is at SX 55397 70345.

Zoomed view to St. Mary's Church, Walkhampton.

The Observer Corps bunker at the top of Peek Hill, built in 1957 as a listening post in the Cold War. Much more information about this facility can be found under the walk on 2 Jan 2013.

This is definitely the top of Peek Hill!

View over the top of Peek Hill .....

The Sound of Music? Where's Rosie?

Closer view.

Looking down on Lowery Tor (SX 55630 69780) and Lowery Barn.

Lowery Tor.

As previous photograph, Sheep's Tor at left.

Zoomed view to the earth dam near Sheepstor village, an unusual view across the isthmus/island in the reservoir.

Blackberry, bramble, flower.

Looking back after entering Peekhill Plantation.

Path in the woods.

The path ahead.

Foxgloves .....

Foxgloves.

Red campion, Silene dioica.

Danish Supermarine Spitfire Mark VB on the playing field at Walkhampton .....

Detail. Text from: The Spitfire Site - Danish Presentation Spitfires:

Spitfire Vb, BL924 �Valdemar Atterdag� was taken on charge at No. 24 MU Ternhill on 16 February 1942. The aircraft was allocated to No. 234 Squadron on 5 April 1942 and given the identification code AZ-G. The aircraft was engaged in operations from Ibsley over France during following weeks.

The aircraft was shot down 24 April 1942 by Focke Wulf 190A-2 from 4./JG26 over Berck-sur-Mer. Its Danish pilot, P/O Aksel A. Svendsen was reported missing in the crash.

Later, Svendsen�s brother has donated a replica of the aircraft to the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum.

Tim, Chris and Hugh at the Walkhampton Inn for Tim's significant birthday .....

Auzi, Alice (her stage name, eh, Cinders?), Sue and Jim .....

Anne, Isobel and Kay .....

Bethany, Liz, Lucy and Moira .....

..... and the cake.

Walk details

MAP: Red = GPS satellite track of the walk.

The walk was easily accessed by turning off the B3212 road near Dousland with easy parking at the yellow cross symbol on the map near the cross-roads at Lowery Cross.

Statistics
Distance - 5.34 km / 3.32 miles.