Dartmoor CAM Walks

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This walk: 2014-6-21. Starting on the East Dart River bank and it's alluvial (less acid) soil followed by private Postbridge hay meadows belonging to Beechwood B&B.

Please note that these wonderful hay meadows are private property, owned by Beechwood B&B. The meadows are available for enjoyment - please stay on the prepared paths - and the house does tea and superb cream teas. It seems only proper to express our gratitude by having some refreshment - our party thought the cream tea was second to none!

Another aside, I remember growing up on Trelissick Manor, Hayle, Cornwall, when a lot of the fields were like these meadows. Now such fields are largely a thing of the past, due to "improvement" with fertilisers, herbicides and modern farming methods aimed at peak productivity.

Walk details below - Information about the route etc.

Link to Google Satellite view of the area - including the GPS track of the walk (compare with the Ordnance Survey map plus track below)

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary feeding on Marsh thistle; this was near the East Dart River bank.

General scene as the Dartmoor Preservation Association hay meadow walk progressed, led by Phil Page of Dartmoor Nature Tours - except he's in the second group, assisting in the crossing of a boggy spot!

Red campion, en masse.

Postbridge cemetery: planned in 1903, completed 1906. Prior to 1260 the dead had to be carried to Lydford; after that they were buried at Widdecombe.

Fox-and-cubs, Piosella aurantiaca.

General view of the first hay meadow - just look at the spread of wild flowers!

Red clover, Trifolium pratense.

General view .....

Yellow rattle, Rhinanthus minor .....

Yellow rattle.

Heath-spotted orchid, Dactylorhiza maculata, there are hybridised sub-species .....

Closer view.

Heath-spotted and Greater butterfly orchids growing close together .....

Heath spotted orchid.

Southern marsh orchid, Dactylorhiza praetermissa.

Ox-eye Daisy, Leaucanthemum vulgare.

Believed Rough hawkbit, Leontodon hispidus, with hairy stems.

Greater butterfly orchid, Platanthera chlorantha .....

Greater butterfly orchid .....

View of the pollen sacs converging inwards, a characteristic of the Greater butterfly orchid - the Lesser butterfly orchid has parallel, vertically pointing pollen sacs.

Hints of a row of stones ....

Stones forming an old bboundary

Another meadow, rich in Ox-eye daisies .....

Twayblade orchid, Neottia ovata (formerly Listera ovata) .....

As previous photo .....

....... and a jolly good cream tea to finish!

Walk details

Red = GPS satellite track of the walk.

NB - "Beechwood" is just left of the "MS" label near the top of the map, by the B3212 road.

This walk was accessed from Plymouth with parking in the main car park, marked by the yellow cross, across the road from the telephone symbol at the top of the map image. This park has toilets and the Dartmoor Information Centre.

Statistics
Distance - 2.96 km / 1.84 miles.