Dartmoor CAM Walks - A walk on Lydford High Down

Previous walks Weather Links

This walk: 2016-1-20. Arms Tor, Brat Tor, Widgery Cross, River Lyd, footbridge, stepping stones, Doe Tor, Brentor Church, Doetor Farm, tinners' pits, Black Rock, Capt. Hunter's memorial plaque.

Walk details below - Information about the route etc.

Old map .....
Ordnance Survey, Six-inch to the mile, 1st edition - 1888-1913

Where we walked: Google Satellite view of the area - including the GPS track of the walk (compare with the Ordnance Survey map plus track below)

try zooming in with the mouse thumbwheel and "dragging" the map to see points of interest
click on the place-markers to read their label - they are most accurate at the highest zoom level
try "mousing" over the list of placemarks on the left of the screen, highlights their place on the map
use browser back arrow or Alt key and left-arrow cursor key together to return to normal web page.

Previous walks in this area: 31st January 2013 and 23rd October 2013 (to Brat Tor),

Setting off from the car park towards the footbridge with Arms Tor (left) SX 541 862, elevation 457 metres (1499 feet); and Brat Tor, with Widgery Cross (right) SX 539 855, elevation 452 m (1482 ft). Look at the length of the dog's shadow!

Looking at Widgery Cross.

Brat Tor, also known as Bra Tor, Brai Tor, Broad Tor and Lur Tor .....

..... it bears Widgery Cross, erected to mark Queen Victoria's Golden. Jubilee.

Footbridge across the River Lyd, at SX 5318 8572 ..... with stepping stones .....

Today, both were used .....

A little more action .....

Brat Tor again.

Doe Tor, SX 541 848, elevation 425 m (1394 ft) seen from Doetor Farm .....

Zoomed view.

Brentor Church seen from near Doetor Farm .....

Zoomed view.

Doetor Farm ruins .....

Was this a fireplace?

There are still modern fences here - the farm was ought by the military when Willsworthy Firing Range was established in the 1880/1890s.

According to Mike Brown's CDROM "Guide to Dartmoor" (2001) " On the west side of the wall south of the most westerly pair of large trees at Doe Tor Farm is a large millstone built into the wall"

It was a cold day, girls!

Gathered at Doetor Farm ruins .....

Another farm scene .....

Doe Tor seen from the farm .....

Brat tor and Widgery Cross from the farm .....

Zoomed view.

Tinners trial pits .....

More pits .....

A wheel pit?

Looking around for signs of the Wheal Mary Emma Mine, so-named after the mine captain's wife; the mine operated not very successfully between 1849 and 1852.

Returning, in the still-freezing wind!

Light and shade.

Black Pool, by Black Rock, SX 53242 85388 ..... bearing a WW1 memorial plaque .....

More detail below .....

IN LOVING MEMORY OF
CAPTAIN NIGEL DUNCAN RATCLIFFE HUNTER: M.C. (AND BAR)

ROYAL ENGINEERS
WHO WAS KILLED IN ACTION AT BIEFVILLIERS
NEAR BAPAUME ON 25TH MARCH 1918 AGED 25 YEARS

HE LOVED THE MOORS OF DEVON AND ON HIS LAST VISIT
TO LYDFORD HE WROTE THE FOLLOWING POEM

"ARE WE NOT LIKE THIS MOORLAND STREAM
SPRINGING NONE KNOWS WHERE FROM,
TINKLING, BUBBLING, FLASHING A GLEAM
BACK AT THE SUN; E'ER LONG
GLOOMY AND DULL, UNDER A CLOUD,
THEN RUSHING ONWARDS AGAIN;
DASHING AT ROCKS WITH ANGER LOUD,
ROARING AND FOAMING IN VAIN!
WANDERING THUS FOR MANY A MILE,
TWISTING AND TURNING AWAY FOR A WHILE.
THEN OF A SUDDEN OVER THE FALL
AND THE DARK STILL POOL IS THE END OF ALL
IS IT? I THOUGHT, AS I TURNED AWAY,
AND I TURNED AGAIN TO THE SILENT MOOR.
IS IT? I SAID, AND MY HEART SAID "NAY"!
AS I GAZED AT THE CROSS ON "WIDGERY TOR".

Commemoration day and new plaque dedication, 28th March 2008

Walk details

MAP: Red = GPS satellite track of the walk.

This walk was reached by turning off the Tavistock-Okehampton road, the A386, by the Dartmoor Inn near Lydford, and driving up the lane heading north-east to the large car parks, marked by the P and yellow cross symbols on the map.