En route —— Dartmoor from the A386. I stopped to take this snapshot from the road because the Moor looked like it was dressed in army camo! In hindsight, I think Dartmoor was telling me to keep my eyes peeled. . .
Saturday, 7th. May 2022. An eventful walk!
From yesteryears.
🕓 Linear-ish walk starting at Princetown — Nun’s Cross Farm — Fox Tor — Childe The Hunter’s Tomb — Mount Misery Cross — Ter Hill West and Ter Hill East — arriving back at abandoned farmhouse, Nun’s Cross farm after dark. Another all-time first experience —— was seeing the lights on in Nun’s Cross Farm. . .
Found a Raven’s pellet on Mount Misery Cross. . .
And crossed paths with a rare Smooth Snake (although it may have been an unusually long, fast moving Slow-worm). . .
And lots of Ten Tors teams on the track between Princetown and Nun’s Cross Farm. . .
Coming back along the same stretch in the darkness — my son, Tom — suddenly thought he saw a strange form in the shadows but wouldn’t tell me what it was he thought he had seen——only I insisted that he told me! He said go back and look for yourself——so I did! I shone my torch on ‘it’. My eyes didn’t adjust immediately. Then ‘it’ suddenly moved——it’s cover blown! It was a soldier out on night maneuvers. Gosh! — he didn’t half make me jump. My second reaction was to say, “I’m sorry!” for disturbing him!!! — with that someone suddenly shouted an order and a dozen soldiers sprung to their feet like Jack-in-the-boxes — it was just like being in a military ambush!!! They all had blackened faces. They must have seen the light from our torches in the distance and thought they would see if they could lie-in-wait——as in undetected. The path from Princetown to Nun’s Cross Farm is about two-and-a-half miles long —— exposed, flat and straight. There is a drystone wall and ditches on either side of the stretch we were ambushed. The soldiers never spoke a word directly to us – so I thought it best not to ask them for a photo-call!!! They marched off into the blackness——only without torches. It must be one of the strangest Dartmoor encounters I/we have ever experienced. We didn’t half laugh about it walking back to the car. 🤣🤣
Siward’s Cross near Nun’s Cross Farm – Dartmoor oldest granite cross —— 11th century.
Nun’s Cross Farm.
My walking companion, Tom.
Fox Tor.
Childe The Hunter’s Tomb.
Fox Tor on the horizon.
Patch of golden sunlight on the area around Mount Misery Cross.
A pair of wild Dartmoor ponies crossing heads for a mutual groom at Mount Misery Cross.
Tom betwixt Ter Hill West and East crosses.
Same boy, same place. At Ter Hill West in 2010 aged 10.
My old friend, Ter Hill East. Love this cross.
All Dartmoor’s ancient crosses have a visual power – but they possess a greater strength that one feels through touch – it’s an indefinable energy that one taps.
Returning to Nun’s Cross Farm by dusk.
Siward’s Cross under a waxing Moon.
Before starting our walk we just had time to nip into the National Park Visitor’s Centre at Princetown. The area that we traversed skirts Foxtor Mires —— the inspiration for Conan Doyle’s Grimpen Mire!
I guess we were very lucky that it was a group of soldiers on night maneuvers that made our hearts skip a beat in the darkness and not the infamous Hound of the Baskervilles!!!
Princetown is also the home of Dartmoor Prison! —— from the outside its stark presence on the edge of the moorland village only serves to magnify ones feelings of escapism all the MORE.
