Stomping over old ground

Remember my recent post describing a recce we made of a walk for one of our groups? How did it go? It went pretty much as planned, thank you for asking. A few points learnt on the recce were incorporated and these made for an energetic but straightforward 5.5 miles. One of the joys of venturing into the terrain we do is that, no matter how many times you walk the same route, there is always something new to see. Maybe it's something you haven't noticed previously. Maybe it's the different light and vegetation at a different time of day or year. Maybe it's the weather. Maybe it's your mood. Whatever the reason, it's never less than enjoyable.

I hadn't noticed this stretch of wall before and was struck by the fact that the faces of the blocks were dressed. Stone wall fans: compare and contrast with the 'build with what you pick up' style we see on Dartmoor.

A sheep creep. A small passage in a wall that allows sheep to get through.

Farmyard detritus from yesteryear. An old sharpening stone.

A granite trough and, I think, a crushing stone from an old cider press.  There were a lot of similar items laying around and I don't think the farmer realises how much these artifacts would fetch at an auction. One man's junk is another man's desirable garden ornament.

Bodmin Moor ponies.

More evidence of granite working, as shown by the drill marks. Despite having seen a lot of it, it still moves me when I think of the hard work in pretty bleak conditions that went into splitting these boulders.

On the side of Kilmar Tor were a group of large triangular shaped granite columns. I'm no expert but I reckon each one probably weighed in at several tons. They seemed complete to me and I wonder why they had been abandoned. I just hope that the worker got paid for his efforts.

I'm not having much luck with my butterfly photography of late but I did manage to capture a few shots of this male Speckled Wood. Not a rarity but a pretty little thing.

And if you look carefully into the distance you can see Kit Hill with its iconic stack on top. If you look even more carefully at the third light field halfway up the hill, and go down a little, you can just about make out our house.

A post from my last post of this walk. Remember I wondered what the number was there for? I found out! I had a word with the farmer and he told me that it was a marker for an orienteering course used every now and again. So now we all know.