Gonamena, Caradon Hill, Stowe's Pound Circular

 After being kept indoors over the festive period, it always good to get outside to get some fresh air and to have a good blow through. And that's exactly what we got for this walk on the Thursday following Xmas. Just five of us could manage to do this one but all five enjoyed it. The weather forecast was not particularly encouraging with showers featuring prominently. In the event, the showers when they came were infrequent and short lived - we did have some hail right at the start. The photographs below are mainly landscapes and the variable appearance of the sky gives a good idea of how the weather changed. 

And as this is the last post of 2022, all the very best for 2023 to you all.

The circular route was comprised of stretches we'd done before but stitched together as a novel whole. It came out at 6.5 miles and took us from Minions, down the Gonamena Valley, around Caradon Hill, up the Marke Valley and then around Stowe's Pound to finish. Lots of sky and distant views.

Looking down into the Gonamena Valley with its moonscape of spoil heaps from the various mines which operated here. It's hard to imagine what this scene would have looked like when all the mines were working and the valley echoing with industrial activity.

Known locally as the 'Donkey Pond' which was a reservoir that fed a number of waterwheels driving various mining processes, such as the ore stamps and winding gear for shafts. I counted four fairly obvious sluice points that would allowed water to flow out. As far as the replenishment of the pond was concerned, this must have been done by the entrapment of rainwater through a series of reservoirs and leats.

The engine house and stacks associated with Jope's Shaft of the West Caradon Mine. A timely stop for 11's.

Looking due west, with St Cleer in the distance. A blue sky with rain clouds coming in from the left.

A rather soggy stretch of the footpath up the Marke Valley.

A less soggy but steeper part of the same footpath. In bygone days, this would have been used by miners as they made their way up to the mines around Minions.

Looking towards Caradon Hill on the right and, in the distance on the left, is Kit Hill. On a clear day, our house is just about visible. But it's not a clear day, so it isn't.

Looking up the old Mineral Railway towards Sharpitor. It all looks wet - because it was.

Rain clouds drifting away from us after one last downpour. A rather dramatic landscape.

The granite sleeper bases of the old Mineral Railway look like convenient stepping stones but, for leg length, there are just too far apart to make for comfortable walking. Rock hopping would be a more accurate description.

The final stretch back to the car park. Open moorland, Caradon Hill in front, the Hurler's Stone Circle on the right and the ruin of Houseman's Engine House on the left. A nice mix of nature and history.

And now, deep breaths and relax. Just listen to the running water and empty your minds of the daily clutter.

Cotehele Quay, Danescombe Valley and Metherell Circular Walk

One of the consequences of getting older is that commonsense kicks in and a little more caution is exercised than in earlier years. And so it was that we postponed our 'high' level walk on Brown Willy and Roughtor because of the freezing weather conditions and opted for a more sensible route in the Tamar Valley instead. We'll get back to the rock hopping when there's no prospect of slipping on ice and snow. Or maybe we won't wait that long.

It's a walk that we've done many times, sometimes the entire route, sometimes just part of it. It comes in at just under 5 miles and is a nice mix of riverside walking, footpaths, quiet lanes and woodlands. In spring, it will be ablaze with daffodils and then bluebells.

Looking through the trees towards the Calstock Viaduct, with its arches highlighted in the morning sun.

The Viaduct from the 'lookout'. An iconic view from an iconic spot.

The footpath up through the Danescombe Valley. Walking up here is to walk to the accompaniment of the sound of the stream on the left. The ground under the trees is quite barren now but, come the spring, it will be transformed with daffodils.

The ruins of the Danescombe Valley paper mill. It was working as early as 1788 and supplied the area with paper and board mill as packaging for soft fruits. It closed in 1857.

Sunlight on the top branches of a Hazel tree.

A roadside notice outside of Morden Mill. Peace and kindness from me back to the occupants. Power to the people!

Leaves, leaves and more leaves. Totally obscuring the path.

Looking across to Cotehele Quay, basking in the sunshine. With a trio of Canada Geese swimming in formation from the left.

The lime kilns at Bohetherick just across from Cotehele Quay. They are thought to date from the late 18th century. It's a triple kiln with a central rectangular kiln and smaller kiln to each side. They are built into the bank for top loading and on the bank of the Tamar for direct water access.

Is it just me or does hanging up a string of lights and calling it a Winter Wonderland Woodland Walk really conjure up the festive spirit?

And for those who like a little running water, here's the Morden Stream just up from Cotehele Mill. Nothing dramatic, just a gentle tinkle.

Bringing a smile to the lips of an ancestor

I've come across an image of an unsmiling Victorian lady in my files and it set me pondering. When did people start smiling for photographs? Look on Facegram or Instabook and you are bombarded with smiling faces, but flick through a Victorian photographic album and faces fixed with seriousness is the order of the day. Perhaps it was a necessary response to the slow shutter speeds of the early cameras - it is easier to hold a fixed frown than it is a fleeting smile. Maybe it is that photographs in those days were special things; rare artefacts that would be handed down through the generations, and you wouldn't want your great-grand nephew's second cousin to think you were a flighty lightweight. Or perhaps it was that they were just miserable!

We will never know. Nor will we ever know who this unsmiling lady was. She was definitely a member of my family (she looks a little like my great grandmother, Emma Kirkham/Parsons. Perhaps her sister Eliza?) as her portrait was lodged in the family archives (a.k.a. the old shoe box kept at the back of the wardrobe). Whoever she was, I had but one message - cheer up, love! It might never happen. Or perhaps it already had?

But that initial sentiment is both premature and somewhat unkind. A little colour enhancement brings her to life and gives her more character.

And better still, an animation even brings a smile to her lips. I think I would have liked Great Great Aunt Anonymous. 

And if she could speak, she might have given me this matronly admonition. Quite right, too. Mea culpa.

MInce Pie and Mulled Wine Pre-Xmas Walk 2022

Time for our annual Mince Pie and Mulled Wine Walk, a pre-Xmas ritual. This time we hit lucky with the weather and had a very pleasant circular walk from Merrivale. And the Dartmoor Inn was a very friendly venue at the end. We can recommend them.

This is a walk that we've done several times previously and it never disappoints, whatever the season. And we've done them all. It comes in at just under 6 miles but has enough 'up' to make you feel that you've had a good stretch. Beginning and ending in Merrivale, it goes through Long Ash Woods, drops to Daveytown and then heads up onto the moor alongside Criptor. From there we meet the old Princetown to Yelverton railway line and follow this for a while until we get to the other side of King's Tor. From there, we head across the down for the stone rows and thence back to Merrivale. Scenery, history and good company. All the makings of a very pleasant day's trek.

Looking back on our starting point, the Dartmoor Inn at Merrivale. We'll be finishing there for post-walk, pre-Xmas refreshments. Great Staple Tor looms in the distance and old workings of the Merrivale Granite Quarry can be seen to the top left. 

A stream formed on the slopes of North Hessary Tor and tumbling down through Long Ash Woods. Water is being taken off for consumption elsewhere, probably nearby Long Ash Farm. The short video at the end adds sound to the scene. The stream feeds into the River Walkham further down the hill.

Long Ash Woods, north facing and doesn't get too much direct sun. Hence the wonderfully stark display of moss-covered rocks. 

I suspect that this was an old boundary wall to keep cattle from the steeper reaches of the hillside, Lots of granite around for the construction of these walls and all that was needed was some skilled, and cheap, labour to get the job done.

Vixen Tor across the Walkham Valley. A tor with a chequered history of private ownership versus public access. Since around 2020, the landowner has prevented access because of concerns over potential liability if someone has an accident. But this concern apparently can be simply addressed by a sign with words to the effect 'You enter at your won risk and no liability for accidents will be accepted'. This solution, sadly, seems to be too simple for all those involved.

I just love this gate and it's one of my favourite spots on Dartmoor. We come out of the green-bedecked woods and then enter a much more open stretch of moorland. It's like a portal into another world; the cupboard into Narnia and the world beyond. And that's Dora the Dog waiting to be transported. On the other side of the gate, she becomes a human.

Vixen Tor middle left and the three Staple Tors in the distance - from the left, Great, Middle and Little, although you might have difficulty making out Little Staple Tor because it is, mmm, little. Just a jumble of granite at a distance but quite substantial close up.

These instructions indicate a heart-warmingly high level of trust. It also saves the delivery drivers a half-mile trek along an extremely rutted track.

A footprint in the mud. The largest pad was about 2 cm long and all pads had a 'bubbly' appearance. My money goes on it being from a corvid of some sort - crow, magpie or raven? Or is from the Three-toed Monster of Criptor?

A couple of the spoil heaps from the quarries on and around King's Tor. There were four main quarries - Ingra, Swell, Foggintor and Merrivale. All closed now - Foggintor in the early 1900s, Swelltor in the 1930s and Merrivale in 1997. It would be hard to imagine what is must have been like with them all working. And even harder to imagine the number of people who would have lived and worked in the area. Enough to fill a decent sized school with children, that's a fact.

Yet another view of Vixen Tor, this time from the old railway track as it goes around King's Tor

Five tors on view in this shot - from the left, Roos, Great Staple, Middle Staple, Little Staple and Cox. We've walked them all and we might very well be heading up there again fairly soon.

Low lying clouds over Great Mis Tor. Although we had lots of blue sky on our way around, there were times when the clouds looked quite threatening. But nothing came of it and the weather was in our favour for the duration.

An even more dramatic sky over Great Mis Tor with one of the old road guideposts in the foreground. The posts were initially placed in the early 1700s, after an act of parliament in 1696 which empowered justices to erect guide stones where required across the moor. They marked the route between Tavistock and Ashburton and have an incised T on one side and guess what on the other? Yes, it's an A. I'm not sure how many of these guideposts still remain but the old route they marked crosses some of the wildest parts of the south moor.

Two long stone rows dominate the Merrivale prehistoric landscape.  Side by side on this gently sloping down are the remains of a Bronze Age settlement and a complex of ritual sites, including the stone rows, a stone circle, standing stones, kysts and a number of cairns. The monuments were probably built over a long period, estimated at between about 2500 BC and 1000 BC.

The two standing stones at the western end of the rows. The best time to visit is when there is no-one else around.

Almost back at the Dartmoor Inn and this shot looks up the Walkham Valley, with a tree obscuring Great Mis Tor. In the middle right can be seen the remains of the embankment which was intended to provide a railway branchline from the Merrivale quarry to the Princetown line. It was never completed and it is just there, going nowhere.

And the soundscape of some running water to relax you. You deserve it.

And a little more from the stream we had to cross as we made our way passed Criptor.

In the countryside around St Clether and Bowithick

 Our weekly long walk took us on a route that was only partially familiar and which began and ended at the Rising Sun just outside of Altarnun. The weather promised to be dry, clear and on the cold side. In the event, the forecast was pretty accurate and a good time was had by all - countryside, quiet lanes, interesting places to stop off at and views all the way around.

The route had its 'moments' and, by the time we'd sorted out the right direction at a few places, we clocked up a very pleasing 8.4 miles. Not bad for a bunch of pensioners! It was not the best sign-posted walk we've been on and there were plenty of stiles to negotiate, both in variety and number.

Off a tarmacked farm track and we were on a sunken lane. Still lots of green ivy around and residual brown leaves on some of the trees.  Quiet, remote and a pleasure to walk along. 

Looking over fields with the tower of St Clether church in the distance. A very autumnal scene with the nascent River Inny flowing through this valley.

A slightly out of focus grey heron.

A flock of Golden Plovers flapping away. It's that time of year when they take up winter residence for a few months. I expect that we'll see more of them the next time we are up on Bodmin Moor around Minions.

There's nothing quite like the sound of rushing water. This stream was well hidden in the undergrowth and, luckily, we could cross it by way of a wooden bridge. I suspect that, at one time, there was a water mill in this vicinity as the area seemed a little too ordered to be natural, although the ivy was doing its best to disguise this.

A blue sky and open countryside looking towards the eastern edges of Bodmin Moor. The hill to the left of centre is Bray Down and, in the distance to the right, Roughtor and Showery Tor can just be made out.

The church of St Clederus at St Clether dates from the 12th Century, with some Victorian restoration. The three staged tower dates from the 1500s. Clederus was thought to be one of 24 children of King Broccan of Breconshire. Many of his siblings are associated with various churches in Cornwall.

A very simple interior with some fine Norman arches. It's a church that has a good 'feel' and is well taken care of. But how long will it remain open?

One interesting and unusual feature of the church is the box pews, probably dating from the 1700s. Local farming families, and others who could afford it, would rent a pew for their family, servants and labourers.  With a nod to egalitarianism, the church also has some public pews where anyone could sit rent-free, plus benches at the back of the church. In some places, box pews have signs indicating which farms 'rented' them. A lot were taken out during the Victorian restorations.

These few, these precious few.................all probably forgotten and, sadly, seemingly forgotten by the C of E as it plans for the future. I feel very strongly that the C of E has a duty of care for its graveyards and this duty must be honoured. The people lying here placed their faith and trust in the church and they did this in perpetuity, not just until the balance sheet said 'no'.

Just across the fields from the church, is St Clether's Holy Well and its associated chapel. It was here in the 5th century that Clederus or St Clether founded his chapel and this remained the parish church until the 'new' one was built in the 12th century. It is one of the largest holy wells in Cornwall and the chapel was extensively restored by the Victorians. It has been, and still is, a pilgrimage site. And when you sit there, it is obvious why. Somewhere with a spirit of place. Perhaps this is what attracted Clederus in the first place as a secluded spot for his hermitage.

This is the actual holy well, tucked behind the chapel. Reputedly, it never runs dry and has healing powers. I did make a wish but the Tories are still in power.

This is a granite altar slab dating from the 5th Century - contemporary with the founding of the Holy Well by Clederus? What is truly unique is that the water from the well flows through the chapel, under the altar and out the other side. In this way, the emergent water can be said to be blessed.

The water flows out the other side of the chapel and there is another well, more accessible that the source well and probably used more by pilgrims for their healing libation.

Looking vaguely north-wise with the multiple 'peaks' of Brown Willy about 10 miles away.

The lengthening shadows of late afternoon, overlooking Penbont Water, which later feeds into the Inny at Altarnun. A couple of miles down the lane and we were back at the starting point.

And we'll end with the sound of running water.