Richard's Ramblers stride out again

It's been a long time and we finally went on a walk with one of our walking groups - Richard's Ramblers - after we had checked that the 'Rule of Six' did not apply to such gatherings. As the border was still open, we ventured into Devon for a circular walk centred on Lydford. As the weather forecast was pretty awful, I decided not to take my camera and relied on the one on my aged Blackberry. In the event, the weather was a lot better than anticipated and, the further we got, the more protective layers were removed.

Our route started and ended in the car park in Lydford, conveniently located across the road from the Castle Inn. Both convenient for parking and for the post-walk refreshments. The walk, clocked at 7.2 miles, took us along part of the Saxon Way and the Granite Trail, along some ancient green lanes and a little bit of Dartmoor.

It seems ages since we walked in the rain along tracks that doubled up as stream beds. A refreshing change. It was odd walking without my usual camera and the Blackberry camera was no substitute. As a result the photographic record for this walk is pathetic.

Yes, it was as damp as it looks. But everything stops when it's time for morning tea and coffee.

I really understand when people want to try living off the grid and being secluded but this AirBnB is something else. Just alongside the Granite Way Cycle Trail, it's convenient for cyclists  and that's about all. The facilities, such as they are, are around the back in the bushes. All that for £500 a week.

Looking up towards Widgery Tor with its granite cross.  For 118 years the granite cross has stood looking over the western expanse of moor. The cross was erected by William Widgery to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887. Widgery’s Cross holds three distinctions amongst the realms of Dartmoor crosses, firstly it is the only cross constructed of blocks of granite as opposed to being hewn from a single slab. Secondly it is the most visible of the crosses as it can be seen from many places on the moor. Thirdly the cross is the tallest of the all the Dartmoor granite crosses which stand outside of a cemetery. The cross stands on a tor commonly known as Brat tor and stands at an altitude of 452 metres.

The top end of Skitt's Lane. Delightfully verdant with the smell of fresh rain on vegetation.

Lydford has an extremely interesting history. It was a Saxon town sacked by the Vikings, was one of the original stannary towns and had its own mint (coins from the Lydford mint have been found in Scandanavia). This tower, cmmonly called Lydford Castle, dates from the 12th Century and was built as a jail originally.