It was noted from the forum of Dartmoorletterboxing.org that one contributor was struggling to find letterboxes on Ger Tor. It was with this in our minds that we set out into Tavy Cleave to discover the truth.
Tavy Cleave is a unique area on the Moor. Here the slopes are steeper, the terrain is harder, the river runs faster, the vegetation is thicker. Its as close to 'mountainous' as Dartmoor could possibly claim. Though the West Okement Valley is a close second.
We can confirm that there are letterboxes on Ger Tor! Sure, there aren't many, and you stumble across them easily. The moss, and general greenery benefits from the South facing slope, so it runs rampant in the sunshine and rain. This made for an interesting traverse of the slope as we headed upstream towards Tavy Cleave Tors. Surely someone can come up with a better name for these outcrops. They don't feature on the map, and yet these impressive granite outposts deserve a good name. The path to the Rattlebrook was easier to navigate and as the valley leveled out, we could enjoy more success letterboxing in and around Watern Oke and the upper Tavy.
We turned around at Little Kneeset and returned via a higher path, passing Dead Lake and beneath Hare Tor before descending to Ger Tor's summit (and useful hut, see picture) to shelter from a rain shower.
A grand day out, with 27 boxes found in just under 14 miles. Perfect training for our next adventure...
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