Go West!

WITC is moving back to the Westcountry!  Although I am Devonian at heart, I am delighted to report that in September I'm moving to Redruth, over the river in Cornwall.

I've started a new job in Falmouth, and I'm very much looking forward to spending more time with family in the region, and also to spend more free time on the Moors.

Redruth is of course the capital of Clotted Cream, and cornish mining - hometown to Kristin Scott-Thomas and Pirate FM.  Redruth and Okehampton are just 75 minutes apart on the A30, so I expect many more North moor walks to come in the future.

Until the mortgage completes on my new house in the middle of the month, I am forced to couch-surf and enjoy the company of my adopted housemates, reflecting on the remainder of the Cornish Summer, the price of pasties, and the complexity of the housebuying process these days...

Thursday, 8th August 2013

The Belstone ridge is - if letterboxing forums are to be believed - a fantastic area for successful boxing.  Certainly, there are many places to hide them.  The ridge from Oke Tor north to Tors End see outcrops and subject matter galore.  As WITC prepared for our walk, it became clear there were lots on our list to find.  It has been several years since we have explored the West side of Belstone Ridge, and two old boxes of ours needed to be retrieved.  

We parked amongst the dozens of Army Cadets who were resting in the sunshine at Cullever Steps car park.  As we descended to the river, and on to Scarey Tor, it became clear that it was only the MOD cadets making the moor feel busy today.

Successfully retrieving our box from the North end of the ridge, close to Nine Maidens, WITC then again tried and failed to find the original Belstone letterbox - registered box number 28.  

Continuing down the ridge, past Higher and Winter Tors, there was another box of ours successfully brought in.  Though the contents were waterlogged, we are pleased to remove a litterbox from the moor.  There were two short letterbox walks sited between Knattaborough and Oke Tor, and since time was on our side, the pair of them were duly ticked off.  7.2 miles, and 29 stamps.