Tuesday 8 October 2013

The upper River Meavy

WITC spotted a recent gap in the weather to complete a word-of-mouth letterbox walk around Black Tor and Hart Tor between Burrator and Princetown.  The last couple of months of searching for a new house have been very stressful, and it was unbelievably good to get out on the moors, blowing away the cobwebs, and relaxing.

The four-mile stroll took in Black Tor Blowing House and the old rifle range.  The last time I walked here, I was adopted by a particularly yappy and friendly Staffordshire Bull Terrier.  He bounded over to me from out of nowhere, frequently barking and sticking loyally to my side.  After spending the proceeding 2 hours attempting to find his owners, I decided he must have been alone on the moor sometime, wrapped up my walk, returned to the car and drove him to the nearest Animal Shelter.  I understand that he was reunited with his owners the next day.  The benefits of animal chipping right there!

No such drama this time around.  With scarcely any other people out walking, I could explore the valley and tors untroubled.  Apart from the set I was searching for, there were no surprise finds, bar a couple of very obvious geocaches...  Are these getting easier to find??

The tally for the day was 4 miles and 9 letterboxes, which was satisfying enough.  Its been 2 months since my last letterbox walk, and I felt out of practice.  I need to work on my fitness!  Which reminds me: I still have a Heights of Summer series out.  With Scottish hill snow forecast for later this week, Summer seems but a distant memory and this set is looking overdue for retrieval!  Thanks for everyone's updates on this set.  All are on site and in good condition according to the most recent report.