Wednesday, October 6th 2010

Have you been to Bellever recently? The Forestry Commision are in charge here. The village is neat and tidy and the YHA looks substantial and organised. Pay & Display car parking, 'Explore Bellever Forest' leaflets to take away, waymarked trails... it appears they trying very hard to create a real attraction in the centre of Dartmoor.

On the whole, it appears a successful operation. The East Dart River at this point looks amazing as it passes beneath the 1-and-a-half bridges, and Bellever Tor - a short stroll from the car park - enjoys one of the best 360 panoramas in the National Park.

It was this area we wandered today. Beginning the route at Bellever village Pay & Display car park, and winding South to Dunnabridge Pound and Judges Chair, then North to Riddon Ridge, with Laughter and Bellever Tors between. 10 miles and 20 boxes found. It is certainly not a frequently letterboxed area with some boxes absent of visitors for a year or so.

Our route involved more than it's fare share of gravel plantation tracks. Upon which we met more than their fare share of day walkers. WITC stopped on one of these tracks to survey the view over the village and beyond to the site of last Saturday's letterbox walk: Hameldown.

The stronger Southerly wind is picking up, and the weather forecast suggests our week of walks might hit the buffers before long. Hopefully we will be out again tomorrow for a short walk at least. A one-square-wonder.

Monday, October 4th 2010

Our week of letterboxing continued today with a trip up the Avon Valley around Dockwell Ridge, Shipley Tor and Brockhill.

With an early start at Cross Furzes, WITC enjoyed the magnificent sunrise for the first few kilometres of the Abbots Way to Water Oke Corner, where we paused to look back at the site of Saturday's walk at Hameldown, and then walked on to Brockhill Stream. The water ran high after the past few days bad weather. The Avon Dam Reservoir was at capacity, and the water piled over the dam.

We walked down the paved track to the bridge below Black Tor meeting many day trippers making the most of the great weather. Then we left the convoy and up to Shipley Tor. The temperature and the bracken were high and we were relieved to finally reach the summit of Dockwell Ridge.

The walk on the East side of this ridge is in stark contrast to that of the West. Rolling, lonely hillsides descending to plantations and farmland were our company for the second half of the day. Finally retreating from the Moor across Lambsdown, and pausing at the Dean Burn Clapper to appreciate the atmosphere and history of the wooded glen.

With about 10 miles covered and 25 boxes found, it was a highly successful day, and fingers crossed that this week will continue in the same way.

Saturday, October 2nd 2010

After yesterday's torrential rainfall, we took full advantage of the good weather on the moors today. We'd had plans to visit Hameldown for some time, and finally had the chance to go.

Starting at Firth Bridge, only slightly concerned about the patchy mist we set off towards Hookney Tor and then Grimspound. We shared the lay by with a few other walkers, but it seemed the foggy start had made many hesitate.

Up to the trig point on Hameldown and down the ridge passing Broad, Single, Two Burrows and up to the summit of Hameldown Beacon to enjoy the sunshine which had descended on the day.

Following the line of the Beech Hedge down before crossing the ridge and turning North near Old House Boundary Stone. We stopped to help a sheep stuck in a narrow trench atthe head of the valley below Broad Burrow and then continued on to Blue Jug and Grey Wether and the swollen Webbern River. The moors were sodden after the recent rains. The Rivers Plym and Dart which we had passed in the car first thing, had water lapping their high banks.

After a less than successful jaunt around the two colourful boundary stones, we ventured on to King Tor where even less success was endured, when we ran out of cluesheet and returned to the car. 18 found today, with 12 miles covered. All together, a satisfactory result.

Battle plans

The Dartmoor training areas are set for 10 years of dramatic change of use according to the latest draft of the MOD's Integrated Rural Management Plan.

"Soldiers are taught to be considerate of others with whom they share Dartmoor" the plan states, with maps expected to to be drawn up showing areas of high wildlife sensitivity, and then issued to the armed forces.

As part of the effort to minimise the threat of erosion, signficant deterioration in features and ensure the safety of populations of native species, there are plans to improve tracks and cut back bracken and shrub.

To reduce the visual impact of the military, many MOD features will be moved, or combined elsewhere. One of the priority tasks, the plan says, is to remove Yes Tor flagpole.

Others involve moving Great Mis Flagpole to below the skyline, and making Black Down Flagpole temporary.

Holming Beam is due for a renewal since the buildings are coming to the end of their useful life.

One thing is for certain, if you have a clue with a bearing on a piece of MOD property, stand by for change.

Simply the best

The favourite haunt of WITC is without doubt the area of Watern Tor, Stone Tor and Kes Tor. We were delighted to take advantage of a window in the weather and return there on a recent walk.

Its a special place for us because of its unusual granite formations, its extensive views and its distance from WITC's home. I don't think we would be so fond of the place, if it were just down the road.

Parking below Kes, taking the grassy route towards Fernworthy forest before heading North across the Teign near Manga Rails. Up to Watern and the Thirlstone, which is amazing piece of geology up close, then descending to Scorhill Circle and down the road towards Gidleigh.

A track leads through the woods here, past Gidleigh Tor hidden in the trees, over the Teign again, and up to the car.

It was a successful letterbox walk too. 34 boxes found, and one first-in-a-book.

A WITC new series...

Who Is The Challenger is considering putting out a letterbox series. It has yet to be decided if this would be a walk in a single area, or series across the moor. It has also to be decided if this would be Word of Mouth or go straight to the updates.

In the meantime we have to think of a subject matter for the set... We don't want to repeat something that has already been done. Equally we want to make the set desirable and worth finding. Ideas we've had so far include:

Trigger Happy. A series of the trigged rocks of the moor.

Cave Dwellers. Celebrating all the caves on the moor.

A Year in the Life. As Dartmoor National Park Authority prepares to celebrate it's 60th anniversary in 2011, a stamp for every year with an occasion to remember.

Hare Round Beardown. The Beardown Tor's ridge is full of interest yet so rarely visited till now due to the lack of boxes.

Modern Classics. The Cranmere Pools of the 21st Century immortilised.

The 'Rocky Hollow' Picture Show. Nuff said.

We'd love your ideas and thoughts. Email us: whoisthechallenger@rocketmail.com, reply to this blog post, or send us a message via http://www.dartmoorletterboxing.org/

"Better a bad day on the hill...

than a good day in the office" as the saying goes.

WITC tested this theory out last week in the Erme and Yealm valleys. With the haze thick enough to cut with a knife, and the boxes hard to come by, it was not a great day's letterboxing.

We started, as ever, at New Waste. Its a useful starting place though the walk up Stalldown Barrow from there always is an unwelcome start to the day. Beyond Hillsons House comes the great view and walk down to Downings House where surprises are guaranteed. A chance encounter with a plump young fox which WITC flushed out from the deep grass.

North through unvisited territory of Bledge Brook and on to the Kiss-In-The-Ring stone circle. Also known as The Dancers. This is a part of the fascinating and unique past of Dartmoor. The stone row that runs North from here is said to be the longest prehistoric stone row in the world. Its more than 2 miles long, and is either Neolithic or Bronze age - so potentially up to 11000 years old.

Turning for home, we return via the Yealm's East bank, and seeing the Hawnes & Dendles Waste on the opposite bank made us remember the great plantation that used to be here, and now a possession of the Dartmoor Preservation Association.

It sure beat a good day in the office, although we only gathered 18 stamps for our trouble.