Going up to London is always a treat, especially after it feels like forever since your last visit. And to be fair it almost is. January 2019, on the way back from travelling. It seems a lifetime ago! What I didn’t miss however, was the journey. For Emily and me it was our first time driving up from Plymouth, and taking the A303 on a half term Friday was a mistake we won’t repeat again!
4 hours my ass
Sometimes you find out about places purely by chance and Lukesland Gardens was one of them. Emily and I planned to go to Endsleigh Garden centre in Ivybridge and find a Dartmoor walk that started not too far away to make the best use of our Sunday. While trawling google maps for suitable parking places, points of interest and routes to walk, I stumbled across the Gardens. Intrigued, having never heard of it before, we decided to roll the dice and check it out.
Magical
After a few months off, Emily and I were keen to use our recent (government approved) freedom to get back on the coastal path this Easter weekend. Taking our car on its first longer drive (longer being further than Sainsbury’s!) we headed out early to Hope Cove, planning to arrive before the beach-goers.
The early start paid off with Hope Cove all to ourselves
It’s been pretty quiet here recently. Life events have taken over since my last post. Emily and I have moved into our first house together, and have been decorating that with the overzealous enthusiasm that only first time homeowners have. This has eaten away our weekends to a large degree and work of course hasn’t stopped in between! Throw in the seasonal bad (terrible) weather, and another national lockdown, and I’m left with not much to write about.
It’s not always bad weather though!
Continue reading “Lockdown 3.0… But with Castles – 23/01/2021”
Grumpy with the disappointment of our moving day being delayed again, Emily and I decided to walk off our Thanksgiving food babies on Dartmoor. Not giving the trip much thought, as we assumed we would be doing car journeys filled with crap back and forth all day, we headed to the Janner favourite: Burrator Reservoir. Which is no bad thing; considering it is my preference to visit quieter spots, Emily had never actually been up Sheeps Tor – which is definitely a must!
Wild paths en route
What better way to celebrate turning 30 during lockdown than with a hike? I’m so glad this time around we have use of our local National Park, so Emily and I took the time between our other birthday plans to go and visit somewhere that promised 2 waterfalls and a Tor. Quite the punch for a small area and a very special walk! Parking on the B road between Yelverton and Princetown we found our spot and headed out.
Mystery winter funghi
After driving blind through thick sheets of fog on Saturday and settling for a walk on Roborough Down, Emily and I headed back out to Dartmoor this Sunday just gone for a full stretch of our legs. Parking at Postbridge, with much better weather, we started our hike taking the trail up the hill and through Bellever forest.
Moss covered woodland
To celebrate Emily’s birthday this year we took a trip to the Mendip Hills to meet some of her family. Heading out early in the morning, we made good time to Cheddar. After some cheese shopping (of course!) we ventured into the gorge for a day of rock climbing. Something neither Emily nor I have done before…
Cheddar is a really pretty place
Continue reading ““Gorge”ous Cheddar and Bath – 17/10/2020 to 18/10/2020″
With October rains fast approaching and the last weekend spent driving up and down the motorway in preparation for a house move, Emily and I were keen to make the most of this past weekend’s beautiful weather. Fancying another stretch of the coastal path we rose early to be out to Mothecombe in the crisp morning air shortly after the sun rose. It was cold but glorious, and we had the place almost to ourselves for 20 minutes before setting off along the cliffs to Bigbury-on-Sea.
An empty Mothecombe – as beautiful and as cold and crisp as it looks!
If you follow what Emily and I you will know that Dartmoor is one of our most regular haunts. So when old university friends Simon and Maisie mentioned coming down to visit for an overnight wild camp, we were thrilled. I was tasked with sharing some Dartmoor highlights during an afternoon walk, as neither of them have seen or done much hiking in the National Park. So we drove to Venford where we shared one of our favourite walks that covers the brook, waterfall, Bench Tor and ridge line before circling around the reservoir.
Back again
Continue reading “Wild Camping: Dartmoor – 12/09/2020 to 13/09/2020”