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This is just to the south of the centre of Dartmoor National Park. Hexworthy is a hamlet that lies on the West Dart River a mile upstream from Dartmeet. Historically in the parish of Lydford, since 1987 it has been in the civil parish of Dartmoor Forest. There was a long history of tin mining near Hexworthy. Tin works in the valley of the O Brook, just below the camera, were first recorded in 1240, and the Henroost or Hexworthy Mine did not close until 1919. A detailed description of the various methods of tin mining (and recovery) on Dartmoor can be found at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dartmoor_tin-mining.
Haytor is massive, granite, and unforgettable. It can be found in Dartmoor National Park in Devon, Uk. I like the contrast between ancient stone & resting cows.
"No matter how sophisticated you may be, a large granite mountain cannot be denied - it speaks in silence to the very core of your being." ~ Ansel Adams
Another shot from Fernworthy reservoir on Christmas Eve. The submerged tree just begs to be photographed.
The Logan stone near Belstone tor. On the right hand side of the frame parts of the Irishman's wall can be seen. The light is so amazing at the moment coming at such an angle even at mid-day. It really transforms the colours of the landscape.
For those interested, I made a video of the entire walk: youtu.be/7XgS45of6iM
The river Teign runs through steep sided cliffs were Trees, Gorse and Firs cling on for life.
Dartmoor National Park.
Last Sunday it was a memorable late November day with exceptionally good weather. Of course we trusted the forecast (7 degrees and cloudy with sunny intervals) and prepared for a crisp November day, donning our winter jackets. Upon arrival in Postbridge the morning mist was starting to disappear and after a few metres of walking along the East Dart River we had to take our coats off and for the rest of the day we walked just in our pullovers! This was at the start of our tour to the Postbridge waterfalls, passing the famous clapper bridge (13th century). Unusually devoid of tourists it was a lovely sight with the morning mist still hanging around in the background!
Not a magic mushroom (well actually I don't know)...but quite magical in the sunlight! During our walk at Fernworthy reservoir we passed a fantastic looking stretch of woodland. I scrambled up the slope and found myself in a small fairy tale wonderland. The old gnarly trees were all covered in thick moss and I almost bumped into this little mushroom growing out of a branch of one of the trees. I took a few photos that show the branch as well but in the end I chose this shot because of the nice backlight.
Yesterday we retraced our steps from a few months ago and did a lovely short walk at Tottiford reservoir again. The forecast was pretty dull but half-way through our walk the sun came out (just as we enjoyed a picnic at the water edge). The rest of our path then was pure autumn glory with the sun really bringing out the colours. All in all a gorgeous day out with the family again! More images to come throughout this week...
I was disappointed that the day I got to visit Dartmoor National Park in Devon, UK was filled with mist and low visibility. But actually, the mist only accentuated the magical bleakness of the landscape.
"Strange as it may seem, I still hope for the best, even though the best, like an interesting piece of mail, so rarely arrives, and even when it does it can be lost so easily." ~ Lemony Snickett
Another motif I captured pretty much every time we pass is the lovely Nine Maidens Bronze Age stone circle near Belstone. This time round we had this dramatic transition between gorgeous sunlight and sinister dark rain clouds in the back. We made it back to the car just in time without getting completely soaked.
For some more impressions of that fabulous circular walk at Belstone, Northern Dartmoor National Park, feel free to have a look at the video I made: youtu.be/7XgS45of6iM
This lovely medieval clapper bridge spans the river Bovey in Hisley woods near Bovey Tracey. This woodland will look pretty amazing in autumn I think!
We were quite lucky on our hike last Sunday and spotted quite the variety of wildlife including the tiniest British bird - a firecrest!
From our Christmas Eve walk around Fernworthy Reservoir. There's a lovely section of the walk featuring lots of moss-covered trees like this one.
Another shot I took last weekend on our circular walk including the fantastic double stone circles of Grey Wether's on Dartmoor. The weather was lovely for most of our day out but as so often I am not very lucky when we reach photogenic spots as almost certainly a large cloud will take away the nice light (Murphy's Law). Then it is most often not pleasant to force the rest of the family to wait 5 min before the sun comes back out again but this time, for Grey Wether's, I could not help it and I had about 2 min of the standing stones lit up by the sun before the next cloud moved in the way. The darker clouds in the background added some nice drama and contrast. We made it back to the car without a drop of rain - happy days!
A nice windswept hawthorn tree on the flanks of Cosdon Hill, Northern Dartmoor. Like many other photographers I am naturally drawn towards such beautiful loners - like moths to the light or flies to a cowpat.....There was a proud Dartmoor stallion nearby neighing angrily at those two-legged creatures disturbing the peace. We almost expected it to charge down and chase us but it seemed content enough with us quietly leaving the scene....
I took this photo of King's Tor a few weeks ago on our fabulous circular hike at Foggintor and Swelltor quarry. A single gnarly tree in front of a granite outcrop - of course that could not go unnoticed. While the rest of the family enjoyed a second or third picnic I scrambled up the slope and waited for the sun to come out for a brief moment to get this view of King's Tor including the single tree. It reminded me of the savannah - hence the title.
I took this one at the far end of Black-a-Tor Copse. Our hiking guide recommended to walk the entire ancient oak woodland to the very end because of its unique atmosphere and we were glad we did it. The woodland with its gnarly moss-covered oak trees is very similar to Wistmans Wood and only one of 3 remote high altitude oakwoods remaining in Dartmoor National Park. A truly magical place that hopefully survives for a long time.
Another photo from our very first day out and about after the lockdown restrictions were eased. This is from a circular walk taking in Vixen Tor, Pew Tor and Windy Post Cross. Often photographed the set-up with the stream in the foreground and the leaning granite cross in the back is just too good to skip although by now probably every possible angle and weather condition has been done. I much pefer my first capture with the dramatic clouds in the back but I definitely weren't complaining for a lovely sunny day out so no clouds it is! BTW, the cross dates back to possibly the 14th century!
I made a video of the entire circular walk: youtu.be/fETPdBSnSUk
A panoramic view of the double stone circle of Grey Wethers situated in the open moorland near Fernwerthy forest on Dartmoor. Excavations at the site revealed charcoal in the centre of each stone circle. One can only imagine the kind of rituals that took place there during the Bronze Age! The place definitely feels magical!
I took a photo from a similar angle last year but there was not as much water in the river so it looks quite different. There's a popular Inn just opposite the bridge. A lovely area to go for a walk - especially in autumn!
Yesterday we spent a fab day hiking near Venford reservoir on Dartmoor. On the way back I had to stop once again to take a photo at Holne bridge, crossing the river Dart. The river was quite full of water after the ongoing rainfall and we saw some adventurous kayakers enjoying the ride on the rapid water. Access to the bridge seemed to have been restricted a lot since I visited last year - finding a place to park the car is a challenge. The leaves were not really autumny yet but I was happy to see that little whirlpool caused by the long exposure!
A nice little waterfall at the West Okement river above Meldon reservoir. Was a great and sunny winter day hiking in Dartmoor!
I really thought we won't be able to see any bluebells this year because of the corona crisis but last weekend, when we decided to finally go outdoors for the first time since the lockdown we were lucky! The bluebells seem to be flowering a bit later this year so we were just in time to see them. This was on our walk near Burrator reservoir through the Stanlake plantation.
We started our walk very early in the day and had no problem at all with staying away from other people but I was a bit shocked to see how many mixed groups of people did not seem to care at all. It's great to be outside again but it should go without saying that it is still not the time to completely abandon the social distancing rules!!!
A shot from a few weekends ago and a lovely hike around the open moorland of Haytor. Best time of the year for an ocean of purple and yellow from the heather & gorse.
A second shot from a recent trip to Nuns Cross farm on Dartmoor national Park, this taken just after the sun rose shows the intense glow in the sky. People were staying in the house and had opened some of the shutters which makes for a different picture of this location.
Yesterday, we finally had time and the weather for a lovely day out again. We drove to Fingle Bridge at the northern tip of Dartmoor and walked along the River Teign towards Castle Drogo. The river was quite full after the heavy rainfall and although the temperatures were fairly chilly we had a wonderful day in the forest. This is one of the many views of the water rushing downstream - there is a sheer endless amount of photo opportunities along the way.
The distinctive shape of Leather Tor on Dartmoor. It was a very welcome cloudy day on an otherwise sunny week.
From our walk last Sunday around Tottiford reservoir. Parts of that lovely short walk pass through mixed woodland - this is the path leading back to the reservoir which is lined with some beautiful old beech trees.
One from a few weeks ago while hiking around the Haytor area. Often photographed, this little granite outcrop and the lonely tree are simply to nice to pass without taking a photo!
This lovely old granite building can be found in the tiny hamlet of Gidleigh on the Western side of Dartmoor National Park. There are some really old 16th century headstones lining the side of the entrance into the church. The church itself is from the 15th century, with Gidleigh castle just sitting next to it, a 14th century fortified manor which is not accessible to the public. It was nice that the colder climate of Dartmoor let to the daffodils still in full bloom while they are already gone elsewhere.
For those interested, I made a video of the entire circular walk around Gidleigh and Scorhill: youtu.be/kIwSA6rWI-M