A long walk for the complete moor experience; this circuit from Holne climbs to the moors above with stunning views
Parking outside the Church Inn in the pretty hamlet of Holne, we set off past the community shop, bearing left at a stony bridleway which decanted us onto the uphill lane to Scorriton.
A welcome war memorial bench in the village allowed us to draw breath, but there was still a long way to go. Another cobbled lane led upwards, eventually ending at a gate before the picturesque stream of Chalk Ford.
Our path continued to climb through ferns until shortly before Lud Gate we swung off for the final steady climb to Puper’s Rock. 2 hours after leaving, nearly all of them uphill, we arrived at this rather breezy spot, surrounded by a wilderness of moor with birds eye views as far as the south west coastline.
A faint grassy track led to our next stop, Snowdon, this one just a nobble on the skyline of the moor one kilometre away. There were rough tin working scars around the top and two cairns. The day was rather grey but the views were wide ranging, the moor stretching away uninterrupted on all sides.
Ryder’s Hill was our next point, the rough track very squelchy underfoot with clinging black mud if we missed our footing. After recent rain there was a lot of standing water.
Marked by some old boundary stones, Ryder’s Hill was quite a desolate spot on a grey day. There were no rocks to sit on so we wandered on along a faint track that led us on a curve around the moor.
The routes became a little unclear but far below to our right a track became visible and we picked a trail which led down to join it. Beyond, dark trees framed the Venford Reservoir. Rain started to fall and we were glad to be heading down from the moors.
We hit the track and followed it for a little way until it crossed a stream where a sign warned us it was the water supply of a nearby farm. Shortly after we turned right and picked our way along gorse lined trails, crossing a little wooden viaduct and dropped down to a gate in a corner – Mapsme was quite a useful navigational tool for this final section.
A little cattle shed was was undergoing a metamorphosis into a cool summerhouse; this combined with a narrow descent on a very overgrown fern lined track reminded us of the Ariege. With the continuing rain, we emerged at the bottom soaked through on our bottom halves.
Another stream crossing by a farmhouse led us onto a lane which emerged at Michelcombe and a final stretch of bitumen road back to Holne. Reaching the junction before the village, we crossed straight over onto another footpath which soon after took us out through the church and back to our pub.
Sadly we were so late that we had missed tea and cake at the Community Shop, reputed to be rather good!
NOTES
Ordnance Survey pathfinder guide Dartmoor Walks. Walk number 23. Distance 9 miles.
Carpark grid reference: 50°30′37.67″N 03°49′33.83″W
