The Milky Way from Our Back Garden

Such benign weather we are having; a truly golden Autumn, with warm sun and crunchy leaves.  We have also had some beautiful night skies and shooting stars.  I had my first attempt at photographing the Milky Way from our house; we are so lucky where we live.

Milky Way from Tavistock

Crystal Clear Day for Abbot's Way on Dartmoor 2016

What an absolutely glorious day for the annual Abbot's Way walk across Dartmoor -Buckfast to Tavistock along the paths marked by ancient crosses for the monks who travelled between them.

A Spectacular Crepuscular Sunset on Dartmoor

Evening DSRT training on Dartmoor allowed us to witness one of the best sunsets on Dartmoor I have ever seen.  The crepuscular rays were stunning.  I kept tripping over just watching the sky change by the second.  I only had my iPhone, but it did a reasonable job of recording it.

Dartmoor Sunset with Crepuscular Rays

Tavicinity Goes to Snowdonia

Summer holiday of sorts allows for a few days in Snowdonia.  The camera did not make it out of its bag due to excessive fog and rain.  Really excessive fog.  So, the photographs are iPhone's finest, but capture the time when we did see the dun briefly climbing down the north face of Tryfan.

Did Snowdon via Crib Goch in ridiculous fog and high winds.  Not really recommended (in terms of safety, but great fun).

Then did the horseshoe and finally dropped out of the cloud.  Next day was up Devil's Kitchen to Glyders (again in fog) then up Tryfan and down its north face (tricky).  But, the sun emerged and all was forgiven.

The Path to Ideal Slabs, Glider Range

Up Devil's Kitchen, Snowdonia

View coming down North Face of Tryfan, Snowdonia

Me on the Canon on Tryfan

Haytor Rocks and Quarries - Lush Beauty in Dereliction

Crossing back over the moor from Bovey Tracey I decided to revisit Haytor before the inevitable crowds turned up on a rare sunny morning in Dartmoor's summer.  Where is our summer?  Did I miss it?

We scrambled up and onto the summit to sample the fierce winds blowing.  The smell of fresh bracken in the air was amazing.

Hayer Rockface and clouds

The quarries around the back of Haytor are fascinating.  Opened around 1820 by George Templer to produce fine grained 'blue' granite for building London Bridge.

You can walk through the quarry and out the other side.  The pits are filled with water, lily pads and rushes and look beautiful.  Even the old rusty derrick from a crane looks charming.

Haytor Quarry and Lily Pads

Haytor Quarry Pond and Crane Derrick Base

Hayer Quarry and Foxgloves

Hayer Granite Tramway - Templer Way

Out of the quarries you encounter the granite tramway than transported the granite to Teigngrace (8.5 miles).

Follow the tramway round to Holwell quarry and you pass a superb granite apple crusher that has come a cropper during transport, and the quarry itself which has stunning views over the Becka Brook valley towards the famous Hound Tor.

Best of all is the quarryman's beehive hut hidden on a ledge just beyond the quarry floor and tramway.  Truly a hidden gem.

Beehive Quarryman's Hut at Holwell Quarry

White Tor and Langstone Stone Circle on Dartmoor

Weather doesn't get much better than this; a pleasantly warm air temperature, light breeze and fabulous sky.  Dartmoor looks like a picnic rug in this.  It's all deep blues and greens, not much yellow or brown in May and early June.  Wondrous.  I've even kept my photographs in colour to prove the point. (mostly)
So, up the Smeardown Down track and a quick glance back at the green and pleasant land.

Then on to Setters Tor.

Another glance back along to Boulters Tor.

Finally a sunny stroll to the Langstone Menhir and Langstone Stone Circle.

These were both used as target practice during the Second World War.  The menhir has bullet holes in it still and the stone circle (previously restored in the 19th century) has been shattered; bits of standing stones lie around broken stumps.  Heartbreaking.

Abbot's Way in May

I decided to do a solo Abbot's Way walk, as you do.  Strictly speaking it's not solo as Cosmo was my walking buddy.  The conversation got a bit one sided towards the end though.

So, I started 6:30am this morning from Tavistock and finished at 4pm at Buckfast Abbey.  9.5 hours and a little over 21 miles.  I didn't take my camera (it's amazing how weight-conscious you become at the prospect of lugging stuff over the moor for a day).  So I only have a few phone-snaps to share.  Be happy I haven't included a picture of my blister.  It's a doozy.

Early sun-beams on Whitchurch Common

View over West Devon near Hollow Tor

Merrivale Bridge

View to Staple Tors

Avon Valley

Old Clapper near Cross Furzes

Abbot's Way off the Moor & into Bluebells

Buckfast Abbey