Devon Trip. Pt 3.
Have I saved the best until last? Well, you tell me!
Day 3 Dartmoor National Park
The entire area is to be explored. You really don’t have to go far to find something that takes your breath away, a view, architecture, countryside…
First stop was at Postbridge to see the old Clapper Bridge. I have been here five or six times, the first time I had no children and over the years we have taken one child to play pooh sticks on the bridge, then two…
A road between Postbridge and Two Bridges is where the legend of the Hairy Hands comes from. Did we drive on that road on a night? You bet we did!
Once we had walked over the bridges and taken in all the surrounding beauty we high tailed it out of there to find breakfast. After carefully negotiating and navigating the precarious roads on the moor we arrived at Widecombe in the Moor.
Widecombe is wonderful and Andrea and I were especially impressed by the public toilets, namely the all in one, sink, soap dispenser and hand dryer! We want one for our house but judging by how long it has taken for my husband to do the staircase, (unfinished incidentally!) we reckon installation my be a long wait…. hands would dry on their own!
All of the times we have been to Dartmoor there has always been one thing that has eluded us. The famous Jays Grave. We knew the tale, of Kitty jay and we knew it was there somewhere but we had never been able to find it. Until this time when we found it by accident! I know it may seem a little macabre as it is a very sad story but it is also a very interesting story.
The views you find on the moor just literally take your breath away…
You have to climb a tor! Or you at least have to watch someone climb a tor! Or, they could watch you while they climb the tor!
We climbed Hound Tor. (I use the term ‘we’ loosely)
It’s like being on the top of the world!
The Medieval Settlement is very close to Hound Tor so we walked all the way down the hill to it.
and then we walked all the way back up again! (I am not fit!)
That was pretty much the whole trip. I’ve missed a few bits out but I’m sure I can revisit sometime, in my mind and I will take you all with me.
Tags: Dartmoor, Hairy Hands, Hound Tor, Jay's Grave, Kitty Jay, Legend, Medieval Settlement, National Park, Postbridge, Two Bridges, Widecombe in the Moor
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November 5, 2009 at 8:20 pm
’tis beautiful!
And what a wonderful bridge to pay pooh sticks from!
(also added to itinerary)
November 5, 2009 at 10:17 pm
If you go there Stephanie I want to be your tour guide! Would we dare drive the Hairy Hands road? ;o)
November 5, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Absolutely breath-taking, Daffy! Definitely the best for last. Looks like you had gorgeous weather to see those fantastic views.
November 5, 2009 at 10:16 pm
It was wonderful. The phots are clickable Nikki if you want a closer look. The weather was kind! One day of rain and the rest of the time it was pleasant. There were days we just needed a t-shirt…no coats!
November 5, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Should I ask for Moor please?
November 5, 2009 at 10:15 pm
*chuckles* Very good AC… I see you are on the ball! I hope you and Cuppa are both fine! Put the kettle on as I’ll be over to vist tomorrow! (It’s nearly bed time now!)
November 5, 2009 at 10:30 pm
Beautiful trip. I love all the great pictures.
Bill
November 5, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Thanks Bill. I’m so pleased you have enjoyed looking at them. They are calming aren’t they? ;o)
November 6, 2009 at 12:21 am
Wowza! love that last picture, unreal. And the buildings look beautiful, especially that tower… sigh… the oldest stuff we have here in Phx is probably a building from 1950.
November 6, 2009 at 7:30 pm
We are especially good at restoring old stuff here! (I’m not reffering to the plastic surgeons! hehe) I’m sure you’d love it… It’s a very picturesque area…
We are going to have talk T-Shirts soon as my son is loving lightning bear on the black background. I was thinking I might slip one in Santa’s sack. (How rude does that sound…not at all? Just me then!)
November 6, 2009 at 8:24 am
Lovely post, wonderful photos and great links!
I have to say that it’s not an area that that I’ve visited often, unlike the coastal areas thereabouts, but can certainly see the attraction, especially given good weather.
It’s good to see that you really enjoyed yourselves and I guess that you’re already thinking about next time, as I know that I would be! xx
November 6, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Well some of the links are rally good so if ever you run out of reading material….;o)
I can’t see that being our last trip there! It’s got such a pull for me… I’d like to think a little cottage when we retire wouldn’t be out of the question! Of course I’m only 20! Pleanty of time! *rolls eyes* Glad you enjoyed it Flighty! xx
November 6, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Hope you wore better shoes on this part of the trip! You must have.. too hard to climb all that rocky majesty otherwise. Such beautiful shots – such a spectacular trip. You lucky duck. PS: We had a similar experience/fascination w/ the all-in-one sink/soap/drier we found. Those things are COOOL!
November 6, 2009 at 7:25 pm
You gotta admire the fancy loo accecories! I had my hiking boots with me all the time but I left my boots in the boot od the car! *Trunk?* It was a great break Christy! Just what we needed!
November 6, 2009 at 5:03 pm
It must be nice to have a young daughter to keep you young and doing challenging things. The vista is lovely but you really need to go to real mountains to feel you are looking down on the world. Have you ever thought of visiting the Rockie Mountains in Canada?
November 6, 2009 at 7:24 pm
I probably have Philip but my pennies in the bank say, rather loudly , NO! ;o) You never know though! One day! San Francisco is th eplace I long to visit…
Andy keeps me young! She’s a good girl and she likes that her mum will give most things a go. Glad you liked the pics!
November 6, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Whatever you do just now….you should be a tour guide!
November 6, 2009 at 10:53 pm
Oh, my goodness! I have never seen such beautiful landscape. I need a vacation
November 7, 2009 at 12:55 am
Oh Daffy…thanks for sharing your lovely trip with us! England is definitely on my list of things to do before I push up daisies! Oh the Moors…sigh
November 7, 2009 at 3:12 am
Looks like an awesome trip. I love the history behind places and having read many historical books and historical fiction, I would love to visit the places I have read about. Short of winning the lottery, I must count on reading blogs to see different places. Unfortunately, I am not doing that much either.
We have a town named Devon very close to us. It doesn’t look anything like that but there is a river valley and a bridge and a very nice park in town. I ride to Devon through the river valley on my bike. The hill is a killer, but only going up.
November 7, 2009 at 10:56 am
I’ve dropped by to say “hi,” Daffy. I really have enjoyed your photos and your willingness to allow me to travel with you vicariously.
Peace, my dear friend!
November 7, 2009 at 1:32 pm
I’m getting a serious case of travel envy. I love the bridge and the rugged scenery.
I’d heard that suicides used to be buried at crossroads but didn’t know why until I followed your link. Fascinating.
November 7, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Your part of the world is SO different from where I live. I LOVE it! I love the stone structures especially.
I am glad that you survived the drive in the land of the Legend of the Hairy Hands!
Beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing your trip.
(And a special thanks for your beautiful words on my recent blog post.)
November 7, 2009 at 5:55 pm
These pics are just stunning and the views unequaled! I always maintain that Britain has the most picuresque countryside in the world. I sure a few would beg to differ but that’s my thought.
Some of those pics look like the scenery on Last Of The Summer Wine.
November 7, 2009 at 9:30 pm
Well I don’t know about saving the best till last because I’ve been enjoying all your holiday travels. However, I agree these are really beautiful photos and we do have some very picturesque countryside throughout the UK, can’t think why I go abroad!
November 8, 2009 at 7:28 am
Agreeing with the comments above about the picturesque photos. I clicked on the Hairy Hands link, and then quickly closed it, as it is close to bed time ~ I’ll try and look again in daylight.
Fascinating stuff!
November 8, 2009 at 1:30 pm
I haven’t been to Widecombe on the Moor since I was a young teenager. I always remember there being lots of Cornish Piskies there. I am so glad you told us about the superstitions. Next time I would like to visit Jays Grave, and go visit Hairy Hands at dusk! x
November 10, 2009 at 5:04 pm
I’m always late to the party – but anyway, I enjoyed the photos and the cyber-trip a lot. We’ll have to travel together again someday!
November 10, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Wow! Beautiful photos. I felt like I was on an e-vacation as I looked. Thanks for sharing them.
November 12, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Hi Daffy, You naughty girl fancy coming down to my neck of the woods without telling me!!!!.I see you found a few of the famous places its just a pity if we had known i could have reccomended a lot of beautiful not so well known places, never mind you appear to have enjoyed yourselves.Bob