Great Links Tor & Yes Tor

Monday 7th May 2007

I was in Dartmoor and it was pouring with rain. The day actually started with a long drive from Exford down to Tiverton, onto the M5, around Exeter and across to Okehampton, parking at the Meldon Reservoir. Still raining I set off from the western side of the reservoir onto open moorland and up to Sourton Tors, which I could hardly see through the mist. After visiting my first Tor I headed south across the murky moorland and picked up a track that went towards Great Links Tor. When the track veered away I carried straight on crossing a slightly boggy bit, though still with dry feet - my new shoes were holding up well even if they were giving me blisters on my heels, and up to the large outcrops of Great Links Tor.

After lunch sheltering behind the huge rocks I set off to Amicombe Hill and soon found that the rain had stopped as the clouds began to lift above the tops. What had been an horrendous day was turning out to be quite pleasant. Rejoining the track I passed an old mining building and climbed the gentle, though wet, slope to the summit and the nearby Kitty Tor. In view of the brightening weather I decided to head south down the hill and across to Great Kneeset. This was a nice walk, but I was now rather stuck as there were no Tors in the vicinity, and instead I was not far from Cranmere Pool, the largest marsh in Dartmoor.

At this point I went a bit of a cropper as I didn't really know what to do. I eventually went to Dinger Tor, but not before going around Jackman's Bottom and Vergyland Combe possibly with the intention of gaining the top of Okement Hill and the track on top of the hill. With hindsight I wish I had reached the track because when I abandoned Okement Hill I headed straight for Dinger Tor across the wet marsh of Brin Brook. My new shoes up to this point had proved to be wonderfully waterproof, but now they totally failed as I stood in water that went well over the top of my shoes. It seems boots do have their advantages after all: you can stand in deeper water!

With squelchy feet I climbed up the grassy slope to Dinger Tor and on to Fordsland Ledge (whatever that means!). There was now only a short walk to lead me up to the highest point in southern England, but the wind was very strong and cold, which made the experience very unpleasant. There seems some doubt as to which of the outcrops is actually the highest. The OS makes the southerly top of High Willhays the highest, but it certainly doesn't look like it. Yes Tor is by some the highest and it looks as if it deserves to be the highest, probably because it is the most prominent, even if it isn't actually the highest. After visiting the southernmost Tor of High Willhays (being very careful in the strong wind) I proceeded to the others, including the one that has a large pile of stones atop it. Finally I crossed over to Yes Tor and bravely climbed up to the trig point, desperately holding onto the column to stop myself from being blown away. 

With the end of the day approaching I crossed the steep rock strewn slope and down the grassy hillside back to my car. The next day I had intended on doing a walk from Postbridge around the East and West Dart Rivers, but my experiences on this walk had put me off Dartmoor. However, while writing the first draft of this report the evening of the walk, I had an idea to do walk that sticks to recognized paths and tracks all the way and hopefully with many interesting things to see along the way. On my first walk in Dartmoor I had experienced some of the worst conditions that the area has to offer, so now I wanted to do a walk that wasn't so boggy.