Thursday 4th and Friday 5th April 2024
I was still not feeling great at the start of this day, partly due to not eating much over the last couple of days, but also because I hadn’t slept well in the youth hostel and the weather seemed to agree with me as rain was forecast for most of the day, so with a deep sense of foreboding I made my way into the centre of Okehampton and resumed my course along the Dartmoor Way. It was already raining, though the sun was futilely trying to break through the clouds, but initially the trail was good as I walked beside the West Okement River and through the Old Town Park Nature Reserve where wood anemones decorated the woodland floor. On reaching a road the walk deteriorated as it took me through a golf course and farmer’s fields where I was exposed to the wind and rain before entering a bluebell wood whose flowers were only just beginning to come out. It is a pity that I was too early to see this wood at its best, but I was already beginning to doubt the wisdom of continuing on the walk. When I reached Meldon Viaduct I had views towards Meldon Reservoir where vast quantities of water was rushing over the dam while the high moors behind sat under dark clouds, but I was feeling very weak and again I was questioning whether to continue. With an easing of the rain I crossed the wrought iron viaduct and proceeded along the old railway line but I didn’t get very far until lack of energy stopped me.
I spent a while debating with myself on whether to continue, but when I realised that most of the morning had already past and I had made hardly any progress along the trail I decided I should turn back and abandon the walk. My body was clearly telling me that I was not in a state to keep going so I finally obeyed and returned to Okehampton along the Granite Way, a cyclepath that runs alongside the old railway which still exists from the disused Meldon Quarry. Heritage trains used to run along the tracks between Okehampton and the quarry but they have clearly not done so for many years. With the weather slowly improving I made my way along the cycle track with the noisy dual carriageway alongside and eventually returned to the youth hostel next to Okehampton railway station with my plans to walk along the Dartmoor Way in ruins. I would not be able to complete the trail on this holiday, but with everything that had been put against me it was inevitable. The bad weather had already forced me to stay at the Okehampton Youth Hostel for the rest of the week as it would be unwise to wild camp in high winds. After resting for the rest of the day I felt much better in the morning so I set off along the Granite Way back to Meldon Viaduct to resume my walk along the Dartmoor Way as far as I could go.
The weather was exactly as it had been the day before and possibly even windier, as the approaching Storm Kathleen made its presence felt. Eventually I came off the cyclepath to follow the Dartmoor Way onto a road that soon became a track and climbed onto the moor where I was exposed to strong headwinds. Despite blue skies behind me, the moors resolutely clung to the cloud while the wind made walking very challenging. Ahead of me were the crags of Sourton Tors, which I had visited in 2020, but on this occasion I passed beneath them, off the moor and into the village of Sourton. Beyond, after initially traversing a very muddy path I crossed countless grassy fields that left little impression on me and after a brief road walk I turned onto a byway that provided me with relatively easy walking, though little of interest except for at Fernworthy Down and a ford in a tree-lined valley beyond. Just outside the village of Lydford I reached a road that took me through the village where the star attraction is the National Trust property of Lydford Gorge, which was closed due to high winds. A relatively busy road took me around the gorge and onto the lower slopes of Gibbet Hill where soft, wet ground with a strong headwind took me around the hill for several miles into the village of Mary Tavy.
I was now wondering how much more of the Dartmoor Way I was going to have to endure before I decided to stop and wait for a bus, but with the village of Peter Tavy not far away and the bus an hour away I decided to keep going, but not far out of Mary Tavy my way was blocked by a closed road with seemingly no way around. I took this as a hint to finally stop and return to Mary Tavy where I waited for the bus. I had reached the point where there was thirty one miles left on the Dartmoor Way, out of one hundred and eight. It is disappointing, but this final obstacle was one of many that seemed determined to prevent me from completing the Dartmoor Way. The ground was horribly wet and muddy, strong winds developed during the week while I fell ill and had difficulty sleeping, so a blocked road seemed appropriate. I actually quite enjoyed this day’s walk despite the poor weather, mainly because I had fully recovered from my ill health and was able to accept everything with humour. The next day I didn’t attempt to do any walking in Dartmoor and instead I started my journey home, stopping off in Bristol for a walk around the city and to visit the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge.
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