TMW - Drewsteignton to Widecome in the moor

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After a very welcomed rest day (spent doing laundry, playing pool, eating and chatting to the other campers; just wish the farm shop & cafe next door didn’t close on Mondays! Doh-should of checked that when booking!) we set out at 7:00am sharp for our known biggie hike…Who am I kidding, we actually ended up setting off 8:30 but hey ho we got there!

Today was the day we crossed into Dartmoor! Less roads & farmers fields and more moorlands & wilderness ahead. And that was certainly true. As was the rumour that the TMW signage goes a bit sparse and map reading is needed (although technology and pre-plotted routes helped with that). It’s also the section running past Castle Drogo, and I think may be my favourite bit, being just so stunning. We passed through Chagford today too, which felt like an actual little village where we found a yummy cafe (BirdBox), a shop to top up supplies and a pharmacy to grab some blister gel. And later, after a slight detour, we found Bennett’s Cross and then Grimspound too; a full day!

The day also bought a full range of weather. Refreshing in the morning (hat & jumper firmly on), hot mid day (switched to shorts&sunnies), then windy and drizzly late afternoon (switched back to leggings&coat!). In fact the wind we had that evening was strong & cold which made it interesting trying to pitch the tent & cook. It also meant we stopped just short f our planned camp spot, thinking Wind Tor must have its name for a reason.

Instead, we found a small spot between some prickly bushes just above widecombe-in-the-moor, it’s amazing how much warmth a thin sheet can give, but it was definitely warmer once tucked up inside, and especially appreciated as it rained on & off throughout the night. But we dozed off knowing we had completed our biggest section of this walk (27.62K and 845m elevation) and, more importantly, we were actually enjoying it.

Happy days.

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