Whether the years of camping at Easter time subconsciously influenced us or maybe just the love of camping in general, this year Easter was spend camping and hiking on Dartmoor. We were nervous about the weather as the predictions weren't good. We had thought of abandoning the plan but with no other ideas coming to mind and realising most accommodation was booked out for Easter weeks ago, we decided to tough it out. As it turned out, we had beautiful sunny days. So much sun that we ended up quite sunburnt after the first day, with no hats or sunscreen and no way to obtain such things easily, we ventured on. I was very glad for my bandanna and my new sunnies from Switzerland (the only place I have been able to find Polaroid brand sunglasses other than Australia; I lost my Aussie Polaroids on the big bike trip in the Peak district last year :( ). So dressed up like a celebrity in hiding I tried to keep the sun off as much as possible.
For two days we hiked , climbed the tors and waded through the boggy bottom of Dartmoor, carrying everything we needed on our backs (defiantly not influenced by Festival then...). It was quite cold at night, hovering around zero but with thermals and very warm sleeping bags we were toasty. In the mornings there was crisp air, beautiful sunrises, frost on the ground and warm tea for drinking. Even though we packed for all weather conditions, knowing that things can turn for the worst rapidly out on the moors, we only wore our full wet weather gear for 1hr on the second night as the rain came right when we were cooking dinner. It had been threatening for a while. Looming grey clouds following us but politely holding back until we set up our tent and put our bags under cover.
Sunday was a change of pace and we headed back to the car after deciding to drive out to see Tintagel. I have always wanted to see that castle situated precariously on the edge of the island cliff. There was no sign of the short rainstorm we had the previous night. It was another beautiful day and the colour of the sky, grassy headlands and wild flowers of the Cornwall coast were very rich. We ate lunch on the hill opposite Tintagel. What a view with the waves crashing against the cliffs. It was all wonderful. Tintagel itself was blessedly not overrun by tourists and we were free to walk around the island. I loved the other ruins discovered on the island after a fire burnt the grasses and wind blew away the top soil revealing their hidden secrets. How wonderful that we are still learning about our ancestors and how that information reveals itself - I am a big fan of the show Time Team. I am loving the history in this country. Oh and we completely avoided all the tacky King Arthur, Merlin and crystal magic touristy shops -eek! Sunday night we drove back to Belstone, the town were we started our Dartmoor hike, and made our way to the site we camped on the first night. Free accommodation, so why not...
Monday we drove on the narrow country roads to Manaton. I was hoping we would pop by North Bovey - a small town near by that we visited last year that I loved due to all houses having thatched roofs - but, we ran out of time. At Manaton we walked to Becky Falls which were a recommended by G's dad. They were pretty but I still think the waterfall walk we did in the Brecon Beacons in Wales was far superior. As soon as the weather warms up a little more there will be more camping in Wales for sure! With Monday coming to an end we turned for home stopping along the way for a walk on Maiden Castle, the largest Iron Age hill fort in Britain. For those who have never heard of it, there is no Castle as such, just a lot of very large terraced earth ramparts. It is very impressive "about the size of 50 football pitches" with huge earth walls up to 6 meters high. There are a series of very large ditches at both of the large entrances meant to confuse the outsider. It was once home for 100s of inhabitants now it it is a peaceful place with local people jogging or walking their dogs and a large flock of sheep grazing with their lambs.
This weekend the plans are to:
- fix the house up
- get a new hair cut and style
- dinner tonight with Miss K to celebrate Snerg and Mez nuptials
Next week I am flying to Madrid for a conference. It is my first work trip of which there will be one a month. I have heard so many rumors that you fly to interesting places but they work you so hard that you don't get a chance to see anything. Boo to that!
