30 November 2020
The weather started bright and sunny but the forecast was for rain later. Fortunately for me the rain more or less held off but it did become quite foggy.
I parked at the car park in Belstone and began my long trek-in initially through the village then over tracks across the moor. I was able to walk quickly across the easy terrain, but still appreciate the tors surrounding me. I had visited all of them at some stage during my recent “tor bagging” walks.
My aim today wasn’t to visit as many tors as possible but primarily to find the oldest Dartmoor Letterbox. I have actually decided to target tors rather than Letter boxes on my expeditions but, having discovered about Cranmere Pool – almost a place of pilgrimage for adventurers on Dartmoor, I couldn’t resist visiting.
This first Letterbox was sited at Cranmere Pool in the middle of the North Moor by a Dartmoor Guide named James Perrott back in 1854. It took 40 years for the second box to be sited at Belstone Tor, but now there are hundreds of Letterboxes sited all over the moor. It appears that meetings are held where lists are sold /distributed. It has also branched out to include geo-caching and has spread to many other places than Dartmoor.
Actually the real reason I wanted to go to Cranmere Pool was to prove that I could do it and return, avoiding the dangers of bottomless bogs etc. for which I have seen multiple warnings. In fact, I found it quite quickly and there were even a number of faint paths leading to the site. Happily, I did not “discover” any of the deep bogs and there was no point at which I felt I was stepping on jelly and the ground was quivering around me. This would have been a sign to get really worried!
In the short time that I was at the box site, stamping my notebook, signing the visitors’ book, taking a few photos and then carefully packing everything back in and securing the door, the mist arrived.
As I was “in the area” I was aiming to do some tor bagging too visiting Great Kneeset and Little Kneeset. I started by heading west towards Black Ridge. I was less lucky with finding tracks, but my Satmap shows that, all things considered, I navigated a reasonable line initially to the northern end of the peat pass on Black Ridge and subsequently to Great Kneeset. It was the southern extremity of rocks that caught my attention and having arrived there it was easy to head up to the main tor. A group of bedraggled ponies near the summit seemed surprised to see me.
Great Kneeset Tor 
Ponies by Great Kneeset
Sadly I hadn’t plotted the grid references. As I was only going to three places, I had written down the reference for Cranmere pool but not for the tors. In view of the fog, I was having some second thoughts about going to Little Kneeset and whether, with the extra time for navigation in fog, I would be able to do it and be back at my car before the daylight failed. As it was only a couple of kilometres as the crow flies, I decided to attempt it. The ground was difficult in terms of allowing me to travel easily in a straight line. However, after a rather dog legged route, eventually I was crossing Black Ridge Brook for the final climb to the summit which I could see. Sadly despite wandering around, I couldn’t find a tor and I was concerned about daylight running out for me. Unfortunately the reason was because I was on the highpoint but, on looking at the map properly at home, Little Kneeset is actually at the spot height eight metres lower to the west of the highpoint. I should have taken the grid reference with me!
However, I am sure that actually it is worth walking there again to “bag” this tor. I remember the views I saw at the beginning of November when I visited Fur Tor just to the south. Even though it was raining that day, there was an amazing vista. I am sure that, in conditions of good visibility, Little Kneeset is likely to be a similar wonderful remote location. Moreover, wild camping is usually permitted in the area and it could be a marvellous place to spend the night. I’m sure I would find a spot that isn’t too boggy or tussocky.
I actually did quite well on my walk back to Belstone. I was back at my car within three hours of leaving the “summit”, initially heading for Great Kneeset again (the bemused ponies were still there) and then descending to the West Okement which I followed to it’s confluence with Brim Brook, itself a convenient navigational handrail most of the way back to the track. Of course back on the track it was easy and a rapid mainly downhill trek, albeit into the wind. Sadly the excellent views of the tors that I had enjoyed in the morning were no more – most were shrouded in mist. However I did see a heron, which flew off.
What a contrast from a day earlier. From leaving Belstone to returning I had seen two dog walkers and one person in a four wheel drive car. All had been on the tracks and relatively close to Belstone. I hadn’t seen anyone at all on the open moor. For the sake of the safety conscious, my husband was aware of my proposed route and my estimated return time.
It was a challenging walk and I had enjoyed the day.
Where's Kathryn? 