Had a few days in Devon recently and I thought I would share a couple of pictures with you. It wasn’t a walking holiday but I did get out onto Dartmoor briefly and these pictures are the result.
Although Dartmoor is the largest area of rugged ‘wilderness’ in the south of England, it is not an area I have explored much apart from on family holidays. This trip has whetted my appetite though and I am hoping to spend longer down there this year on a walking trip. One of the benefits of walking Dartmoor is that it is virtually the only area in England where wild camping is legal – it is accepted above the wall line in the mountains of Cumbria but not technically legal. Even on Dartmoor, there are parts where wild camping is not allowed but there are plenty where it is!
My plan is to catch the train to Ivybridge and then walk straight from the station out onto the moors and camp wherever and whenever the mood takes me which is total freedom to me 🙂 !
As these pictures show, when we were there we had typical moorland weather which was great for photography because it suits that barrenness of the terrain but not ideal for wild camping as the ground was waterlogged!
Watch this space for more pictures when I take my backpacking trip there sometime this year 🙂 ! Oh, and I have some other backpacking trips planned too and I’ve already started to go through my equipment in readiness 🙂 ! Can’t wait!
Thanks for stopping by
Until next time,
Your friend
The Dorset Rambler
If you would like to contact me, my email address is terry.yarrow@gmail.com – comments and feedback are always welcomed.
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The Dorset Rambler 
Look at that dramatic sky!
It was a good one and it def suited the landscape 🙂
Very familiar with Dartmouth. Its got a very unique and strong feel and character.I have wandered across Dartmoor on a starlit summer night, and it wasn’the the least eerie. Not perhaps the same on a stormy winter night.
How long was the walk from Ivy-bridge to a quiet spot to camp for the night 😊
Well, I will be travelling down on the train during the morning so I was reckoning on 10/12 miles but from Ivybridge station you would be on the moors within a few miles so it should be possible to stop earlier.
Lovely photos. I plan on doing the same thing at some point. I even got the book for the two moors way because I was planning on doing it this year. I then decided to do the WHW and GGW instead for charity, but an injury put me out of training and I am still recovering (Plantar Fasciitis!).
But there are apparently some great spots to camp north of Ivybridge.
I love Dartmoor. I spent a week at the Dartmoor YHA in December a few years ago and went out on walks each day. I think in one day I experienced every emotion going. It has the knack of making you feel totally at peace and at ease and then swiftly rips that away and replaces it with loneliness and foreboding. It’s quite a powerful landscape.
Looking forward to reading about your trip.
I definitely agree about the moors – it can be warm and welcoming on a sunny day but extremely threatening on a bad weather day. I’ve tried several times to book into the YHA there but it is a very popular hostel. I’m off the Pembrokeshire soon but will hopefully get down to Dartmoor with the tent later in the year.