meldon reservoir to high willhays

We were all walking roughly the same route but no doubt with very different stories to tell over a cup of tea later. you off. UV: Low;. High Willhays and Yes Tor are the only summits in England south of Kinder Scout in the Peak District to rise above 2,000ft. Ah, the penny drops, so this will be the summit then. Yes Tor was for years thought to be the My first activation (last year) was using a 2m HT which does seem a bit like "cheating" so with good weather forecast this morning I drove for an hour from home to the Meldon Reservoir car park near Okehampton, Devon. As the army use the section of Dartmoor which includes High Willhays and Yes Tor it is worth checking the free phone number (0800 4584568) to see if it is in use. High Willhays or, according to some authors, High Willes is the highest point on Dartmoor, Devon, at 621 metres (2,039 feet) above sea level, and the highest point in the United Kingdom south of the Brecon Beacons. The sharpness of the fractured rocks, the twists and turns of every footstep, water running from every crevice. Please enable javascript in your browser preferences). back to Meldon Reservoir is very pretty. The reservoir sits below Yes Tor and High Willhays which are the only two mountains in southern England. xY[kF~_![\53 )!7N&!s&ij43a kvF7VvyzU ~`c:fXHtA?z8GzL>: O_zj0 *C1Fucs{gb=L M:gvzl KGfgnD'!YHf9/vZ~QHp Given the effort taken in constructionit would be a dishonour to not protect them for future generations to stand beneath and look ever upwards. Cookies must be enabled for you to Log On successfully. From here the rocks forming the summit of High Willhays will be obvious lying a further kilometre or so to the east. Photos cannot do the location justice. It was very wet underfoot and we saw many unprepared walkers struggling with inadequate footwear through bogs and over streams of water that wouldn't have been there during the warmer months. I had an idea what to expect but until I stood directly beneath the towering superstructure I really didnt know justhow awesome it would be. The Minister's decision letter backing the Meldon reservoir was published in November 1968. High Willhays despite the howling wind was sporting a rather fine cairn. Bow before mighty Loch Meldon . Half-Day Surf Experience in Newquay (1 x 2 hour lesson) - All Abilities Welcome. In my case it was the Hound of the Baskervilles. Walking up to the reservoir is pretty straight forward. Triangulation is basically a mathematical process of measuring angles to other locations that makes accurate map making possible. At the next fork (SX 568910), go left again. A circular and fairly strenuous walk through typical Dartmoor landscape in Devon. For the return from Highwillhays, once again View down to Meldon Viaduct. A vast dam wall rises from the floor of the West Okement Valley. Littered with UXBs and danger! Walking up Longstone Hill we saw our first signs of life. We stopped here a while and I decided that it was still just about warm enough for me to take an Autumn dip in the West Okement. If you need to buy any 621 making them the highest summits South of the Peak District. The gorge is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its geology, flora and fauna. The highest part of the moor lies in the northeast corner just south of the A30, where it rises to 2,037ft (621m) at High Willhays, seen from this walk. Required fields are marked *. Meldon Reservoir is situated northwest of Yes Tor , and northwest of High Willhays . Click Tracks across High Willhays to Yes Tor. I took a slight detour to High Willhays and came back via the more interesting Yes Tour. I'd seen a photo of Black-A-Tor Copse, 619 metres above sea level and High Willhays is. //--> The views from Yes Tor and along the ridge to High Willhays are very good and the West Okement River valley you follow back to Meldon Reservoir is very pretty. The reservoir once a natural now flooded valley and the awesome (yes I will use that word) viaduct is very much man-made over nature. The more impressive, but slightly lower, Yes Tor is about 1km (58 mile) north along this ridge, which is known as "the roof of Devon".[6]. Getting to the High Willhayes and Yes Tor Circular Walk Trailhead. go4mailvariable='go4awalk.com' The reservoir sits below Yes Tor and High Willhays which are the only two mountains in southern England. <> %PDF-1.5 Do not follow this link or you will be banned from this site. High Willhays - Wild Running High Willhays Distance: 8 miles (12.5km) Ascent: 541 metres Start/finish: Meldon Dam car park, EX20 4LU Cross the dam and turn R onto the Meldon Reservoir shore path to the far end and then up the West Okement River to the woodland (2.1 miles/3.4km). point and a radio aerial. All rights reserved. This strenuous 12km circular walk on Dartmoor's north moor, takes in the highest point (High Willhays) once again as well as a selection of fantastic Tor's (West Mill Tor, Yes Tor and Rowtor) and views of Meldon Resrvoir. The reservoir sits behind this dam wall and extends to the foot of . Sorry, but your browser does not appear to be accepting our cookies. To reach the trailhead for the High Willhayes and Yes Tor Circular Walk from Okehampton, drive west on West Street/B3260 for 3.2 km and make a left to continue on for 0.3 km. There is also a wonderful stretch that is great for swimming in the summer, pictured left. google_ad_slot = "2715819971"; Work your way to the right of this on the track recorded automatically as I walked so should be accurate. <> there is no distinct path. Arriving at the car park next to the stunning Meldon Reservoir at around 11am we sorted out our various bits of kit for the day's walk and headed off across the dam wall at the head of the reservoir. Home; About; Program; FAQ; Registration; Sponsorship; Contact; Home; About; Program; FAQ; Registration; Sponsorship . 13.6 km 4:05 h 410 m 410 m meldon reservoir carpark, up to high willhays, camp, down to the car park again in a loop. best route you can. The waterfall trail is a moderate circular walk of about an hour on a mostly one-way route. As you get closer to the top, there is a Begun soon after the Norman Conquest as a motte and bailey castle with a stone keep, it was converted into a sumptuous residence in the 14th century by Hugh Courtenay, Earl of Devon, much of whose work survives. Undaunted, 16 ramblers gathered at the start point go4mailvariable=('walk_pics' + '@' + go4mailvariable) Yes Tor & High Willhays loop from Meldon Reservoir is an intermediate Hiking Tour. One of the beautiful reservoirs which is home to many water species and also the location is naturally beautiful for a picnic. Was a bloody chilly morning (and night) on Prewley Moor but what a view! following the broad track by the reservoir. This site was designed with the . load all 24 walk photos from Walk de177 Yes Tor and High Willhays from Meldon Reservoir, Send us your photographs and pictures from your walks and hikes. Dave my border collie sat still by my side, ears pricked upright in a state of alertness. Unlike sunsets that donthold his attention for long, this working landscape captivated him whilst I watched and ate my humble lunch. Meldon Reservoir is a local Dartmoor beauty spot in the northwest section of the National Park. function myFunction() { . We paid 3 per car for the day google_ad_width = 120; #dartmoor #wildcampinguk #gotthekennylook #wintercamping Nothing too fancy, just a flat rock with a view. We were now surrounded by clouds giving us the perfect opportunity to teach our eldest (who is hoping to achieve her Bronze Duke Of Edinburgh award) some highly important lessons in using a compass. Availability can also be checked at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dartmoor-firing-programme. I was briefly thrown on arrival because it was a pay car park and the machine wanted actual coins. The city of Exeter is the county town. DICE Dental International Congress and Exhibition. Meldon Reservoir and Black Tor Moderate 4.5 (183) Dartmoor National Park Photos (380) Directions Print/PDF map Length 7.6 kmElevation gain 272 mRoute type Circular Experience this 7.6-km circular trail near Okehampton, Devon. Descent: Route: Meldon Dam car park to High Willhaysand back. The reservoir is fed by West Okement River that continues north after the reservoir and runs through Okehampton, where it meets the East Okement River. It is part of South West England, bounded by Cornwall to the west, Somerset to the north-east and Dorset to the east. There is a warning out for the land to the west of the reservoir as it is now private so I therefore enjoyed an up and down over Longstone Hill. You can find more walks near these unique free-to-access Interactive Walk Planning Maps: (click/TAP to select). There are intermittent . Railway stone. Meldon Hill and Nattadon Hill are both popular with walkers, with a circular walk enabling you to take on both hills or each one independently. It sits on the River Avon which rises just over four miles away NW close to Ryder's Hill. Meldon Reservoir on the northwest slopes of Dartmoor was the latest one, constructed in 1972. I had this notion that the northern landscape of Dartmoor was a fenced off landscape, uninviting to hikers. Meldon Dam blocks the West Okement River, creating a large reservoir to its south west (upstream) side. To close this message click anywhere outside this window. One of the beautiful reservoirs which is home to many water species and also the location is naturally beautiful for a picnic. That'll be Shellstone Tor and High Willhays in the background. 2 0 obj Oakhampton Military Firing Range. One of the highlights of a landscape with an abundance of rock is the making of cairns, small monuments of stones, dedicated to long forgotten causes. Here there are clear paths, at least in its lower slopes. To contribute to go4awalk.com or to contact us about anything at all see Talk to Us. The time refers to a. Meldon Reservoir Enjoy a waterside walk around this lovely reservoir on Dartmoor. It is part of South West England, bounded by Cornwall to the west, Somerset to the north-east and Dorset to the east. It lies in some high moorland which can be bleak in bad weatherlovely in good. John Kelly 3. The walk starts at the car park at Meldon Reservoir and takes you to the 621 metres (2,039 ft) summit via Longstone Hill and Black Tor. term. A|.6ba5WN,Ws=za?]nAk5aZU8aBRWG7J'juQ]:^uO2vQ{wprdKTz*q(Ebk QGrSsH:>#?O| WJ^)j`Y( "From Meldon reservoir car park, climbed 400m peak directly south then headed on to climb Black Tor. Although it is the highest point of the moor, it is relatively insignificant in comparison to most of the moor's tors, consisting of no more than a few low outcrops of rock along a northsouth ridge. Hisnose sniffed the calm air and his eyes scanned the distant valley slopes. The two peaks are around three miles south of Okehampton and 1.5 miles south east of Meldon Reservoir, so can be visited in tandem with Okehampton and Meldon. Dartmoor ponies added to the tranquil scene. It was a long uphill slog and the ground was sodden but we weren't deterred. William Crossing stated that High Willhays was the highest point in England south of Ingleborough in the Yorkshire Dales,[4] but since then surveys have shown that Kinder Scout is also higher (albeit less prominent). However High Willhays is in an area of the northern plateau of the moor where the exposed rock has noticeably fewer of the large feldspar megacrysts that are typical of most of Dartmoor's tors. It offers an excellent day out in Devon from kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding and sailing, to archery, climbing, fishing, walking and cycling. Just below Meldon Reservoir, the west Okement River flows down into Old Meldon Pond (also known as Meldon Pool), a glorious wild swimming spot secluded under the Meldon Viaduct. }x;p}Tz}7n[~z};oV9o0vG`G'* )/~v^I~y|pz}q||Y9[{#oWC)?"6G0qM\:%k@p,rFo qmHAvNE#G$'}W/vopCn@C.;>C!HZlTgr\XlGXp]`?EC,p:kqq*h1 NmBz`%-XYl{KLzExs]+m u+:qiHJDJQ5iT$A gz Z 91O! Aj=KnS\QX^7|=i7N!doY0mRef2zc2s%zT26fa[qI Isv([&71amYny}^B h @E LQM'L>X7SUy,mOb1? running through it, which feeds the Meldon Reservoir. Some is over open ground and although well walked, We put on our spare jumpers and pulled our coats about us as we ate our sandwiches huddled together beneath our granite shelter. I rearranged a few flat pieces of granite, added a couple of stones and stepped back carefully, having made this part of the moor a few artificially inches higher. the mist comes down, orientation could become difficult. Start by crossing the dam wall and taking the initial zig zag path up the hillside ahead. however. the left are the red and white poles which mark the boundary of the It's a flat, boggy landmass that's relatively difficult to walk across. RM 2BCCM52 - The spillway of Meldon Dam (1972), showing overflow of the West Olement River from Meldon Reservoir, Dartmoor National Park, Devon, UK. You need to head for the left Please send them as email attachments (configured for any computer) along with your name to: