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This walk: 2014-12-3. Burrator Arboretum, dead tree, Sheeps Tor, Narra Tor, PCWW pillar, Sharpitor, Leather Tor, Snappers Tor, Down Tor, Burrator Resrvoir, Pixies Cave, Dartmoor ponies, rabbit bury, Sheepstor Warren House remains, Maiden Tor, corn ditch wall.
Walk details below - Information about the route etc.
Many of the photographs here were taken during a recce on 19th November.
Previous walk in this area: 23rd June 2010.
By coincidence, I found a link on the Active Dartmoor Facebook page to a movie filmed by a drone over Sheeps Tor in similar weather, HERE. Press the HD (high definition) icon and the Full screen icon (both at bottom right in the black bar underneath the picture area) and ENJOY! Press your "Esc" key to return to Normal view afterwards.
Next - I have found a film about the making of the first film on Twenty Twenty Vision's own Facebook page - HERE - more like some of our walk, except that it starts/ends from a small car park on the south side of Sheeps Tor whereas we walked from the Arboretum, north-west of the tor.
NB - References below to Narra Tor (Narrator or Narrow Tor) are incorrect. What is described is merely a rockpile on the top of Sheepstor. Narrow Tor is located at SX 56653 68449. I think there is another contenderm a long, narrow tor at SX 56622 68358.
New notice in the Arboretum car park. Click the image to see a larger version.
Gate into the Arboretum.
One of many nature notices in the Arboretum.
Path through the Arboretum.
As previous photograph.
Path and gate onto the open moor
An unusually massive construction to let a small stream run through the wall.
Not too sure if this tree is still living .....
Degrading wheel tracks inside Roughtor Plantation - last time we were here, people needed help to cross them after the diseased larch removal operation.
One very sick tree - seen from "above" (now that it is on the ground) .....
A filled-in gateway .....
Looking along this hedge of beech trees, do they all look sick? There seems to be little leaf-fall from them?
Looking up to Sheeps Tor (left prominence) and Narra Tor (rightmost rock pile on the skyline): the granite pillar (SX 57292 68358) is a PCWW 1919 (the old Plymouth Corporation Water Works) boundary marker for the Burrator Reservoir catchment area.
The way through - the right-hand path is better!
Zoomed view to Narra Tor .....
Zoomed view to Sharpitor (left) and Leather Tor (right).
Zoomed view.
Another PCWW 1919 stone, at SX 56980 68225 .....
"1919" not showing very clearly, much clearer on another stone seen below.
One aspect of Sheeps Tor .....
The track through the bracken.
Narra Tor, SX 5669 6839, elevation 360 metres (1181 feet) .....
Sharpitor and Leather tor seen from beside Narra Tor.
Zoomed view of Sharpitor (left) and Leather tor (right).
In the centre of this photograph is a constructed feature at "the top end of the reservoir" where the River Meavy enters the reservoir .....
The constructed feature is a little to the right of centre in this photograph .....
Zoomed view - this may be seen in this Google Aerial view link.
I thought this might be Snappers Tor, but not now!
Snappers Tor, above Middleworth Farm.
Down Tor.
Sharpitor and Leather Tor again.
Burrator Reservoir seen from Narra Tor.
Another PCWW 1919 stone seen from between Narra Tor and Sheeps Tor.
Foal on Sheeps Tor .....
Ditto.
A group of ponies intent on grazing and not posing for photographs!
Another view.
On top of Sheeps Tor ..... St. Leonard's Church, Sheepstor seen at extreme right edge .....
Burrator Reservoir from Sheeps Tor .....
Zoomed vied to the earth dam area .....
On the summit of Sheeps Tor .....
As previous photograph.
Another view of Sheeps Tor, from further around to the south .....
Strollers descending .....
Another view.
Zoomed view to the entrance to Pixies Cave (marked by the pointer) .....
As previous photograph - note the cube of rock (centre) .....
Overview of the location of Pixies Cave.
A rabbit "bury" - one of three seen along this path that are part of Sheeps Tor Warren .....
Another view, showing the sloping aspect and remains of a ditch for drainage .....
Part of the overgrown remains of the warren house or its enclosures .....
As previous photograph.
Maiden Tor, SX 5628 6812, elevation 304 metres (997 feet) .....
Maiden Tor .....
Burrator Reservoir from Maiden Tor .....
Ditto .....
The group.
Rock basin on Maiden Tor .....
Rock basin flora, including what appears to be a sedum .....
As previous photograph ....
As previous photograph.
Sheeps Tor seen from Maiden tor
As previous .....
As previous .....
"1919" more clearly showing.
Entering a lane between walls -----
Corn ditch wall of which there are several in this small area - the end of this wall is seen at the right edge of the previous photograph. Corn ditches originate from the time when Dartmoor was a royal hunting area and there was a need to keep the King’s deer out of the cultivated land. A stone revetted wall and external ditch faced onto the open moor which deterred deer and other animals from jumping over, whilst the sloping grassy bank on the inner face allowed those animals which had entered to exit again without difficulty.
The lane .....
Narra Tor, seen from below, approaching the Arboretum .....
Narra Tor .....
Narra Tor from below.
Broken granite trough discovered by LM .....
Note the drainage hole at this end .....
The hole .....
Internal view, showing the hole: the camera was inserted under the broken edge of the trough.
Path junction - keep going!
Closer view .....
The third indicator board.
MAP: Red = GPS satellite track of the walk.
The walk was accessed from the B3212 road from Yelverton to Dousland, turning right to Burrator Dam, driving past Norsworthy Bridge to the Arboretum car park at the yellow cross on the map. There is a shorter route by going over the dam and turning left before Sheepstor village - the roads here are quite narrow.
Statistics
Distance - 4.84 km / 3.01 miles.
All photographs on this web site are copyright © Keith Ryan.
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