5 - Prince Hall
It’s been a while since I wrote a blog post. I’ve been up on Dartmoor plenty of times but not specifically for book research and the weather has just been too grim for good photos. But today the sun shines!
There’s a section of the West Dart River that I’ve not explored before, between Two Bridges and Hexworthy. The first part of this section is through open moorland which I knew would be too boggy after all the rain we’ve had and the next section is through farmland, which often means there is little or no access to the river. I found a circular route which I figured would give me some good views of the river and a couple of opportunities to cross it too.
I parked near Dunnabridge Pound Farm (roughly centre of the map).
Heading towards Two Bridges, I turned off the road at Prince Hall Hotel and followed the footpath down through the estate to my first point on the river, just near the Dartmoor Training Centre.
It’s really beautiful walking through the farmland and there were lots of very new lambs sleeping in the sunshine :)
Heading out of Prince Hall, towards Moorlands Farm I could hear a Cuckoo. I’ve been hearing them lots recently on the moors and you never really can tell where it’s coming from because the sound travels such a long way. I can’t decide if a Cuckoo is lazy or wise. They lay their eggs in the nest of a different bird and leave their young to be raised by ‘foster parents’. This is the perfect time of the year to hear them, as they arrive back from Africa between April and June. And apparently, whatever you are doing when you hear a cuckoo, you should repeat throughout the year as the call was a sign that the particular activity will be beneficial to you. I like that!
As you head out across the open moor you get a real feeling of the remoteness of this part of the moor. All of the roads and villages are out of sight and I certainly wouldn’t want to do this bit of the walk in fog or heavy rain as it would be tricky to stay on the path. If you do this walk it’s worth noting that you need to turn left when you get to the worst signpost on Dartmoor (see 3rd image about). The bridleway does appear to carry on straight here, but if you go that way you will have a much further walk.
After crossing 2 fields you walk through Sherberton Farm. The footpath is not marked, you just walk straight through the middle of the farm and out onto the lane the otherside. Then you can see the River Swincombe in the valley below. Turn left at the river and follow the marked footpath across the stepping stones (above). It’s worth noting that the stones are not very high and after more than a few days of rain this would definitely not be passable with dry feet.
Follow the river until it joins the West Dart River, which can be crossed by stepping stones again. The river was at least thigh deep here today and some of the stones are quite far apart and pointed. I had to resort to kneeling down and reaching to the next stone with my hands before reaching across with my feet at one point. A group of walkers in front of me had walking poles and found it easier.
Heading uphill from the river and back towards the road there’s a great view back down into the valley.
Shortly after rejoining the road, you go through agate by a cattlegrid and Dunnabridge Pound is on your right.
This Bronze Age structure would have had quite a few huts within it and would have been a secure compound for people and animals to live together.
You can make out some hut remains, but the enclosure has been used by farmers and so a lot of the structures and stones have probably been removed over the years. My photo doesn’t really do it justice. It’s a full circle and looks really impressive when seen from a distance. If you google it there are some great aerial photos.
While I was sitting in this ancient place I heard that Cuckoo again. I saw it fly past me and then it landed in the tree (above). I’ve never been so close to one!
Henry is sitting in the ‘Judges Chair’. This stone structure is just by the entrance of the enclosure. I imagine a shepherd sitting there to watch over his sheep but I’ve never seen anything like it before so I looked it up and it’s believed to have been brought here and assembled by the local Dunnabridge farmer. The story goes that the stones were brought from Crockern Tor which was the meeting place of the Stannary parliament and that the roof piece was the Crockern judges table. Anyway more about all of that soon in a separate blog.
Unfortunately some people have little common sense or respect for our countryside and my walk ended as a litter pick. It upset me to see the state that a small area on the side of the road had been left in but I was also glad that I was able to clean it up. I have no doubts that karma will teach these individuals a thing or two somewhere down the line.
