dartmoor overnighter advice please

[timmyp666]

Hi all

I am after a bit of advice please.

My brother and I are meeting up for an overnighter on dartmoor at the weekend.

We want to park up somewhere reasonably secure where we can leave the cars about lunchtime then have a bit of a wander maybe 3hrs or so then setup camp for the night soemwhere.

Can any body recommend anywhere please

Cheers

Tim

[Chubbs]

Hi Tim

Sorry I can't give any advice to your question but there are a few local lads that will advise soon. They know the place like the back of their hands and will advise once they have seen your post.

Thought it would be a good idea to bump it though.

Good luck and enjoy your time on Dartmoor.

Cheers

Neil

[Adam Savage]

If it's your first time on the moors, it's probably a good idea to camp fairly close to your vehicle, especially this time of year. That mist and fog can roll in very fast, and go from good visibility, to less than a couple metres, in a matter of minutes. The terrain can be pretty demanding too, depending on which part of the moor it is, and if you can keep to the tracks.
Make sure you're both up to speed with your map reading and compass skills too, just in case.

I'll PM you a nice little parking spot, that's about 10-15 minutes walk to the edge of the moor. Once on the moor there are a few little places worth visiting.

[ADz]

Damn I wished I lived closer to Dartmoor. Looks an amazing place have on your doorstep.

[Ichneumon]

I am sure Adam's advice is sound as he knows the moors quite well. His advice about safely and preparedness particularly applies but I will repeat: Be sure you take a map and compass and can really use them.

I would suggest parking in Princetown, there is almost no danger of your car being tampered with in town. Then take the track at the back of the Plume of Feathers that takes you south to Nun's Cross Farm. From there you can head further south towards the River Plym, or any direction (except east - Foxtor Mires) that takes your fancy. There are plenty of places to pitch a tent for the night. Close to river is likely to be best - often flat grass, water on hand, out of the wind.

Be safe and enjoy the wonders of Dartmoor.

[Chubbs]

Excellent advice from Adam and Ichneumon there for you Tim.

Don't think you will get much better.

Cheers

[timmyp666]

Thanks guys for the info much appreciated.

What's the deal with fires , I have read they are a no go , I have a very small fold up bbq I was going to take to cook on and use as mini fire pit , I am guessing this would be classed as a fire but not sure , what you guys opinions on this ?

Cheers

Timmy

[jus_young]

Correct in thinking that fires are not permitted. Stoves are the best option unless you really can leave no trace. The other issue on the moors is lack of fuel anyway unless you want to go carrying that as well.

[Ichneumon]

Wot Justin sed! :D

[Adam Savage]

A folding BBQ would technically be allowed, as it is off the ground. It would fit into the same category as a camping stove, just a large one, that uses solid fuel, rather than gas, or alcohol.
As Jus says though, wood is scarce on the moor. Much of the woodland around the edges is ancient woodland, so can't even use fallen timbers, as this would damage the eco system that help maintains such areas.

If you're taking a gas stove, make sure it functions properly before you leave. I had a weekend ruined by a faulty valve once lol. Alcohol (meths) stoves are probably the most reliable method, but fuel can weigh a fair bit, and they can be slow to boil water with.

[jus_young]

...As Jus says though, wood is scarce on the moor. Much of the woodland around the edges is ancient woodland, so can't even use fallen timbers, as this would damage the eco system that help maintains such areas...

Well said Adam

[Adam Savage]

Well, almost well said. It should be "helps maintain", not help maintains" :p Got my S in the wrong place lol

[timmyp666]

thanks for all the good info guys has pointed me in the right direction.

i'll let you know how we get on

cheers

timmy

[Adam Savage]

T^

[Ichneumon]

Did this happen? Where did you go in the end and how did you get on?

[timmyp666]

We did make it out yep thanks guys.

We followed Ichneumons advice and parked up in town and then head down behind the plume of feathers and followed the track down past the nun farm and down a bit further.

Unfortunately my brother arrived late so we didn't set off as early as we had intended. We started running out of light and the weather was closing in before we got down to the river Plym so we ended up hauled up in a hole in the ground which I think was some old ruins from a mine maybe.

We did take a small BBQ and a couple of those instant light logs from B&Q which I know is cheating. I forgot my insulation layer which made it a bit chilly so we had the BBQ under the tarp to keep us warm, it was still -5 though.

The weather wasn't great, we had wind rain , sleat and a bit of sun in the morning.

Trying to upload some photos but not having it at moment , will try again later.

Cheers

Timmy

[Ichneumon]

Nice One! I'm curious where you ended up spending the night, I suspect it may have been Eylesbarrow.

It sounds like you sampled some good ol' Dartmoor weather there. :)

Hope you can get the photos up.

[TinkyPete]

I will down on Dartmoor over the next two weeks for work. I am help in instructing on SERE with them during our shooting/battle camp :) looking forward to spend some time out down there and it is a lot better than running around after staff officers :)

Will be my last battle camp so looking forward to it.

[Adam Savage]

Sounds good Timmy. Although not really allowed to camp on, in, or too close to ruins, technically. I don't think anyone would have minded though.

Eylesbarrow is quite lumpy to sleep in Paul (Ichneumon), with all the rocks in it ;)

[TinkyPete]

I am back from my little jaunt down on Dartmoor, I was mainly in the Okehampton and Tavistock area. Was good fun and found some good sites and now have a decent map of the area as well. Although I had permisson to be there you would have to watch out for the ranges especially when firing :)

[Adam Savage]

T^

[Bernie]

... we had wind rain , sleat and a bit of sun ...

Sounds just like Dartmoor! ;)

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-7a6aa45EqWk/U287kS0WYWI/AAAAAAAATT0/jn-sE7A0tm4/w903-h677-no/P2044622.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--R6c7eZ1FeI/Uzg5ZB0uL6I/AAAAAAAAR8s/BujC1oiypRY/w1086-h214-no/IMAG4676.jpg

Looking forward to your photos. :)

[ian c]

I still have my map of Dartmoor it must be 10 years old now, it has the ranges and danger areas all marked and is still in good condition as this was my spare kept in a waterproof bag in my Bergan.

[TinkyPete]

Mine are the military maps and I have 1:50k and 1:25k so got a good amount of detail which helps a lot especailly with the ground and danger areas :)

[ian c]

Most of the maps I own are military, of where I have been and most of them are 1:50 they are 10 years old or older.

[TinkyPete]

I'll check the date on my maps and i know they are the latest so I will let you know on the date on them is