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Moorland walk to Buckland Beacon |
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| The
view from Buckland Beacon |
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This
four mile walk starts at Buckland-in-the-Moor and takes you across
open moorland to Buckland Beacon on Dartmoor.
By: Laura Joint. |
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Dartmoor
is brim-full of amazing places to visit and this circular walk takes
in two of those - Buckland-in-the-Moor and Buckland Beacon.
In keeping with many parts of Dartmoor, this area has lots of stories
to tell - legends that have been passed down through generations.
We started the walk at St Peter's Church at Buckland-in-the-Moor.
This is one of the "must visit" buildings on Dartmoor, because
of its unique clockface.
Instead of numbers, the clockface reads: "My Dear Mother."
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| The
clockface reads: "My Dear Mother." |
The
story goes that in 1930, the Lord of the Manor, William Whitley, had
the tribute put up in memory of his mother.
Opposite the church is a lane, Elliots Hill. The bottom of the hill
is 795ft above sea level - Buckland Beacon is over 1200ft above sea
level, so this is quite a climb.
Keep on the hill, which is a no through traffic route and you'll pass
some farms. Initially, we took the first right after Elliots Hill
Farm and headed towards a pathway to the Beacon.
But at the end of this lane, we found a sign saying: No public right
of way. Apparently, it has been put up by a local resident even though
this route has been used by walkers for decades.
So we turned back to Elliots Hill and carried on upwards where we
luckily bumped into a local man who told us of an alternative route.
Little did we know then that it would add about an hour to the walk!
At the top of the hill is a gate to a public bridlepath. Follow this
path until you reach another gate which takes you onto a road.
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| The
view back to the Beacon - here, it's a little dot in the top
right corner |
Cross
the road and turn right to walk along the moorland on the other side,
which is safer than walking on the road itself.
After walking a short distance on the moorland, we reached another
little lane, which comes out as a T-junction to the first road.
Cross this to the moorland opposite and keep the first road on your
right. If you look to the right at this point, you'll be able to see
Buckland Beacon in the distance (see photo above).
Keep walking - you'll walk past the road sign to Haytor and Bickington
- and downwards to a little stream and a copse of trees.
Here, you switch to the road to cross the stream. Walk up the hill
for some 50 yards and cross the road to the vast expanse of moorland
which leads up to Buckland Beacon ahead of you.
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| The
granite wall |
There
is a reasonably clear trail you can follow, and the stream is on your
right.
Eventually, after a steep (and awkward in places!) climb, you'll see
a long, granite wall.
This effectively guides you to the Beacon - a lump of granite with
panoramic views all around the area.
At
the front of the Beacon are two slabs of granite, on which are carved
The Ten Commandments. This again, was said to be the brainchild of
Lord Whitley, who employed a stonemason to do the work.
The stonemason started his work on 15th December 1927, and it took
him six months to complete the carving.
The slabs have been badly weathered and the text is barely visible
- but it's another story which adds to the Dartmoor legend.
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| Looking
back to Buckland Beacon. |
The
way down is very steep! We carried on the same way, staying close
to the granite wall - but it's very tricky in places so you'll need
to take a bit of care.
Eventually, you'll reach a gate and some trees, at the end of which
is the road into Buckland-in-the-Moor.
Turn right on reaching this road and stay on it until you're back
at the church.
This walk was in mid-December and it had a very Christmassy feel,
with holly, berries and robins in evidence.
You should do this walk on a clear day, so you don't get caught out
- it's easy to lose your way on the open moor in poor visibility.
Some of the terrain is also difficult in wet conditions.
Take a hot drink in winter, water in summer, and a map.
It's a rewarding walk - and you'll no doubt see some ponies along
the way.
Article published: 22nd December 2004.
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BBC Devon
Broadcasting House
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(+44) 01752 229201
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Listen
to Laura Joint and BBC Radio Devon's Jo Bishop, as they explore
this area
