Thursday morning and I said to the misses, “just popping out for a run, be back in a short while” by the time I got to Gloucester I thought ‘whoops’, maybe I should have said it would be a little while. I didn’t really as she was at Grafham Water on a school trip for three days, but I think she was a little surprised when I told her over the phone I was on my way on the Thursday.
I called in at Cotswold BMW and after purchasing a new BMW jacket, with 10% knocked off as it was dusty on one sleeve, it was off to the Phoenix Rally at Gables Farm.
This was only going to be an overnight stop as I was heading down to Dartmoor in the morning.
Fortunately all those attending on the Thursday had their tents up before the rain, thunder and lightning started. This didn’t last long and I spent a pleasant evening drinking and chatting with others in the Rodd’s awning.
Friday morning and it was a dry pack up and I was ready for the off by mid morning.
I headed for Bovey Tracy, just on the bottom edge of Dartmoor, then on to my first way point, Buckland Beacon, to visit the Ten Commandments Stones http://www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk/ten_command.htm .
You can actually see the sea from the top of Buckland Beacon and Teignmouth. To visit the site you have to walk about mile or so but it is well worth it.
From there I headed just up the road to take a look at Seven Lords Lands Cairn circle, a little bit worse for weather but you can still see the circle of stones http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=3454 .
On to way point three, this was Soussons Common or Ephraim's Pinch, a well preserved Cairn or stone circle http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/1361/soussons_common_cairn_circle.html .
Here I had a chat with a couple in a campervan; I had to smile when I heard they got stuck on one of the narrow lanes and had to reverse back for nearly two miles; when a sign states 6 foot 6 inches wide max on the moors it normally means it really is only 6ft 6inches.
After a bite to eat it was on to way point four this was Fernworthy Reservoir near the village of Metherall http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/index/visiting/vi-eventsguidedwalks/vi-guided-walk-start-points/vi-fernworthy_reservoir.htm .
To visit the Fernworthy stone circle you have to circle around most of the reservoir and it is a dead end road and like most single tracks in the forest a little rough in places.
This stone circle is in the middle of a forest http://www.stone-circles.org.uk/stone/fernworthycircle.htm and involves a short uphill walk to find it. http://www.stone-circles.org.uk/stone/fernworthycircle.htm
I then stopped outside a coffee shop on the square in Chagford which meant I could leave all the gear on the bike seat while I drank my double cappuccino and ate a couple of homemade chocolate chip chocolate covered cookies.
Suitably refreshed I headed off to find my last way point, this was Spinsters’ Rock just west of Drewsteignton which translates as "place of the Druid's Stones", pretty apt that one. The road to the site off the A382 looks like a track and at first glance it looks as if you are going into someone’s drive, but just keep going, uphill through the trees until you get to a farm on the left and there is room to park on the right just by the gate where you enter the field containing Dolmen. The reason I give directions is this site is really worth a visit and not too far off the A382 http://www.megalithics.com/england/spinster/spinmain.htm
So it was getting near tea time and I had to find Andy’s workshop at Easterbrook. This is at the back of beyond, the roads are narrow with fords and it is just a rough track, I do mean rough, up to the workshop. I did take a couple of wrong turns but found my way in the end. Andy makes guitars http://www.brookguitars.com and just as I got there he popped out and said that, Anita, his wife was at the chippy’s and would I like some fish and chips, perfect timing I reckon.
We all camped in a small clearing and had a small fire. Drank some falling down water and retired for the night. Saturday, we put up a gazebo for the evening barbeque and collected wood for a bonfire, once sorted we headed out to the Rose and Crown at Sandford to the bike show in aid of Devon Air Ambulance http://www.daat.org . In its tenth year it attracted near 400 bikes, the best attendance to date, with everything from a 50cc moped to a Rocket III. There were stalls, food, displays etc and bands, one in particular being very good; The House of Kane www.houseofkane.com Ok, heavy rock band but they were very good, in time and in tune.
Saturday evening and Tony the chef was doing a grand job cooking the burgers and sausages, well he works at a crematorium, so say no more. Another evening around a bigger fire, I lost count of the marsh mallow sticks I made, but why do they need to toast mini mars bars?
There was some rain during the night but by sunday morning in had stopped, packed up and thanked all for a great weekend. I had a short chat with the land owners before leaving for home. A quite uneventful run home using the A30, M5, M42, M6, A14, A141, A1123, A142. Traffic was very light unlike Saturday when it was at a standstill on the M5, so those said who came on the Saturday.
I got home on Sunday, around 2 in the afternoon after covering around 700 miles in all and only one ice cream in all the time I was away.
Martyn; more pics of the bikes at the show below.