"A Long Weekend in Devon !!!." Crook of Devon by into-thin-air

Crook of Devon Travel Guide: 9 reviews and 12 photos

Myself, Stevie, Barry and Mags on Dartmoor

Heading South !!!

I had a Long Weekend in Devon a couple of weeks ago ( mid July 2003 )!! My main reason for travelling down there was to visit friends, My Walking Mate, Stevie now lives in Exmouth and he had met a New Girlfriend, Julie and he had invited me down to meet her -- and a Very Nice Lady she is too !! At the same time I took the opportunity to visit another couple of Friends Barry and Julie ( Yes I know to many Julie's !! ) who I originally met half way up a mountain in Nepal whilst walking the Annapurna Circuit, they to now live in Devon and now have a young child, Alex !!
I decided to let the train take the strain for this journey to the opposite end of the country, another typical Virgin Trains Experience -- the train arrived at Exeter over an hour late so I missed the connection to Exmouth, Never-the-Less I did eventually arrive in Exmouth on the next train just over an hour and a half later than expected -- so a bit of a delay but at least I was There !!!

Walking on Dartmoor !!

OId Cross and views of the Moor

So after a Night out in Exmouth and meeting up with Stevie and Julie and spending the night there, the next day I headed for Dartington, again by train and this time without delays to meet up with Barry and Julie. a Relaxing Afternoon and then we all headed out to a Country Pub with the unlikely name of " The Rattery " for a meal and a few beers and here we made the plan of going out on Dartmoor the next day for a walk, Barry, Stevie and I had walked " The Two Moors Way " five years earlier and our first day over Dartmoor the weather had been Bad, The Mist had been down and the Glorious Views had been Totally Obscured -- so the plan was to more or less do that first days walk in reverse to see what we had missed !!!???
Barry had asked me to look at his roof before we set off on the walk, Starlings had nested in his chimney so we as they had already flown we removed the old nest and I fitted him a new cage and cowl to his chimney -- whilst on the roof I discovered that the felting around his Dormer windows was also rotten so I foolish volunteered to repair that for him whilst I was down there -- This Long Weekend was rapidly turning into a Bus-Mans Holiday !!!
So Chimney now clear and materials bought to repair the windows, we finally set off on our walk and still managed to start walking at mid-day !! The weather was Glorious !! and of we went !! We had left a car on the edge of the moor above Buckfastleigh, The first part of the walk was along " The Abbot's Way " , this led us out onto the moor proper and we walked above the Avon dam and followed the Avon, just a stream now out into the middle of the moor. We took our lunch at the old Clapper bridge of the first photo, then struck out across the moor to some old China Clay workings where we picked up an old disused tram-way and followed this all the way back towards Ivybridge, where we dropped off the moor an were picked up !! A FANTASTIC days walking, Awesome Views and a Memorable Day !!!!

A Day out in Dartmouth !!

The Britannia Royal Navy Collage from the River

So the next day I was up at the crack of dawn and onto the roof and got the work out of the way !!!! then after a late breakfast Stevie, Julie and myself borrowed Barry's car and we drove down to Dartmouth, it was another Glorious day, the Sun was shining and it was Lovely and Warm !! We decided to do a Dart River Cruise and All thoroughly enjoyed the trip !!! -- We sailed up the Dart, Passed this house where " Agatha Christie " used to live, we turned around at the village of Dittisham and returned down-river to Dartmouth, Here we had a late lunch and then took the scenic route back to Totnes where we caught the train back to Exmouth, A Chinese take away, a couple of beers and then a relatively early night before catching the train back to Cumbria the Next Day !! -- So that was My Long Weekend In Devon !!

Pros and Cons

Pros:Walking on Dartmor is Really Fantastic, the weather was Great and this made the trip
Cons:Doing a Friend Favours can sometimes turn time off into a Bus-Mans Holiday !!
In a nutshell:Devon is a Beautiful County, Great Variety from the Moors to the Coast -- a trip that I can recommend !!!

Last visit to Crook of Devon: Jul 2003
Intro Updated Jul 25, 2003
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Reviews (9)

A Cigarette never tastes any better - Crook of Devon

At the End of a walk !!! Sports & Outdoors (1)

To Me the Best form of Sports Travel is Walking -- I can't think of a Better way of seeing the place that you are... more travel advice

Some of the Local Inhabitants !!??? Local Customs (1)

When you are out on Dartmoor you will surely come across a few locals !!?? Here is a pic of some of them at their home... more travel advice

An Old Cross and Mags Lurking in the Long Grass - Crook of Devon

Dartmoor and the Old Crosses !! Things to Do (2)

When out walking on Dartmoor you will be sure to come across one of the many ancient crosses that are scattered over the... more travel advice

The Old Church at Cornworthy - Crook of Devon

Take the Back Road !!! Off The Beaten Path (2)

When touring around South Devon then take a few back-roads !! You'll never know what you might stumble across around the... more travel advice

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Walking on Dartmoor !!!
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Comments (21)

christine.j Jun 28, 2007 at 4:34 AM Report Abuse

Dartmoor is high on my wish list, but it's dificult to get there without a car. I did one of the cruises, though, the combination steamtrain/cruise from Paignton, it was great!
deecat Apr 26, 2006 at 9:27 AM Report Abuse

Rob, as usual, it was a delight to read your fine pages on Crook of Devon. You have a fun style, informative and entertaining. Looks like a grand place.
bugalugs May 30, 2005 at 6:24 AM Report Abuse

A nice page, especially the part about seeing the ponies in their natural habitat :-)
margaretvn Mar 27, 2005 at 7:38 AM Report Abuse

good page - lovely part of the country
bijo69 Mar 24, 2005 at 7:33 PM Report Abuse

Haha....good to know!
Elena_007 Feb 28, 2005 at 5:37 PM Report Abuse

Those locals living on the rocks looked pretty friendly. I, too, have always wanted to be transported in a hot air balloon. Rob, smoking a ciggie is not considered a sport. ;-) ~Elaine~
BuickMackane Feb 11, 2005 at 4:11 PM Report Abuse

Your page brings back very happy memories of a road trip I did through Devonshire in 1988 -- had a great time!
freya_heaven Jan 27, 2005 at 12:02 PM Report Abuse

Great to see more about Dartmoor on here, Lovely page Rob. The Paignton to Kingswear steamtrain, is a wonderful way to travel.
ElaineCatherine Jan 8, 2005 at 11:07 AM Report Abuse

Nice pages.. I cant wait to come back to England!
Bwana_Brown Aug 7, 2004 at 12:55 PM Report Abuse

It definitely looks like you had a perfect day for a yomp! So many great places to explore in England, and Dartmoor is one of the spots that I have always wanted to see up close.