Meavy - Callisham Tor - Wigford Down - Ringmoor Down

A footpath and moorland fringe route across two stretches of moorland down awaits you on this walk. The two moorland downs, Wigford Down and Ringmoor Down, have plenty of antiquities to interest you, including stone circles, cairns, a stone row or two and plenty of hut circles. As with all walks on Dartmoor, even easy down walking entails the use of a compass since open downland equates to very few visual references and the ability to follow a simple compass bearing is important if you are to reach your destination. The walk starts and ends in the pretty village of Meavy, situated a mile or so down- valley from Burrator Reservoir. It has a nice triangular village green, with its own public house. In fact the pub is actually owned by the parish, which is most unusual. At the far end of the green these is an incredibly old oak tree. It could be 800 years old and there is a huge gap in the trunk. It really is a magnificent specimen and well worth a look around. Meavy Village is named after the River Meavy, a corruption of Mewy which is the old name for the river. At both the start and the end of the walk you will of necessity be faced with a climb up to the moorland down and a descent back again, but it is well worth the effort. Towards the end you have the choice of crossing the Mewy by stepping-stones or using a lovely old granite bridge; personally I enjoy the challenge of the large stepping-stones. The initial part of the walk once you leave the road is usually muddy, but once you climb away from the bottom of the valley along footpaths and a wood, the going becomes much less sticky. Right up on both Wigford and Ringmore Downs you get some interesting views of the clay mining in the area. Although you remain well clear of the modern claypits at all times, to the north of Wigford Down you do get close to worked-out pits that have been transformed over the years and are now pretty fishing lakes. On the way back you pass right by one of the classic Dartmoor Crosses, Marchant's Cross by name, just before you descend to the Mewy crossing.

England - South West England - Devon - Dartmoor

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Walk id: 2766

Walk grade

Moderate Walk

Length

6.5 Miles

Height gain

250 Metres

Duration

3 Hours 2 Mins

Average rating

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