Adventures on Dartmoor - Fernworthy Reservoir, Stone row and Stone Circle

 

With the weather a bit of a mixed-feast this summer here in the south-west of the UK, that started fantastic with wall to wall blue skies and sunshine in late May into June, but then turned rather wet, cloudy and distinctly chilly in July, Carolyn and I have had to grab the moments when they arrive to plan our walks up on Dartmoor.

JJ's Wargames - Dartmoor, Scorhill and Shovel Down

Just check out the weather we had for our walk to Scorhill and Shovel Down back in June to see how well the Dartmoor walking season was shaping up

Thus with the day we chose earlier last month looking cloudy, but brightening up as the day progressed I grabbed the Footpath App and pulled out one of my pre-planned Dartmoor adventures, this time a fairly easy jaunt around Fernworthy Reservoir, near to Scorhill on the east of the moor and offering a five mile walk with a bit of a climb up through nearby forestry plantations, taking in the Fernworthy stone row and stone circle before descending back to the reservoir shoreline and the walk on the opposite bank to the wall of the dam before climbing back up to the nearby carpark.

Our walk, close to Chagford around the Fernworthy Reservoir

The route planning map from Footpath using Ordnance Survey walking maps and showing bottom left a handy guide to the incline to be experienced along the route, with the main climb early on as we head away from the reservoir up through the forest at Point 1. As indicated the area is surrounded by ancient bronze-age archaeology with stone huts, rows and circles in abundance. 

We got to the car parked up at about 12.30, grabbed our small back packs and made our way along the reservoir shore line until we crossed a small brook, one of many that feed Dartmoor stream water into this catchment area taking in the fresh air and bird song of this magical part of Devon.

The Lowton Brook was our first check point for progress

The walkways close to the reservoir are all nicely maintained making it a pleasant simple walk just to go around it.

The shoreline at this part of the walk is relatively open with views of the treeline and forestry on the slopes above.

Not exactly the Strangler Figs we got used to seeing in Queensland but the lattice work of these climbers against the old weathered trees with their thick coat of velvety moss caught my eye and reminded me of our holiday. 

Fernworthy Reservoir providing fresh water for Torquay, Totnes and Brixham

As we approached the lower end of the reservoir, towards Sanderman Bridge, we turned away from the shoreline at Point 1 to begin our climb up through Fernworthy Forest, with some parts of the track proving interesting, given the heavy amounts of rain we had in July but with most of the broader forestry tracks and breaks easier to make the climb up.

The lower part of the track leading up through Fernworthy Forest at Point 1 on the map.

Starting to get a bit soft under foot

The good, the bad and the down right ugly. What at first appeared to be damp but traversable ground 
gave way underfoot, to result in my boot sinking in mud just up to the top of the boot,
which was a result as we say in the walking world. Needless to say Carolyn let me go first on this bit.

Once we got to the top, the stone covered tracks became much more easy to walk on and the weather responded with some sunshine to go with the sweat we had developed doing our climb.

Once past Point 2 on the map the track flattens out somewhat and leads one inevitably towards Fernworthy stone row, the stone circle and a cairn close by, Point 3, situated near a crossroads in the track amid a wide open clearing in the forest.

Fernworthy or Froggymead as it is sometimes referred to is a Bronze Age monument consisting of twenty-seven granite slabs or blocks and was excavated by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee in 1897 and they reported a layer of charcoal within it but no other finds.

Our first view of the stone circle

The picture below was taken in 1907 and shows how the scene has changed since the planting of the Forestry Commission plantation.

The avenue leading up to the circle with another similar one on the opposite side has remnants of the original stone row that lead up to it that once consisted of a double stone row.

The cairn seen below was found to contain a bronze knife, flint knife, beaker and shale button.

Set off to one side is this burial mound or cairn, likely a significant person to be interred so close to the monument 

Following the track down hill back towards the reservoir and Point 4 on the map, close by to the dam, we came across this interesting meadow or Rhös Pasture consisting of Purple Moor Grass and rush and home to the endangered butterfly species, the Marsh Fritillary, but sadly we didn't see any flittering by on the day we walked through.

Fernworthy Reservoir was constructed between 1936 and 1942 behind a dam built of concrete faced with locally supplied granite slabs and covers an area of 76 acres and is 64 feet deep at its deepest point when full; providing fresh water for Torquay, Totnes and Brixham.

When the water levels are really low, the remains of numerous stone hut circles and the ancient small granite clapper bridge at the western end, that once crossed the South Teign River, can sometimes be seen.

Just as we got back to the carpark the skies turned leaden and the rain returned so we certainly got the best of the day for our walk and finished off with the obligatory Dartmoor fish and chip supper to put the cap on it.

Next up on JJ's - The French transports are done in time for my Bantry Bay Scenario, more adventures on Dartmoor with a visit to the 1940's Weekend show at RAF Harrowbeer and I've started a new project, long in the planning, for a naval battle I've always fancied bringing to the table.