Dartmoor Walking Festival Programme 22 - 30 August 2020 dartmoorwalkingfestival.co.uk Welcome to the programme of the 2020 Dartmoor Walking Festival The first ever Dartmoor Walking Festival in 2016 was a great success and the very positive feedback really supported the idea of it becoming an annual event, which is absolutely fabulous. Consequently, Moorland Guides has run it every year since – and it seems that the Festival is here to stay! Obviously with the challenged we are facing in 2020 many Dartmoor events have had to be cancelled and we hope that we will be out of the Covid-19 situation by the time of the festival in August. However, in order to stay flexible and be able to adjust the programme if necessary we will only have an online festival programme, and here it is! The 2020 event will be held from Saturday 22nd August until Sunday 30th August inclusive, the last week of August. This year we are teaming up with the Devon Air Ambulance Trust charity again as the focus for most of our fundraising. All the events in the Festival this year will be by way of charitable donation for either the air ambulance of other charity nominated by the guides, such as the Military Services Charity or Donate to Dartmoor. In 2019 the festival raised almost £1500 for the Air Ambulance and also Donate to Dartmoor. As before we will be putting on several events each day during the nine-day Festival ranging from modest guided strolls and children’s rambles to full day walks and ambitious challenges! There really will be something for everyone including eight ‘accessible’ events for the less mobile in partnership with the Disabled Ramblers Association. This year we ask that you book for every event so the guide knows how many to expect. Details of the guide are shown in each walk entry, so please book directly with them. Simon Dell MBE Director of Moorland Guides : [email protected] Saturday 22nd August 2020 Whitehorse Hill Bronze Age Cist details below. Dogs permitted: No Military Manoeuvres – on Training A circular walk to the remote Bronze Age Telephone: 01647 440053 Booking is required for this walk. For further Area cist – a stone grave – recently excavated to Email: [email protected] information, contact your guide using the Walking tour of Training Area over tracks reveal contents preserved in peat for details below. and uneven, tussock grass, describing how Telephone:Tim Ferry 07855 073876 millennia. The ground is uneven and boggy Military Manoeuvres – In Camp it was and is used by the military. Email: [email protected] in places, with tussocky grass in others, and Okehampton Battle Camp. Visit includes Meet at Okehampton Camp entrance. You a couple of narrow streams, so a talk by Lt Col d’Apice, on road tour of must give car details when booking and challenging walk, made worthwhile by the Camp and visit to museum. Meet at Camp River, forest and moor – classic take photo identification to enter military remote peatland beauty of Whitehorse Hill, entrance. You must give car details when premises. by the prehistoric monuments we encounter Dartmoor booking and take photo identification to Guided walk beginning by the East Dart Dogs welcome, but on leads near sheep. en route, and if fine some stunning views enter military premises For those take part River and the ancient clapper bridge in Duration: 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM, across the North moors. in the afternoon walk, please bring a Bellever Forest which then goes through the Guide: Col Tony Clark packed lunch. forest before heading out onto the moor Start Location: Okehampton Battle Camp Route is Batworthy, Sittaford Tor, Quintin’s Duration: 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM, near Laughter Tor. This walk is aimed at (SX586932) Man, Whitehorse Hill, Hangingstone Hill, Guide: Col Tony Clark people using mobility scooters but all Distance (Approx): 8 miles Gartaven ford, Scorhill Start Location: Okehampton Battle Camp walkers welcome. Cost: Adults – £5.00 donation to Army Duration: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM, (SX586932) For users of mobility scooters this activity is Benevolent Fund Children (U16) – £5.00 Guide: Geri Skeens Distance (Approx): 1 miles considered to be category 3. Gravel forest donation to Army Benevolent Fund Start Location: Batworthy (Nr Gidleigh/ Cost: Adults – £5.00 donation to Army paths with some inclines. Option to go up Skill Level: Moderate Chagford) (SX662866) Benevolent Funds Children (U16) – £5.00 Laughter Tor which is steep and on rough Dogs permitted: Yes Distance (Approx): 11 miles donation to Army Benevolent Funds grass paths Booking is required for this walk. For further Cost: Adults – £10.00 Donation to the Skill Level: Easy A donation to Devon Air Ambulance will be information, contact your guide using the Devon Air Ambulance Children (U16) – Free Dogs permitted: No appreciated. details below. for under 16s who must be accompanied Booking is required for this walk. For further Duration: 10:30 AM, – 3:30 PM, Telephone: [email protected] Skill Level: Strenuous information, contact your guide using the Guide: Andy Dunstan Email: Dogs permitted: Yes details below. Start Location: Bellever Forest (SX657772) Booking is required for this walk. For further Telephone: Distance (Approx): 5 miles information, contact your guide using the Email: [email protected] Cost: Adults – Donation Children (U16) – details below. Donation Telephone:07765482333 Nature fights back, Hawns & Skill Level: Moderate Email:[email protected] Dogs permitted: Yes Dendles Waste Booking is required for this walk. For further This walk is being guided by Tim Ferry and information, contact your guide using the Dartmoor Myths and Legends needs to be restricted to 10 participants. It details below. A gentle walk to the sites of some of the is aimed at people with an interest in Telephone: famous Dartmoor legends. See where Kitty rewilding. We will pass through ancient Email: [email protected] Jay was laid to rest, feel the heartbeat in the woodland, naturally regenerating woodland giant granite man of Bowerman, perhaps and scrub, lightly-grazed private moorland even encounter a pixy or two … but don’t and more heavily-grazed common land and get ‘pixy-led’. One or two hills but generally discuss the issues they present. Some rough Find further information about all activities, including the easy terrain with granite outcrops. underfoot conditions and steep slopes. Duration: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM, Parking is on private land with permission. latest updates and maps for starting locations, head to Guide: Debbie Jenkin Duration: 10:00 AM, – 2:00 PM, Start Location: Hound Tor (SX739792) Guide: Refer to walk description for details dartmoorwalkingfestival.co.uk Distance (Approx): 3 miles of guide Cost: Adults – £5.00 donation to Devon Air Start Location: Higher Heale Farm Ambulance Children (U16) – £5.00 donation (Cornwood) (SX614612) to Devon Air Ambulance Distance (Approx): 5 miles Skill Level: Easy Cost: Adults – £10 donation to the devon Dogs permitted: Yes Air Ambulance Children (U16) – Free for Booking is required for this walk. For further under 16s who must be accompanied information, contact your guide using the Skill Level: Strenuous Walks marked with a purple circle are accessible for wheelchair users. These activities have been facilitated by the Disabled Ramblers in partnership with the Wheelchair Access Group and Cornwall's Rolling Ramblers. (disabledramblers.co.uk) Sunday 23rd August 2020 Visit the White Tor Neolithic Ambulance appreciated Children (U16) – Settlement with the National Park Donation to Devon Air Ambulance Archaeologist appreciated Meet at Cox Tor Car Park at 10am and we Skill Level: Easy will walk north to White Tor to visit and Dogs permitted: Yes discuss the new interpretations and features Booking is required for this walk. For further of the Neolithic evidence there with Lee information, contact your guide using the Bray, National Park archaeologist, who details below. recently surveyed the area. We will walk Telephone:07557330577 back for mid-afternoon via other historic Email:[email protected] sightsontheway. Duration: 10:00 AM – 3:30 AM, Dartmoor Sunday Bimble Guide: Dartmoor National Park A walk made up of tracks and open Start Location: Cox Tor (SX530751) moorland, covering: Highmoor Bimble, Distance (Approx): 6 miles Sand Pits, Row Tor, West Mill, Yes Tor, High Cost: Adults – £10.00 donation to the Willhays, Dinger, East Mill, and finishing at Donate to Dartmoor charity Children (U16) – Sand Pits. This walk covers much of the high Free for under 16s, must be accompanied ground of norther Dartmoor with wonderful by an adult views on a clear day. It is very up and down Skill Level: Moderate and not for the fainthearted. Dogs permitted: Yes Duration: 10:30 AM – 2:30 PM, Booking is required for this walk. For further Guide: Chris Bourne information, contact your guide using the Start Location: Sand Pits, Okehampton details below. (SX596924) Telephone:07845176870 Distance (Approx): 7.5 miles Email: [email protected] Cost: Adults – £5.00 donation to the Pilgrim Bandits Charity Children (U16) – Free for An Accessible Walk on the Wray under 16 yrs, must be accompanied by an adult Trail Skill Level: Moderate A gentle guided walk along part of the Dogs permitted: Yes Wray Trail, looking at the natural world of Booking is required for this walk. For further rivers and woodland, and the human world information, contact your guide using the of a railway and nature conservation. The details below. trailisamixoftarmacandhardgravel. Telephone:07974412326 Duration: 10:30 AM, – 1:30 PM Email:[email protected] Guide: Dawn Williamson Start Location: Bovey Tracey Station Road Car Park (SX815782) Distance (Approx): 4 miles Cost: Adults – Donation to Devon Air Accessible for all. Monday 24th August 2020 Ten Tors Ramble Dogs permitted: Yes Commencing at Four Winds Car Park, we Booking is required for this walk.