Dartmoor CAM

This walk: 2008-2-11 - Venford reservoir benchmark, woodland track, 2 granite slabs, Lower Bench Tor, Higher Bench Tor, Venford dam, Venford reservoir. This walk completes an earlier walk that was curtailed on 19 October 2007 due to poor light, HERE. The walk was a section from Walk 38 - "Around Holne Moor - Three Aspects of Dartmoor Water", 9.5 km / 6 miles, in "Walk! Dartmoor" by Kate & Allan Hobbs ISBN 1-904946-12-7, RRP �12.99

Walk details below - Information about the route etc.

An almost "lost" surveying benchmark on a marker stone at SX 68412 71227 � 4 m (GPS 'fix') on the road near Venford dam (see next photo). I have lightened the relevant area to illustrate the feature.

Close-up of the bench mark, white arrows indicate the lines of the mark.

The benchmark is on the back of the stone from the road-side on the left of the road in this view. The 40 mph marks on the road help to locate the post, just 90 m from the entrance to the car park.

View along the path beside the waterworks.

Another path photograph.

Looking down the hill towards the stream, Venford Brook, after the dam. The stream runs on into the River Dart nearby.

A view of Sharp Tor, at SX 68643 72958, height 380 m / 1246 ft.

A zoomed view of Sharp Tor.

Further along the path .....

Further along again .....

Two granite slabs beside the path (SX 68876 72099 � 7 m), where we follow the small path that climbs up on the left

Closer view of the slabs.

View up the path towards Lower Bench Tor.

Moss beside the path.

Ditto.

Looking back down the path, after leaving the wood.

Looking west, up the Dart valley.

View of the east end of Lower Bench Tor.

Looking back at Lower Bench Tor, at SX 69090 71923.

Tree hanging onto the back of Higher Bench Tor, approx. SX 69155 71643.

Zoomed view of Venford Reservoir from the top of Higher Bench Tor.

Looking back at the east end of Higher Bench Tor.

Path crossing the leat at approx. SX 69138 71350.

Frog spawn (eggs) in the leat.

View along the dam, where the car park can be seen.

Venford reservoir, from the dam.

Walk details

MAP: Blue = planned route, Red = GPS track of the actual walk

The blue lines are the compass or GPS bearings. The red line is the route actually walked: it deviates from the blue lines sometimes so as to avoid obstacles such as thick bracken, gorse, bogs or clitter, and often to use paths or animal tracks that are not on the map.

Reproduced from Dartmoor OS Explorer map 1:25 000 scale by permission of Ordnance Survey
on behalf of The Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
© Crown copyright. All rights reserved. Licence number 100047373.
Also, Copyright © 2005, Memory-Map Europe, with permission

The approach was from the A38/Ashburton turn-off, passing the River Dart Country Park, over the Holne Bridge over the River Dart, through Holne and on to the Venford Reservoir, parking at the park over the dam. The roads to this car park are quite good.

Statistics
Distance - 3.45 km / 2.2 miles
Start 11.00 am, Finish 12.30 pm, Duration 1 hr 30 min
Moving average 4.4 kph / 2.75 mph; Overall average 2.2 kph / 1.5 mph