Dartmoor CAM

This walk: 2010-9-1. Willsworthy Firing Range notice, H stone, troop shelter, leat from Wallabrook to Wheal Jewell mine, target apparatus, Hare Tor, rusty tracked vehicles, target railway, Great Nodden, Bray Tor, Great Links Tor, renovated newtake wall, W/B stone.

Walk details below - Information about the route etc.

Notice in the car park for Willsworthy Firing Range.

Its quite a long way up the road .....

An H stone, denoting the Hamlyn family, formerly of Willsworthy Manor, who enclosed a large area east of Willsworthy army camp out to Ger Tor and Lane End, marked by twelve or possibly thirteen stones (Source: Dartmoor Boundary Markers, Dave Brewer, page 177).

Stopped for a general introduction to Willsworthy Range.

Its still a long way ahead .....

A "blow-up" from the previous photo ..... "Range Wardens 5 Mile Ahead"?

The troop shelter will be seen later.

A range hut on the hill.

Leat at SX 5260 8328, from the Wallabrook, that runs to the old Wheal Jewell mine area. Later, a second leat comes in parallel, slightly higher, the Wheal Jewell Mine Leat, from Tavy Cleave, that runs to the Wheal Jewell Reservoir.

Approaching some major target apparatus ..... with Hare Tor behind, at SX 550 842, elevation 531 metres (1742 ft).

Believed prone firing positions, with telephone connecting post near camera.

The target numbers 1-8 are on a high bank that forms a bullet backstop behind a target handling station, see next photo .....

Target handling system, with the high bank to the left (out of view) .....

Another view .....

Mechanisms for raising and lowering targets.

Needs no explanation.

A lorry load of rusty items seemingly reclaimed from the ground. They appear to be three-wheeled tracked vehicles of some sort that were probably used as moving target holders in the past? Click on the photo to see a larger version.

A double-sprocketed drive wheel for track-laying.

Another set of target positions .....

A railway system for moving targets .....

Looking down on a target trolley. The orange handles appear to be clamps for gripping an upright target board.

The motor house at the end of the railway.

The motor house (left) and the first target control shelter .....

Inside the target control shelter - anyone disagree with the notice?

A range warden's shelter ..... with a stable behind .....

The front of the shelter .....

The view from the shelter: Great Nodden (left), Bray Tor (centre), Great Links Tor (right).

Zoomed view to Hare Tor with a section of the newtake wall at extreme right.

Newtake wall, being exposed and made good after being a low ridge for many years.

The break-away group!

The troop shelter .....

A closer view .....

Caption competition .....

By gum, that beer was strong
The backs of my legs never burn
Woman on mobile "Hello? Social Services?"
Perhaps we're carrying too much magnetic stuff?
It gets dark early round these parts, doesn't it?
Big 'un "I knew I shouldn't have had that port last night"
Little 'un "I haven't got that excuse - I am just nosey".

The house on the hill.

The range wardens' huts seem to be well-appointed .....

The view from the hut, click on the photo to see a larger version.

Presumed boot-scraper at the back of the hut.

A W/B boundary stone, the W is close to ground level and the B underneath it is almost totally below the grass. There appear to be five of these running roughly in a line, along a track from SX 5218 8317 (near the modern entry road to Willsworthy) southwards to SX 5259 8184, close to Wheal Jewell Reservoir (Source: Dartmoor Boundary Markers, Dave Brewer, also page 177).

Walk details

MAP: Red = GPS satellite track of the walk.

This walk started from the car park (the P symbol/yellow cross on the map) on the A386 south of Okehampton, at SX 5180 9348.

Statistics
Distance - 6.3 km / 3.92 miles