Mathew's Birthday of course began with the opening of all the presents before breakfast! As we left the cottage we met the small tortie cat which is apparently always hungry. She settled herself under the table on the patio as we left. Today the sun was shining in a clear blue sky and we made our way to Dartmoor. The breeze was chilly all day but there were no clouds so it was nice and warm lower down in sheltered areas.
We first visited Wistman's Wood which is a well known high oakwood. The trees are short and their branches are twisted and windy. The ground is covered in mossy rocks and gives the place a somewhat magical feeling, as if a pixie or elf might appear from around the corner. It was early morning so the sun was shining through at an angle which lit things up nicely. A little difficult to walk around, but definitely worth visiting - the best thing is actually to work your way from the bottom of the wood upward, as its on a slope.
We came out of the wood and continued walking up to nearby Longaford Tor (pretty breezy up top!) followed by Litterford Tors which were lower down but still pretty breezy. We had lunch here watching a lone pony grazing on the moor. The moor itself was dry and the grass short, we had a great view of the moors rolling around us. Onward we went to Grimspound, a Bronze Age settlement on the moors. We climbed nearby Hookney Tor which gave us a great view of the whole of Grimspound from further up.
Afterward we stopped off at a couple of viewpoints before we made our way back to the cottage where we had tea and cake before Mathew made his Birthday Paella followed by Raspberry and Pistachio Cheesecake...!
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