Oats 2004

The OATS walk of 2003 was cancelled owing to conservation concerns. The walk was permitted in 2004 but was moved to October to avoid interfering with the bird nesting season. As a result the walk was not so well attended. The full OATS walk goes from Ivybridge to Oakhampton. This walk describes the first half - from Ivybridge to Postbridge.

Start from Ivybridge Community College and get on the Two Moors way at Stowford - which means walking along the "Puffing Billy" track that goes to Red Lake. From Red Lake skirt around Fishlake Mire, walk over Naker's and Ter Hill and walk down to Hexworthy. Walk along the main road to Huccaby and then cross over to Laughter Hole. Then through the woodland to Bellever and Postbridge.

A 16 mile walk over some easy and not so easy ground. The grassy tussocks of Naker's Hill is probably the worst place to walk over.

	Registration of the OATS walk at 7.30 in the morning at Ivybridge.
	Dawn breaks as we walk up the 2 Moors way beyond Stowford - SX 643573.
	Getting onto the moor at Stowford gate.
	A backwards view towards Ivybridge.
	Looking south towards Western Beacon from the side of Butterdon Hill.
	Walking over Weatherdon Hill towards Hangershell Rock. The name Weatherdon probably refers to the old name for castrated rams (wethers) - and so means the place where wethers were pastured.
	Hangershell Rock - SX 655594. The clitter around this isolated rock suggests that it was once a big tor.
	The Two Moors way - part of the Red Lake Puffing Billy trackway.
	Hobajohn's Cross - SX 655605. This is a rough replacement from the original cross which was probably rather large judging by the size of the sockets stones that surround this cross. The original cross was probably hauled off to serve boundary time at Three Barrows in 1560. It has now disappeared.
	Looking south over towards Butterdon Hill. The woods surrounding Harford reservoir on the lower right.
	The Longstone - SX 654607. On the left the original menhir and on the right is the small 19th century bondstone.
	Looking down the Erme valley from near Sharp Tor.
	Two moors way just past Sharp Tor.
	Approaching Leftlake Mire.
	Leftlake Mire - SX 647635. This is the remains from a china clay venture.
	Carrying along the track.
	Looking south west from the trackway at Brown Heath - SX 644658.
	This looks like an old loading platform.
	The Red lake pyramid.
	The trackway that leads to Red Lake.
	Nearly there.
	The check point at Red Lake.
	A closer look at the check point.
	The lake at Red Lake.
	Walking up towards Green Hill.
	Looking back at the Red Lake pyramid from the "slopes" of Green Hill.
	The NE view from the side of Green Hill. You can see the valley of the Avon as it flows between Naker's and Ryder's hills.
	The NE slopes of Green Hill. Red Lake in the distance.
	Fishlake Mire - one of the bleakest parts of southern Dartmoor. This was originally a tarn fed by the upper Avon that contained fish such as trout and salmon. It was drained by tinners over 400 years ago. Now it is a large basin of purple moor grass and bog cotton.
	The remote wilderness of Fishlake.
	The thick grass of Naker's Hill. This is not nice stuff to walk through.
	Coming over the top of Ter Hill at SX 644701. The gert of Skir Gut is on the right.
	The check point at Hexworthy.
	Approaching Hexworthy Bridge.
	Looking east towards Babeny from SX 655753. The edge of Riddon Ridge is on the left.
	A brief pause before the Laughter Hole gate - SX 655755
	Looking back at Bellever from SX 653777.
	A Fly Agaric beside the Postbridge - Bellever road. Unfortunately, many of these beautiful fungi had been smashed up.
	Approaching Postbridge from Bellever.