Just back from five days on Dartmoor. The occasion was the second part of the Forest Gardening course which I began in February (subject of several entries back then). The High Heathercombe Centre overlooks one of the greener farmed valleys looking across to desolate hills beyond. The centre itself is perched by the edge of another stretch of bleak moorland and I took several walks into the solitude...

 The walks from Heathercombe point into the heart of the moor.

 It's fairly easy to get off the beaten track. Nonetheless there are beaten tracks which make rambling rather easier than hiking through the tufts and tussocks which resemble Sherlock's Grimpen Mire in places (though the moor seems pretty dry by Dartmoor standards at the moment).

 The remains of dry stone walls sometimes offer a viable route to follow.

 There was one sight I especially wanted to see. Years ago I saw an aerial photograph of Grimspound- the remains of a Bronze Age settlement surrounded by a circular boundary wall of about 150 metres in diameter. It's clearly marked on the OS map and as I approached the area I spotted it beyond a Tor ahead of me.

 So it was a real bonus to get some walking in but my main purpose for coming to Dartmoor was to continue the course. In particular it included a visit to see ART - the Agroforestry Research Trust - which I will write about in my next entry.