Torquay pt. 3
(24th March 2026)
Today’s outing took me to Dartmoor National Park, a huge, sprawling landscape made up of trails, hills, rocks, and ponies. The weather was far less sunny than the rest of the week had been, but I think the drizzly rain and dense fog only added to the environment. Visibility was very low at higher spots, and – much like Land’s End – I enjoyed the feeling of being the sole human for miles around.
I parked at the Haytor Visitor Centre car park and headed straight up the giant hill that was looming ahead of me in the mist; my calves almost immediately started to make their protests, but I relished the trek, and kept on relishing it as I meandered further on without particularly choosing a direction. I mostly kept to the well-trodden trails but was quite happy forging a new route through certain challenging areas – all part of the fun!
As I neared the car park from which I started, I reached a large patch of blackened earth and branches, which had clearly been blitzed by fire (may have been a controlled burn, not sure). There I found three white ponies sticking out like a sore thumb amidst the charred bushes, and stood admiring them for a little while. While I was watching two of them saunter off, the third silently appeared at my hip, and I gave him a little pat before he followed his companions. A nice note to end both the day’s and week’s adventures on!