Saturday 22 May 2021
Along the craggy Cornish shoreline the legendary South West Coast Path squiggles, rising and plunging in an endless, photogenic procession of limpid blue inlets, golden beaches and sleepy fishing villages. Cornish walking is defined by this spectacular surf-fringed route, which has sections suited to both casual strollers and serious trekkers.
Well trodden and well marked, most of the path is straightforward to tackle – even if you’ve never clapped eyes on an ordnance map. But that’s not to say you should underestimate it. Hikes may set off from a fashionable town with London-smart restaurants and galleries, but before long you’ll be skirting gorse-carpeted cliffs or scrambling up steep, rocky inclines. (In other words, wear solid shoes.)
Moor to my liking … the author enjoys the undulating vastness of Dartmoor. Photograph: Chris Moss
Moor to my liking … the author enjoys the undulating vastness of Dartmoor. Photograph: Chris Moss
It took our writer seven years to grasp the subtle drama of south Devon’s national park. As he prepares to leave the area, he shares some local knowledge and his favourite spots
Sat 3 Apr 2021 06.00 EDT
William Crossing wrote more than 15 books about Dartmoor, with titles including Amid Devonia’s Alps, The Land of Stream and Tor, and Tales of the Dartmoor Pixies. Needless to say, he adored the place. Born in Plymouth in 1847, Crossing lived in the villages of South Brent, Brentor and Mary Tavy, and over five decades got to know Dartmoor’s people, traditions, history and prehistory better than anyone. Though the leading chronicler of his time, he is nowhere near as famous today as Alfred Wainwright – just as Dartmoor isn’t as eulogised, romanticised or popular as the Lake Di
A dog walker has given a donation to the search and rescue teams that helped look for him after he broke Covid exercise rules – and then became lost in thick mist. The incident happened on Wednesday this week after the man drove 13 miles to walk his dog on Bodmin Moor. Bodmin Police said that this contravened Covid exercise rules, as there were plenty of alternatives that were closer. Officers had considered giving him a fixed penalty notice for breaching the rules, but he had paid the equivalent amount as a donation to the volunteers of Cornwall Search & Rescue, after three rescue teams were sent out to help find him in thick mist.