Summer Solstice Wild Camp

DARTMOOR

DEVON

TREK

WALK

WILDCAMP

Summer Solstice Wild Camp

Sunday 21 June 2015

The plan was straight forward enough. We would drive to Dartmoor. Walk out onto the moors. Set up camp and watch the sunset. In the morning we would wake up early and watch the sunrise on Summer Solstice.

Even if either the sunset or sunrise didn’t happen we would at least see one or the other right?

Well, that was the plan.

This was Susan’s first wild camp and she was a little worried about being murdered by one of the many murderers that apparently roam Dartmoor. Susan suggested that we should camp on a Tor because then we could hide away from the murderers behind the rocks.

I pointed out that, Tors are probably the first place that murderers would look for their victims and that I had planned to camp near Sandy Ford so that we would have access to water.

We were about two kilometres short when the mist started to roll in and visibility started to drop.

I had hoped that we would be able to walk up to Fur Tor and watch the sun setting over the moor but this was clearly not going to happen and I think the mist had started to spook Susan a little who was still worried about being found by the murderers.

In the end, we stopped on a large flat plateau on the southern side of Amicombe Hill and set up the tent. Between us, we were carrying just about enough water to cook some food and have a few cups of coffee so I didn’t have to go off to get some water and leave Susan on her own in the spooky mist.

Having been denied a sunset it would have been nice to have had a clear night sky to look at instead but the clag was now well and truly down and you could only see about ten metres.

By nine o’clock, we were in the tent and starting to nod off. Hoping that the morning would be clear and that there would be a good sunrise to enjoy.

I awoke just before five o’clock and popped my head out of the tent, not much had changed. Low level cloud and mist were sweeping across the hill and the view to Fur Tor was patchy. There would be no sunrise to see this morning. Back to sleep then.

After a little snooze, we had some breakfast and packed up the tent. It was just after eight o’clock when we started off back towards the car.

The route back was only about four miles but we would have to cross the Rattle Brook somewhere which meant following the brook until we found a spot that we could cross without having to take our boots off or falling in.

By ten o’clock it was starting to brighten up a little so we stopped for a little coffee break above Tavy Cleave and then headed down into the Cleave to follow the Wheal Jewel Leat back to Lanehead.

Luckily, we both managed to get back to the car without either of us being murdered and while we didn’t get to see a sunset or a sunrise we still had a good time.

Amicombe Hill with Fur Tor in the distance

Up early for the summer solstice sunrise

The Route

Distance : 10 Miles

We parked in the Car Park at Lanehead and roughly followed the route shown in the map below. We wildcamped and walked over two days but this route could easily been done in a day.

Click HERE for a GPX file of the route.

David Welch – View Profile

Are you tired of being stuck in the office? Bored of being chained to a desk? Counting down the days until retirement?

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