A lght flurry of snow ...

... creeping towards the southern slopes of Dartmoor,

and making its way towards the outskirts of the city.

But it didn't reach.

 

Looking North

Plymouth styles itself as an "Ocean City".

But if you turn your back to the sea and look to the North you see the foothills of Dartmoor,

the beautiful, wild, and rugged National Park, on the doorstep of the city.

Smoke signals

Looking out over the eastern most suburb of the city, Plymstock,

towards the southern slopes of Dartmoor.

One man and his dog,

looking north over the outer suburbs of the city 

towards the southern edge of the Dartmoor National Park.

The National Park covers 954 sq. km. / 368 sq miles, of wild and beautiful open country, 

known for its Tors, majestic hills topped with rugged granite outcrops.

These Tors are the focus for an annual event known as  The Ten Tors Challenge.
This year's Challenge took place over last weekend when around 2,400 young people from this region, aged between 14 and 19, in teams of 6, trekked for distances of 56, 72 and 88 km, (35, 45 and 55 miles) visiting checkpoints on the tops of 10 specified Tors and making camp overnight as they completed their team's assigned route.

Body Language

I think this animal's body language is posing the fundamental Dirty Harry Question.

"Do you feel lucky punk?"

"Go on, do ya?"

                                                   Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry, 1971.

Emptiness

Memory is the fourth dimension of any landscape.

                                                                                Janet Fitch

 

Springtime on Dartmoor

High winds and low clouds on Dartmoor.

The clouds were so low that they created sharp-edged shadows as the raced across the moors.

Facing South to the sea and North to the hills

The city of Plymouth has grown up between the tide line, to the south,

and the granite moorland of the high ground of Dartmoor, to the north.

 Both are beautiful at any season of the year, and just like at sea,

on Dartmoor you can see the weather coming at you from a distance.

Blue Remembered Hills

Into my heart an air that kills
From yon far country blows:
What are those blue remembered hills,
What spires, what farms are those?

That is the land of lost content,
I see it shining plain,
The happy highways where I went
And cannot come again.

 A.E. Housman 1896

Looking north across the rooftops,

towards the southern slopes of Dartmoor with their light covering snow.

Dartmoor at dawn

Yesterday's picture was taken at the moment of sunrise on Mid Winter's Day (The Solstice).

Today's were taken at the same time from nearby, but looking in different directions.

Click here to visit the Dartmoor National Park website

where, amongst a wealth of interesting material, there are two videos. 

One is an aerial tour of the moor, while the other reveals some fascinating details of the lives and customs of  the early Bronze Age inhabitants of Dartmoor

Winter Solstice

The moment of the mid winter day sunrise on a lonely Dartmoor road.

Yesterday was Mid Winter Day.

The shortest day of the year.

But importantly we are on our way to Spring.

Looks like another night of heavy rain on the way.

Looking north towards the hills on the southern edge of Dartmoor, 

from high ground near the Saltash Road and Rail bridges.

Pareidolia

Pareidolia
                 Definition - The imagined perception of a pattern or meaning where it does not actually                                                                 exist, as in considering that this tree has human features.

Dartmoor (2) Burrator

The walk around the shore of Burrator Reservoir provides a gentle stroll of about 3.5 miles, so it very popular with people of all ages, at any season of the year.

Several small streams come cascading down the hills and tumble into the reservoir.

Dartmoor (1) Burrator

This is Burrator Reservoir, 

one of the main water supplies for the city of Plymouth.

It is situated on the southern edge of  Dartmoor where this dam captures the water of the River Meavy.

This is a very popular recreational area for walking, cycling, running, fishing, etc.,

within very easy reach of the city by private or public transport

Dartmoor Winter (2)

The Dartmoor National Park covers an area of 954 sq. km. of open moorland.

Criss crossing the Moor are 734 km. of public rights of way, 

made up of  357 km of footpaths, 356 km, of bridleways and 19 km. of byways.

When I took this picture my solitary companion, on this sub zero day, was the lone Dartmoor Pony, 

just left of centre in the foreground.

Dartmoor Winter (1)

The last three weeks have been very cold indeed here in Plymouth.

Down here at sea level we are used to quite winter mild temperatures but with lots of rain, 

recently however, the mercury has remained stubbornly close to 0ºC,

and on many days the wind chill effect has made it feel many degrees lower than that.

Just a few miles beyond the northern suburbs the land rises towards the high ground on the southern edge of the Dartmoor National Park, and there, very cold weather is expected.

The water in this little pond was almost five inches thick.

Dartmoor - Frozen Solid

The animals who live all year round on the moor are well adapted to the cold,

 but finding drinking water can some times be a problem in a prolonged cold spell.