Lydford Gorge Waterfall and more…

Lydford Gorge

The walk down the gorge can be long or short, depending on your mood. From my memory of aching legs, I assume we took the long route last time; but I didn’t want to push Small too hard too soon with her recently broken arm; so we opted for the short route of only a mile, and drove from the Devil’s Cauldron to the start of the White Lady Waterfall trail.

Winding your way down the gorge(ous) paths, you make your way through a tunnel, down the incline and alongside the picturesque stream until you round the bend and come face to face with the White Lady herself. Far smaller than the roaring wall of my memory, but breathtaking nonetheless. We took our time with the walk, enjoying the opportunity for Small to practice her literacy by reading all the little signs with facts about the place.

The Devil’s Cauldron

If anything, the Cauldron is even more captivating then the waterfall , although I didn’t get to see it as closely as I’d like as the path was slippery; and with no hand rail I didn’t want Small venturing down the narrow rocky path. Big and the Bigman though, went down and stood on the viewing platform in the narrow chasm where the roaring water echoes off the cavern walls and surrounds you. The almost jungle-like path down and along to the Cauldron is spotted with stunning spots. Naturally formed slate paths, picturesque bridges to stop and play Poohsticks or spot the brown trout swimming amongst the stones, even just marvel at the steep gorge walls stretching above and below you.

Moor times

The beauty of Dartmoor truly lies in it’s feral nature. The untamed terrain, the livestock roaming seemingly at random across your path, the wind and weather.

Having driven past a few lovely bridges, and unable to completely answer the girls’ questions off-hand; we stopped to explore a lovely Clapper Bridge. These stunning neolithic bridge designs are dotted all around Dartmoor, removing the opening for modern eyesores to disturb the primeval ambience of the whole area.

When the kids went for a wander down the riverside we took the chance to explore river currents; by dropping flowers off the bridge, and seeing the routes they took to get downstream to be delivered to the girls.

Merrivale

The monument at Merrivale is beautifully inconspicuous, with no huge signs or garish entrances- and no fees! You’d have no idea it was even there if you hadn’t headed for it intentionally. Walking up to the processional way in the mist; you feel like you’re discovering a hidden site for the first time. With ancient rows of stones leading to and from a small stone circle, cists, standing stones and all.

An astounding and mystical site, there’s a whole lot going on here. We even managed to fit in some quick Science with the discovery of a rotted deposit from one of the cows sprouting mushrooms.

Exam time came when I challenged the girls to figure out what could have caused this bare patch in the grass? (while I gave my legs a little break!) After much debate about various biological processes at work, possible causes and working backwards from what we knew, and local evidence present- they eventually came to the conclusion that had most likely been a cow pat! Blocking the sun so that the grass couldn’t photosynthesise beneath, composting down over time to leave no evidence.

Burrator Reservior

We managed to stay the night at a beautiful spot tucked in next to a very unassuming but picturesque waterfall on the edge of Burrator Reservoir, before heading off for our day. An added lesson in every day of travelling was not only teamwork in setting up “home” for the night, but practical skills such as cooking, improvising when you didn’t bring the chopping knife, washing up with no sink etc etc. The girls mucked in with chopping and dishing up while I cooked on the tiny gas hob on the gravel.

Lydford Castle

We headed back again to Lydford; having driven past an intriguing fort on our way to the gorge a few days before.

It turns out that this mis-named “Castle” was actually an old prison. Again with no visitor centre or entrance fees you are free to just amble in and have a look around, even climbing the windy stone staircase inside. If you look around the walls you can see (and discuss….at length…) the various holes and features; like the joist holes in the walls marking where the wooden floors would have been. The barely recognisable hearths and chimneys. Even the gaps for the workings of the gates and doors, giving you an idea of how they would have been constructed and operated.

Taking a quick walk outside you can wander through the trees in the rain to the site of the actual Norman castle, although you’d be hard-pressed to see much evidence other than the earthworks surrounding the small clearing. Sheltering under the huge trees, we did some research and decided where to spend our last full day……. Here.