Dartmoor

[Lucyc]

unless you fancy lugging some 2x2 timber around with you

Hmm.. an interesting idea

Is it just me or is this woodland here 50°35'39.09"N 3°43'47.89"W available for camping? I swear it actually is, according to the where-you-can-camp-and-where-you-can't map..Interesting.. Unless it's just me being stupid again!

If not I'll just let my friend's marine boyfriend sort us out, who's been up building igloos in Scotland ... not that I'm jealous or anything..

 

[bikething]

Hmm.. an interesting idea

Is it just me or is this woodland here 50°35'39.09"N 3°43'47.89"W available for camping? I swear it actually is, according to the where-you-can-camp-and-where-you-can't map..Interesting.. Unless it's just me being stupid again

Yarner wood - National Nature Reserve

If not I'll just let my friend's marine boyfriend sort us out, who's been up building igloos in Scotland ... not that I'm jealous or anything..

Don't think you'll be building igloos on dartmoor at easter...but then again...

 

[Lucyc]

Yarner wood - National Nature Reserve

I take it that means no?
Hmm now what's the penalty for camping in the wrong place? Especially for two poor little girls (and some random guy) who got lost? Aww.. 'We couldn't help it sir, we thought we were going to die...', 'Where are we? Thank goodness you saved us!'

Edit: oh yeah - where are you getting all this information from?! Could save you a lot of bother

Don't think you'll be building igloos on dartmoor at easter...but then again...

Ha ha no I meant we'll just let him do all the map-reading, camp-finding, tree-finding business..

Otherwise, beardown farm it is - in which case I'll buy a hammock! (We're planning on going up to Scotland for a week or so in the summer - woop woop!!)

Edit again: Oh, the reason I suggested Blackator because of another thread:

I've used Blackator copse several times. It's lovely there, the trees are amazing - but do check yourself for ticks because at this time of year the bracken is extremely thick there.

I don't know whether that means it's still allowed though

 

[bikething]

I take it that means no?

well the idea of a nature reserve is to protect the area....

Hmm now what's the penalty for camping in the wrong place? Especially for two poor little girls (and some random guy) who got lost? Aww.. 'We couldn't help it sir, we thought we were going to die...', 'Where are we? Thank goodness you saved us!'

the penalty could be getting turfed out at 1am into the cold wet night if you're lucky... - besides, that wood looks too close to civilisation for my liking - lots of car parks for the chavs to hang out in - and it'll be full of people at the weekends..

Edit: oh yeah - where are you getting all this information from?! Could save you a lot of bother

a combination of local knowledge, and an ordnance survey mapping program

Ha ha no I meant we'll just let him do all the map-reading, camp-finding, tree-finding business..

Otherwise, beardown farm it is - in which case I'll buy a hammock! (We're planning on going up to Scotland for a week or so in the summer - woop woop!!)

keep an eye out on the group buy threads.. and the classifieds..

if you're going to scotland in the summer you'll need a good mozzie net for your hammock - unfortunately i've just sold my spare one

 

[Lucyc]

well the idea of a nature reserve is to protect the area....

the penalty could be getting turfed out at 1am into the cold wet night if you're lucky... - besides, that wood looks too close to civilisation for my liking - lots of car parks for the chavs to hang out in - and it'll be full of people at the weekends..

a combination of local knowledge, and an ordnance survey mapping program


keep an eye out on the group buy threads.. and the classifieds..

if you're going to scotland in the summer you'll need a good mozzie net for your hammock - unfortunately i've just sold my spare one

Righto righto, ha ha the chavs.. Love 'em.. Well not really

I was going to go for the cheaper DD camping hammock, but maybe I should go for the travel one? The trouble with being my age is, even I'm going to pay her back I still have to ask my mum to buy stuff for me

Sounds like Beardown Farm it is! Which isn't the end of the world, looks like a nice spot my only concern is D of E goers, Ten tors, etc.

 

[bikething]

I was going to go for the cheaper DD camping hammock, but maybe I should go for the travel one?

ideally you want to get along to a meet and see a couple of different ones - a hammock needs to quite a bit longer than you are - and different styles work for different people. once you've got your hammock you'll be in a better position to choose a tarp - 3m x 3m is a good starting point..

The trouble with being my age is, even I'm going to pay her back I still have to ask my mum to buy stuff for me

wait till you get to my age... i have to buy stuff for my mum LOL

Sounds like Beardown Farm it is! Which isn't the end of the world, looks like a nice spot my only concern is D of E goers, Ten tors, etc.

I don't know the farm but know the area - nice valley - on Dartmoor in the spring / summer you'll run into groups wherever you go...

 

[littlebiglane]

Ha ha sounds like some er.. nice experiences for you! So if we went at the weekend we could camp in that area.. Have you ever camped in the copse (I think it's Black-a-tor?) slightly to the west of Yes Tor, just outside the Danger Area? It seems like the only bit of woodland we're able to camp in

The nature reserve down the side of Yes Tor has woodland. The problem with these ancient woods on the moor is that they are often boulder strewn and the oak trees are stunted/small. If not bonsai they are 4/5 metres tall at best. Just opposite those trees is a flat bit of land running down part the stream/river. Nice spot. A little on the beaten track during the day with day walkers though. There is a lovely spot (minus trees) further up that has got to be one of the most private. I can point you towards that if you wish. Its a bugger to find though.

 

[Dave Budd]

And you can camp there! I love you
Well, hopefully.. I'm pretty sure I'm looking at the right place on the map! I wish this dartmoor-where-you-can-camp-and-where-you-can't map wasn't so vague..

Edit: Cancel that, I was looking and the wrong place.. I don't think you can camp there?
I swear all the tors are in areas where you can't camp..

Maybe you should come and camp in my woods then

 

[Lucyc]

Maybe you should come and camp in my woods then

Really?! :wow1:

 

[bikething]

Really?! :wow1:

He does the occassional bowmaking / archery / knifemaking course too - I've heard they're very good - must do one myself sometime

 

[BushTucker]

Maybe you should come and camp in my woods then

Wow, do you own your own wood on Dartmoor then Dave??

 

[Intertidal]

Hiya,
We camped on Dartmoor last Friday night, at Fur Tor. Twas windy, but managed a semi-sheltered spot on the E side of the main tor. Nice, relatively remote spot with water not to far away. If you want bouldering tho', you've not much but Fur Tor itself, so probably not the best spot.
I've also camped at Black-a-tor, just 'downstream' of the wood itself, on a flat, possibly damp area (it was frozen at the time). We arrived after dark and left at first light. On this basis you'll not encounter problems on the open moor, but leaving tents/tarps around in daytime may attract unwanted attention.
As several folk have said, open fires are a no no. Twenty odd years ago as yoofs, we used to nick coal from the (then unlocked) range observation huts and settle down to a blazing coal fire (built on a bit of dry streambed). Ah, those were the days!
I've also bivied in Fernworthy Forest, just over the wall on the northern side, again, arrive at dusk and away by dawn.
I hope the weather is kind when you're there at Easter. I'll be in the Cairngorms, where it'll probably be worse!!
Have fun

 

[Lucyc]

Dave whereabouts do you live on Dartmoor?

I'm a bit confused (well I don't think I am, but then I sort of am in that I could be if I actually am.. :bluThinki ) with the rules for camping in general. Like at school today, I kept hearing of people just trotting off to some random wood and going camping there - I swear that's not supposed to happen?! But then I started thinking and when people don't go to campsites and don't live on Scotland/Dartmoor, such as some people on here, where DO they go?! I mean fair enough if they own a wood or something, but what about the others?! And then I started thinking even more about how if you can't just go anywhere, surely no one has any rights whatsoever, and we might as well be in prison!? I'm so confused! But then.. argh!

 

[bikething]

Dave whereabouts do you live on Dartmoor?

Cheriton Bishop I think - there's a link in his sig line to his website

 

[Dave Budd]

Yep I own some woods, well to be honest my dad owns them but I will buy them off him when I'm able too The house I live in is in a village just inside the National Park, but I don't even have space for a pot plant. Luckily the woods (Cheriton Bishop, but near as dammit) provides me with a 10.5 acre playground The boundry of the National Park lies about 4 miles to the southwest of the woods. Not being in the national park means that we got it for a lot less than we could've and I have a lot more freedom with what I can do. For example I'm building my new workshop there and if I were in the park it would have been more difficult going through the planning department

Unfortunately Lucy I can't realy offer you the use of the woods for camping, my insurance and other boring things get tricky when people are there and not involved in one of my courses. Of course if you were to come on a course....

 

[Lucyc]

Ah no worries I'd love to do a course of yours! Except the whole point of the trip is to spend no money, so that might be defeating the point a bit

Thanks all for your help - we'll find somewhere I'm sure, probably Beardown farm!
Instead of starting a new thread, I'll ask another quick question here - how much d'you think it would cost petrolwise to drive from somerset all the way up to scotland?!

Edit - hmm ok I just attempted to figure it out and did all sorts of calculations and I got about £30, which I'm fairly certain can't be right, since I was expecting around £100..

 

[bikething]

you don't want to spend money and you're talking of driving to scotland ???

as to how much petrol, depends on what you drive and how you drive it..

I did a lot of work in Holyhead (North Wales) a few years ago. Was driving a 1.8 vectra and it used about a tankful each way (387 miles) - back then a tankfulk was about £45.. it'll be closer to £60 these days Depending on your start point, and how far you go I reckon it'd be at least 3 tankfulls in the vectra (£180!!) but then it was a bit tired with 170, 000 odd miles on the clock.

 

[Lucyc]

If there's a better way to get there please do tell! Yeah the idea was to spend no money on dartmoor, and as little money as possible in scotland - just the travel fares!! we were alternatively thinking just going up to the lake district, but there's only restricted wild camping there (i think?) and probably no fires (?)..

Indeed - expensive I think!! It would be like a 7 year old clio with only 10,000 miles on the clock - supposedly they go at around 50 miles per gallon.. But I must admit not knowing a thing about cars

 

[littlebiglane]

Yep I own some woods, well to be honest my dad owns them but I will buy them off him when I'm able too The house I live in is in a village just inside the National Park, but I don't even have space for a pot plant. Luckily the woods (Cheriton Bishop, but near as dammit) provides me with a 10.5 acre playground The boundry of the National Park lies about 4 miles to the southwest of the woods. Not being in the national park means that we got it for a lot less than we could've and I have a lot more freedom with what I can do. For example I'm building my new workshop there and if I were in the park it would have been more difficult going through the planning department

Unfortunately Lucy I can't realy offer you the use of the woods for camping, my insurance and other boring things get tricky when people are there and not involved in one of my courses. Of course if you were to come on a course....

SORRY - I HAVE JUST DELETED MY COMMENT AS I WAS RECOMMENDING A WOOD OWNED BY SOMEONE BUT ITS NOT MY RIGHT TO INVITE YOU TO USE A WOOD FROM SOMEONE I DO NOT KNOW VERY WELL. I'll ask her what the situation is and get back you if it is positive.

 

[bikething]

If there's a better way to get there please do tell!

fly to Edinburgh and get a bus out to the highlands from there?

Your total fare including taxes and charges is shown below.
Going Out
Wed 12 Mar 2008
Depart 07:00 Arrive 08:30
Exeter (EXT) to Edinburgh (EDI)
Fare £ 0.69
Taxes and Charges £ 28.70
Seats £
Bags £

Coming Back
Wed 19 Mar 2008
Depart 08:55 Arrive 10:25
Edinburgh (EDI) to Exeter (EXT)
Fare £ 0.69
Taxes and Charges £ 25.90
Seats £
Bags £

Insurance £
Payment Fee £

Total so far
£55.98

edit: of course you'll need a passport